There’s grit and bite in Jimmy Nesbitt’s Suspect

It’s Sunday evening, a time when most of us are enjoying a relaxing evening before embarking on a new week at work.

So, what do we want to watch as we while away the hours?

If cosy crime is what floats your boat, then ITV is launching the third series of McDonald and Dodds this evening. However, if something with more grit and bite is what floats your boat, then Suspect is the show for you.

It’s an eight-parter adapted from the Danish thriller Forhoret, and it has a cast to die for, which is headed by James Nesbitt as veteran detective Danny Frater.

After being called to a hospital morgue for what appears to be a routine ID check, he gets the kind of shock all parents dread – the young woman lying on the slab is his estranged daughter Christina. Despite the fact they hadn’t been in touch for some time, Danny is still devastated by her death.

Joely Richardson co-stars as Jackie, the pathologist who carries out a post mortem that suggests Christina took her own life. Danny refuses to believe it can be true, and sets about meeting up with her friends and associates in an attempt to piece together the final moments of her life.

Each episode sees him locked in intense, difficult conversations with those who may have been involved in Christina’s death. Clearly the scripts are top-class, because each role has attracted an acclaimed star.

Bafta-nominee Niamh Algar plays her partner Nicola, while Antonia Thomas tackles the role of her best friend Maia; these are the people who, in theory at least, knew Christina the best.

Sacha Dhawan may be best known as the Master in Doctor Who these days, but he pops up as Christina’s business partner here, alongside Richard E Grant as her mentor Harry.

Last but by no means least, Anne-Marie Duff portrays Susannah, her mother and Danny’s ex-wife; look out too for Ben Miller as the cop’s boss, Richard.

“I could relate to Danny, with his flaws, vulnerabilities and the devastating situation he faces, from the very first moment I picked up the script,” claimed Nesbitt, who has two daughters of his own, when filming began.

“Each episode of Suspect is an intensely theatrical double-hander, a psychological battle of wits between Danny and another character who may know something about his daughter’s untimely death, and I really can’t wait to lock horns with my fellow cast members and to lead this incredible array of acting talent.”

“I am absolutely delighted to welcome James Nesbitt back to Channel 4 to take the lead in this gripping, visceral thriller,” adds Caroline Hollick, Channel 4’s head of drama.

“It’s a testament to James’s star power and Matt Baker’s gripping scripts that Suspect has attracted such a sensationally stellar ensemble cast.”

The first two episodes are set to air this evening, with the rest of the series running across the week until it reaches a conclusion on Wednesday.