City Of Vice
Pilot
Channel 4
Ian "The Emperor" McDiarmid and Iain Glen star in this new cop drama following the real-life efforts of magistrate brothers Henry and John Fielding to start a police force in 1753 London.
Henry was of course the author of Tom Jones, and so was pretty well known in the 18th Century by the time he set up the Bow Street Runners to try and stamp out the rampant vice in the city at the time. In the first episode, they're nipping all over London, as they investigate the brutal murder of a prostitute in the first episode, boozing it up on the job as much as McNulty (although it's wine rather than beer for these cops).
Does suffer a bit from a lack of budget for extras and extensive sets, but they get round it with some jumpy NYPD Blue camerawork and also the nifty use of map graphics to show the fledgling unit working the case across London. For once, you get to see the cops who actually did write the book on police procedure, although it wasn't quite up to CSI level at the time. Makes a change to see a costume drama that's about guvnors on manors rather than governors and manners for once.
Starts Monday 14 Jan, 9pm, Channel 4. 5 episodes.
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2nd Jan 2008 - Tumblr
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