Throughout history, the city of Belfast has been built on division. The split between Catholic and Protestant, rich and poor, cop and criminal, and even right and wrong, have served to create endless conflict, and where there’s conflict, ‘blue lights’ are never far away.
Following three of the Police Service of Northern Ireland’s newest recruits during their probation period, the six-part Irish cop drama Blue Lights turns this popular genre on its head, exposing the challenges of policing in Northern Ireland’s largest city through the eyes of those stepping on to the front line for the first time.
Brit and single mum Constable Grace Ellis (Siân Brooke) is the most experienced of the newbies, a former social worker in her mid-forties who is eager to shake up her career. She hopes her new role will allow her to make a more tangible contribution to the community she has called home for twenty years, but it only takes a few days of dealing with the residents of the notorious Carrick View estate for Grace to realise that not everyone wants her help. In fact, there are some for whom the mere sight of a police uniform is provocation.
Constable Grace Ellis (Siân Brooke). Source: BBC/Two Cities/Steffan Hill
Domestic violence, drugs and gang crime are issues Grace has come across before but confronting them head on leaves no room for emotion, and keeping her distance is essential to avoid putting herself, and those she loves, in harm’s way.
Emotion is also an Achilles heel for Constable Annie Conlon (Katherine Devlin) who, as a young woman coming face to face with hardened criminals on a daily basis, must learn to hide her fear behind a steely exterior. There’s nothing like being spat at, punched or threatened to remind you that you’re in one of Ireland’s toughest cities and that a single lapse in judgement could cost you more than just your pride.
Constable Annie Conlon (Katherine Devlin). Source: BBC/Two Cities/Steffan Hill
Surviving the infamously difficult probation period is a daunting task, but Annie is determined to prove to her mentor, Helen McNally (Joanne Crawford) that she’s got what it takes. Like Grace, however, Annie is quick to realise that pursuing justice in this city will make her some dangerous enemies and even the smallest of mistakes could cost her everything.
Constable Tommy Foster (Nathan Braniff) is also doing everything he can to avoid bungling his chances at making it in the force, but he’s already got himself a reputation as the worst shot the service has seen in years. His lack of precision with a gun is made up for in his attention to detail, however, and it’s a quality that confirms for his mentor Constable Gerry Cliff (Game of Thrones’ Richard Dormer, who is also in Cobra now streaming ) that the rookie has the makings of a great cop. As Tommy delves deeper into the city’s worst crimes, he begins to realise that the individuals who pose the greatest risk to justice could actually be those he is working alongside.
Why is Detective Inspector David ‘Jonty’ Johnston (Jonathan Harden) curbing investigations before they’ve even begun? And could it have something to do with James McIntyre (John Lynch) and his notorious family? Whatever the answer, Tommy is determined to get to the truth.
Constable Nathan Braniff. Source: BBC/Two Cities/Steffan Hill
Grace Ellis (Siân Brooke) and Stevie Neil (Martin McCann). Source: BBC/Two Cities/Steffan Hill
At first glance, Blue Lights has police procedural written all over it, but it is worlds away from your average one case per episode format. The perpetrators in this city are already well known to the PSNI, their crimes are far from one-off, unexplained offences, and bringing those responsible to justice is more difficult than putting those at the scene in cuffs.
For Grace, Annie and Tommy, each individual they apprehend is just one small thread in a far more complex web, and it’s one that they quickly find themselves wrapped up in as their investigations edge uncomfortably closer to home. Each hour-long episode is an authentic, gritty and gasp-inducing watch that illuminates the realities of life for those starting out on the beat.
Gerry Cliff (Richard Dormer). Source: BBC/Two Cities/Steffan Hill
Although the three remain resolute in their commitment to making it as fully fledged officers, in spite of the obstacles that come their way, at the back of their minds remains one particularly tough question: have they made the right choice in joining the PSNI?
Six-part season 1 of Blue Lights is now streaming . Blue Lights will also air at 9.30pm Wednesdays on SBS starting 24 May.
