Blue Lights (2023 TV series)

Blue Lights is a Northern Irish police procedural television drama series set in the fictional Blackthorn police station in Belfast, Northern Ireland, where the series was filmed. Created and written by Declan Lawn and Adam Patterson, it began broadcasting on BBC One on 27 March 2023. The first series followed three probationary police officers of the Police Service of Northern Ireland and the experienced officers who train, mentor, and work with them, with the second following the same characters a year later trying to quell a loyalist feud in the city. Both series of Blue Lights received critical praise and high viewership. A third and fourth series have been commissioned.

Production
On 14 February 2022, the BBC announced that filming for an upcoming police procedural called Blue Lights had commenced in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and its surrounding areas. It was set to contain six episodes and air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. The series was created and written by Declan Lawn and Adam Patterson, and produced by Two Cities Television and Northern Ireland Screen. Lawn and Patterson said that the BBC commissioned a pilot and the first writers' room for the show in 2019, and when the show was greenlit, the development of the series was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, as writers' rooms had to be moved online. The show was commissioned by Piers Wenger and Charlotte Moore, and is distributed internationally by BBC Studios. The upcoming series was described as "an authentic, gripping and darkly funny drama about ordinary people doing an extraordinary job in a society that could spiral out of control at any moment". The series follows three rookie police officers working in Belfast, described as "a uniquely dangerous place to be a police officer", and the "unique set of pressures and dangers they face as frontline cops". The three were further described as being in their probation period, with the odds of all three passing stacked against them. Director Gilles Brannier called it "quite challenging" to her own vision for this show due to it being mainly character driven. Lawn and Patterson suggested the appeal of the series was the "great universality" of its themes, coupled with its "slice of life" view of Belfast. Lawn and Patterson further added that due to being set in modern-day Belfast, the officers would face "a very specific set of policing problems from the legacy of sectarian violence". Patterson even likened the job of being a police officer in Belfast to "trench warfare", saying that the series would reflect the "lingering threat" to police officers in Belfast.

Lawn and Patterson aimed to represent Belfast with the series, as they both grew up there, explaining: "Every writer wants to explore their own place, and their own society as authentically and as honestly as they can. We feel enormously grateful to BBC drama for letting us do that with Blue Lights". Brannier aimed to represent Belfast in a different manner to the way it usually is, to "step away from the black and white representation of Belfast", calling it a fantastic challenge. Lawn explained the importance of portraying Belfast on the show, as many crew members described the city itself as another character in the show. He explained: "We've always dreamed of making a show in Belfast and Blue Lights is a distillation of everything we've learned from living here and being journalists here. We think it shows the city in a way that's never been shown before in terms of the bad and the good, the kind of vibrancy of it and the problems of it". They admitted that some of their "more established stars" who grew up in Belfast understood the dangers of the jobs, as in Lawn's words: "They could explain the context to the others". Lawn went on to describe his own experiences growing up in the city, where he would feel at "constant risk" and never knew if his parents would return home from work at the end of a weekday. Lawn admitted that some of the actors, especially the younger stars, were surprised to learn about the treatment of police officers in Northern Ireland. According to Patterson, when writing Blue Lights, he and Lawn aimed to challenge people's mindsets, saying: "I think if you think about the world like that, then you can actually move forward as a society. But if you lock yourself away and put yourself in a binary mindset then you can't. So our objective always in writing is to push past that and make people challenge themselves."

The series began airing following the attempted murder of DCI John Caldwell, an off-duty police officer who received serious injuries after being shot in front of his son at a sports complex in Omagh, County Tyrone. Patterson paid tribute to Caldwell, and believed the incident was "a reminder as to why the show is so important". He continued by adding: "We can't just ignore the fact that there is still a lingering threat for these people that literally lay themselves on the line to uphold our civic duty. That's amazing, and we just love the police for that. Of course, they’re a flawed machine; like many machines, they have their issues". He commented that it is "amazing" that people would put themselves in harm's way for others, adding "I think a society can only survive through people that".

Before the first series ended its run, a second series was commissioned, with filming beginning in August 2023. Lawn and Patterson expressed excitement for the second series, opening up that: "Blue Lights is a very personal project for us, set in the city where we live, so for us making [a second series] is a special kind of privilege". The cast was said to consist of a returning cast from the previous series, as well as new characters. Stephen Wright, executive producer, enthused that he was "proud" of the reception to series 1 and was "looking forward to bringing [the] characters and the city of Belfast back for series two as well as introducing some exciting new characters and storylines to the fans". The BBC has announced that the first episode of series 2 would air at 9 pm on 15 April 2024 on BBC One. All episodes of series 2 would become available to watch on BBC iPlayer at 6am on the same day while the remainder of the series would air weekly. It was further teased that the second series would take place exactly a year after the events of the first, with the characters set to be "facing a whole new set of professional and personal challenges". Tommy would become interested by the world of intelligence policing and Grace would struggle to deal with her son's absence and feelings for Stevie. It expanded that Grace, Annie, and Tommy would no longer be "fresh out of training" and would mainly be dealing with rival loyalist gangs who try to fill the vacuum left by the MacIntyres after they were taken down in series 1, teasing: "As a young loyalist threatens to take over the city, the officers face a major gangland feud – culminating in a violent and devastating confrontation".

During the run of series 2, in May 2024, the show confirmed that it would return for a third and fourth series in the future.

Casting
Lawn and Patterson met with almost 30 Northern Irish police officers to help inform their characters and flesh out the fictional workplace. The cast was described by them as a mix of new and established talent. Siân Brooke plays Grace Ellis, a mother of a teenager who made the decision in her 40s to leave her job as a social worker to join the Police Service of Northern Ireland, a decision dubbed "the biggest gamble of her life" as she straddles a fine line between the personal and professional. Her fellow rookies are Annie Conlon, played by Katherine Devlin, who is described as someone who "struggles with the fact that her chosen path may mean having to leave everything she's ever known behind", and Tommy Foster, played by newcomer Nathan Braniff, described as a young man who is incompetent at policing, but "desperate to prove himself". Both were inspired by real people Lawn and Patterson met when writing the characters for the series. The three rookie characters were written with an element of innocence and naivety.

Martin McCann received the part of Stevie Neil, a police officer who is partnered with Grace, whom McCann described as an "introverted extrovert" and a "lone wolf". Richard Dormer was cast as veteran police officer Gerry Cliff, who is described by Lawn and Patterson as "always there with the one liner" and "a natural born rebel", adding that the character was essential for the show's "mixture of darkness and humour". Andi Osho was cast as Gerry's wife Sandra, the main custody sergeant of the station. Joanne Crawford joined as Helen McNally, a sergeant who is "tough" on the probationers because she "knows what the job entails and the type of person who suits it". Hannah McClean was cast as Jen Robinson, a policewoman who is a few years into the job, but who is "work-shy" and dislikes being on patrol. John Lynch portrayed James McIntyre, the main antagonist and head of a terrorist dynasty, whom Lynch describes as a "conundrum" and someone who "takes pleasure in exercising his power and isn’t shy about intimidating people or putting his foot through a door". Jonathan Harden was cast as David "Jonty" Johnson, and the actor was excited to play a role in a Belfast-set TV series. The role of Grace's 17-year-old son was given to newcomer Matthew Carver, who described Cal and Grace's relationship as "close". Director Brannier described the casting process for the ten main characters as an "absolute joy".

In the second series, every main cast member returned, except Dormer as his character died on-screen, and Lynch as his character was arrested. Frank Blake was cast as Shane Bradley, a constable who was "drafted in to help", but whose true motivations were "unclear". Seamus O'Hara and Seána Kerslake joined the cast as siblings Lee and Mags Thompson. Lee was billed as a military veteran and "a protestant from east Belfast" who begins "feeling exploited by the gangs who run the estate, as well as the people who have let it happen", causing him to become "caught up in a loyalist feud", while Mags was billed as the family pub's owner. Craig McGinlay was cast as Lee's "right-hand man", Craig McQuarrie. Dan Gordan received the role of Mags and Lee's uncle, Rab Thompson.

Cast overview
• Siân Brooke as Grace Ellis

• Katherine Devlin as Annie Conlon

• Nathan Braniff as Tommy Foster

• Richard Dormer as Gerry Cliff (Series 1)

• Martin McCann as Stevie Neil

• John Lynch as James McIntyre (Series 1)

• Jonathan Harden as David Johnson

• Matthew Carver as Cal Ellis (Series 1)

• Valene Kane as Angela Mackle (Series 1)

• Dane Whyte O'Hara as Gordy Mackle (Series 1)

• Joanne Crawford as Helen McNally

• Hannah McClean as Jen Robinson

• Andrea Irvine as Nicola Robinson

• Andi Osho as Sandra Cliff

• Nabil Elouahabi as Joseph (Series 1)

• Desmond Eastwood as Murray Canning

• Paddy Jenkins as Happy Kelly

• Dearbháile McKinney as Aisling

• Frank Blake as Shane Bradley (Series 2)

• Seamus O'Hara as Lee Thompson (Series 2)

• Seána Kerslake as Mags Thompson (Series 2)

• Craig McGinlay as Craig McQuarrie (Series 2)

• Dan Gordon as Rab McKendry (Series 2)

• Derek Thompson as Robin Graham (Series 2)

Critical response
Series one of Blue Lights received generally positive reviews. On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, it has an approval rating of 90% based on 10 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Intelligently plotted and well-acted, this gruff low-budget procedural gets the green light for an addictive binge watch". Hugo Rifkind of The Times wrote of series one that although "the overall arc is subtle, with none of your Line of Duty or Happy Valley-style cliffhangers, [...] In place and tone, it’s excellent". Carol Midgley of The Times commented that it was "a complicated, cleverly observed, funny and (at times) horrific drama that is a cut above your average police procedural". Anita Singh of Daily Telegraph gave the series five out of five, writing: "There isn’t a duff line or an overcooked scene to be found here. The various storylines knit together into one satisfying conclusion". Dan Einav of Financial Times wrote: "The series revolves around three new recruits who offer a fresh perspective on a profession that we’ve grown accustomed to seeing through the jaundiced filter of a cynical old-timer." Eilis O'Hanlon of Irish Independent wrote "[Series one of] Blue Lights is an unexpectedly tense and engaging addition to the increasingly long list of police dramas on TV". Sean O'Grady of The Independent gave the series three out of five, writing: "There are flashes of gallows humour, almost literally, but the gloom is otherwise unrelieved, and frankly is a bit tiresome to watch".

Rebecca Nicholson of The Guardian called series one "much more than just another cop show". She gave the series five out of five, writing that she was "engrossed", describing it as "well-crafted, fantastically tense, thrilling stuff", and "one of the best shows of the year". Alison Rowat of The Herald wrote that: "Though made for relative pennies compared to the glossy offerings of the streaming channels, this Belfast-set police procedural was a class act, one that made a virtue of its location without straying into cliche or settling for neat answers". Alberto Carlos of Espinof called the series "an excellent police series: it is intense, intelligent and absolutely essential". Ian Acheson in The Spectator called it a "near perfect cop drama" that "manages to humanise the lives of the men and women in the Police Service of Northern Ireland without mawkishness" that despite "some procedural howlers that have clearly been let loose in the service of the storylines", leaves viewers "in for a rare treat". Ángel S. Harguindey of El Pais wrote that "The premise is nothing new, but it has one virtue: its narrative style is uncomplicated and has no need to resort to heroic gestures".

Series two also received mostly positive reviews. On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, it has an approval rating of 91% based on 11 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "A procedural done precisely by the book, Blue Lights' sophomore season adheres to formula but does so with the utmost efficiency and panache". Jack Seale of The Guardian gave the series four out of five, writing: "Its gift for plain speaking is one thing that makes Blue Lights such rewarding drama, but the difficult political truths are softened by a weakness for that staple of escapist emergency-services soaps, the workplace romance". Nick Hilton of The Independent gave the series three out of five, writing "As generic fare goes, Blue Lights is of the highest order. The acting and writing is first rate, and Brooke, particularly, is a terrific leading lady". Chris Wasser of Irish Independent wrote "Just like last time, it’s all building towards something big, something explosive, even. And, just like last time, Blue Lights remembers the importance of a nail-biting set-piece". Benji Wilson of Daily Telegraph gave the series five out of five, writing "It doesn’t take long, however, for series two to catch light, and once it does it is irresistible". Dan Einav of Financial Times gave the second series four out of five, writing: "Declan Lawn and Adam Patterson take time to contextualise their fiction within the very real tragedies of Belfast’s past and present. But Blue Lights is neither insistently political nor wearingly downbeat". Carol Midgley of The Times wrote that "The story is still warming up at this stage, but this is dense, rich soil and these are the perfect writers to till it".

Hugo Rifkind of The Times wrote that "You do occasionally get the feeling that Belfast only has in it about eight police, who all have to do far too many jobs, like Mrs Rabbit. Still, it’s heavy with mood and has a streak of outraged social politics at its core". Camilla Long of The Times criticised the second series, writing: "The writers saw this, caught our sense of paranoia, creating a horribly plausible show. But the new series doesn’t feel like that any more. It mostly feels like a police sitcom with all the jokes taken out". Helen Hawkins of The Arts Desk gave the series four out of five, saying: "The first season of Blue Nights was so close to police procedural perfection, it would be hard for season two to reach the same heights. Overall, it doesn’t, though there are still special moments". Aidan Smith of The Scotsman wrote that "We could be watching The Wire; Blue Lights is that gritty and aspires to be that great". Alison Rowat of The Herald wrote that "The blending of hard-edged and soft is one of the reasons for the show’s success. We want a police procedural set in today’s Belfast to keep it real, but not too real".