# Ridley (2022)

> A retired Lancashire detective is coaxed back into consulting on a complex murder case by his former protégée.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/109311

## Facts

- Seasons: 2
- Episodes: 8
- Episode runtime: 89 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: crime, mystery, drama
- Created by: Paul Matthew Thompson, Jonathan Fisher
- Network: ITV1
- Cast: Adrian Dunbar, Bronagh Waugh, Terence Maynard, George Bukhari, Julie Graham, Georgie Glen, Bhavna Limbachia, Tareq Al-Jeddal
- TMDB rating: 6.9/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14772170/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: mild
- Tone: gritty, somber, measured, tense, melancholic

## What critics say

Reviewers find Ridley well acted and well produced, with a strong lead, but largely formulaic within the British detective drama tradition.

## Synopsis

Ridley (2022-2025) is a British crime drama series created by Paul Matthew Thompson and Jonathan Fisher for ITV1, adapted from a novel. Adrian Dunbar stars as retired Detective Inspector Alex Ridley, who is lured back into service as a consultant when his former protégée, DI Carol Farman (Bronagh Waugh), needs help cracking a complex murder case. Terence Maynard plays DCI Paul Goodwin, and George Bukhari plays DC Darren Lakhan, the squad members whose work and rivalries keep the investigation grounded in procedure. Across a two-season run of eight feature-length episodes, the engine of the show is the slow assembly of evidence, interviews and institutional friction as Ridley weighs his old instincts against a changed force. Set in present-day Lancashire, the series moves through police stations, interview rooms and the damp streets of northern English towns. Its tone is measured, gritty and somber, with a veteran's weariness giving way to renewed purpose. Fans of Vera, Line of Duty and Shetland will find a similar blend of British procedural rigour and character-driven mystery.

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