# A Touch of Cloth (2012)

> A deadpan British spoof of police procedurals follows an eccentric detective and his plucky partner as they chase apparent serial killers.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/41283

## Facts

- Seasons: 3
- Episodes: 6
- Episode runtime: 60 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: comedy, crime
- Created by: Charlie Brooker, Boris Starling
- Network: Sky One
- Cast: John Hannah, Suranne Jones, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Adrian Bower, Navin Chowdhry, Daisy Beaumont, Elizabeth Bromby, Theo Barklem-Biggs
- TMDB rating: 7.8/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2240991/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: mild
- Tone: deadpan, irreverent, absurdist, affectionate, self-aware

## What critics say

Audiences rate the parody positively, with the show's send-up of British police drama conventions and its absurd murder mystery praised for consistent comic invention.

## Synopsis

A Touch of Cloth (2012-2014) is a British television crime comedy and police procedural parody created by Charlie Brooker and Boris Starling for Sky One. John Hannah plays DI Jack Cloth, a detective who is called in to investigate an apparent series of serial killings alongside his new partner, DC Anne Oldman, played by Suranne Jones, a plucky, no-nonsense sidekick. Supporting principals include ACC Tom Boss, played by Julian Rhind-Tutt, and the forensic-minded Dr. Natasha Sachet, played by Daisy Beaumont. The engine of the show is the collision between a case that seems straight out of a gritty drama and a squad that cannot stop undermining it. Each short episode mocks the clichés of British crime shows, from dramatic chases to melodramatic confessions, while Cloth wrestles with visions of his dead wife and Oldman sorts out her feelings for her fiancee and her partner. The series runs for three seasons across six episodes, a small-scale run whose jokes build on one another. The tone is deadpan, irreverent and affectionately mocking, with a self-aware wit that rewards viewers who know the genre. Fans of Hot Fuzz, Spaced and Psych will find resonance in its blend of spoof and character comedy.

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