Five Days

Thriller series which tracks five 24-hour periods in a police investigation.

Five Days (2007-2010) is a British crime thriller series created for BBC One, a two-season run of ten hour-long episodes. Structured around five consecutive 24-hour periods of a single police inquiry, the drama follows Detective Superintendent Iain Barclay (Hugh Bonneville), who leads the hunt for answers while the investigation pushes into the lives of those around it. Patrick Malahide and Penelope Wilton play John and Barbara Poole, a couple whose private world is pulled into the case, while Edward Woodward, David Oyelowo, Sarah Smart and Janet McTeer add weight to the ensemble. Each episode is built from interviews, procedural decisions and mounting time pressure, so the tension grows from the clock as much as from the crime. The tone is taut, grim and unsentimental, with a bleak British atmosphere and a steady focus on the strain placed on investigators and families. Fans of Line of Duty, Broadchurch and 24 will find resonance in its serialized suspense, its procedural precision and its emphasis on institutional pressure. The first season was better received than the second, which ran much lower with audiences.

• Line of Dutyreal time procedural structure, British police investigation tension, serialized crime thriller
• Broadchurchtightly plotted investigation, moral strain on police and families, dark British crime tone
• 24single investigation unfolding across a compressed timeframe with ensemble pressure

Release Date

2007-01-23

Episode runtime

60 min

Rating

6.6 / 10 (41)

What is Five Days about?

A British police thriller that follows one investigation across five consecutive 24-hour periods.

What is Five Days like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Five Days as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.

Is Five Days violent?

Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Five Days as moderate.

Which shows are like Five Days?

Shows with a similar feel include Line of Duty, Broadchurch, and 24.

How long is Five Days?

Five Days: 2 seasons, 10 episodes.

Is Five Days still running?

No, Five Days has ended.

Where can I watch Five Days?

In United States, Five Days streams on HBO Max Amazon Channel, HBO Max.