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‘For Life’ (incidentally, nothing to do with the US legal series of the same name from 2020) stars Tone Beate Mostraum as Victoria Woll, a Norwegian police detective. The action takes place over two time periods. We first see her in 2040 – aged 60 – where she’s speaking with an adversary in the interview room of a prison. We revisit that scene at the end of the episode, but the majority of action takes place in the current day.

Woll alongside her sidekick, Ayla (Iselin Shumba Skjævesland), are summoned to a snowy forest where the body of a young mother has been found and her daughter has gone missing. The daughter is quickly found, and when the body of the woman’s ex-husband is also discovered – seemingly with a suicide note taking responsibility for her murder – it would appear an open-and-shut case. But Woll suspects otherwise and is suspicious about changes the woman made to her appearance and lifestyle in recent years and months.

Sure enough, the victim – a former teacher now turned PA – had a number of secrets that she’d kept from her friends and family which reveal some very different side to the seemingly innocuous image she portrayed.

Mostraum is excellent in the lead role, and it’s an entertaining show. The plotline in this opening episode is a bit shaky, but it’s a pleasant enough way to while away the time. The issue I have with this, and a number of similar shows, is the stereotypical nature of the characters. Woll is the cliched feisty female cop in a male-dominated force. Her male bosses are all idiots who can’t see the patently obvious holes in their case that she’s noticed. Woll also has a typical dodgy private life – a relationship with a journalist – which sometimes impinges on her work situations. With the exception of Woll, most of the characters follow an all too predictable formula and lack any real sense of depth. But perhaps I’m being harsh – after all, with such short episodes, it’s probably virtually impossible to get any real complexity to their personalities.

What I did enjoy – and what sets this show apart from the norm – was the reveal at the end of the opening episode. I certainly didn’t see that coming, so hats off to the writers for that particular twist. You will have to watch it to see what I’m talking about!

If you enjoy strong female-led police procedurals, give this a go.

Walter Presents: ‘For Life’ is available as a full boxset now on Walter Presents via C4 Streaming.

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Jeremy soon realises he has an aptitude for computers – specifically getting through firewalls and security protection. He is entered into a college team to represent Antwerp in a competition entitled Capture The Flag, in which groups of four students from around the world compete to breach each other’s security. His team win the competition, thanks to Jeremy’s skills.

Alidor van Praet is an enigmatic con man who is fresh out of prison, having served two years for intimidating small business owners out of a share of their income. He had planned to retire with his ill-gotten gains when he left jail, but the authorities managed to find his stash of €7.3m – and now he needs to get back to what he knows best.

He assembles his old team and tells them that the money they’d all stolen over the years has disappeared. Unsurprisingly, the news doesn’t go down well. So, Alidor comes up with an idea – a cyber-attack on the banking community.

These are the two seemingly unconnected strands that make up this highly engaging Belgian thriller (originally known as De Kraak). Jeremy is being watched by Alidor’s daughter, Ada. She discovers Jeremy’s back-story, about how his father took his own life, and how his mother has gone bankrupt, all due to bad investments suggested by the banking community. When she approaches Jeremy and asks for his help with her computer, little does he know that he’s been groomed to join Alidor’s gang.

This is a fabulous series. There’s something of the ‘Oceans’ film series about it and the way it’s shot – it looks fabulous on screen. Gene Bervoets (who plays Alidor) and Tijmen Govaerts (Jeremy) are both superb in their roles, but to be fair the entire cast are all excellent. The characters (the story is based on true life events) are appealing and you feel invested in the protagonists – and in particular with the nerdy Jeremy – from the off. It’s witty, charming and high entertaining.

Belgium have given us a lot of quality crime drama over the years, but this might just be the cream of the crop. Essential viewing.

Walter Presents: ‘The Bank Hacker’ launched on Channel 4 at 12.15am on Monday 25th September 2023. The full boxset is available from Walter Presents via C4 Streaming now.

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‘Manayek’ is about Izzy Bachar (nicely portrayed by Shalom Assayag), a senior police officer in the Israeli Police Internal Affairs unit. Izzy is approaching retirement, suffers chest pains, and is trying to give up smoking. He also has relationship issues with his partner, Eti, who is also a fellow police officer. She’s previously had an affair with another officer, and Izzy’s jealousy continually comes to the fore. But deep down, he’s a good man. He doesn’t like what he sees in with force and does his best to expose injustice wherever he witnesses it.

Following an assassination in a busy café, the perpetrator is caught by the police after a chase through the streets of Tel Aviv. He claims to have evidence of high-level corruption in the police involving a senior officer. When something like this happens, Internal Affairs – in the shape of Izzy -are called in to investigate, particularly as the killer is a former cop himself. But when Izzy speaks to him, he discovers that the senior officer accused is his friend, Barak Harel. Izzy refuses to take the case because of a potential conflict of interest. But his fellow IA colleagues want him involved, so they can exploit their friendship, and tap Izzy’s phone in the hope of getting evidence against Barak.

‘Manayek’ (which, incidentally, is an Israeli word for “rats” and is a derogatory term used to describe the police) doesn’t show the Israeli police in a particularly positive light, with brutality, internal friction and corruption rife throughout. The show has a somewhat drab and gloomy air of a 70s British cop show – everyone smokes, no-one smiles and it would appear that each person on the force has their own agenda. With the exception of Izzy, it’s hard to feel any degree of empathy with any of the ensemble. It is all rather depressing, if I’m honest.

The first season (which aired in 2020) runs for 10 episodes; and a second season is out already, so the show clearly has legs and has done well in its native Israel.

There are parallels with our own ‘Line of Duty’, particularly given the police corruption angle. But ‘Line of Duty’ is streets ahead in terms of quality, in my opinion. That’s not to say that ‘Manayek’ isn’t worth investigating, because it is. Izzy is an engaging character in a toxic world. But be warned – it’s not the most uplifting of series.

Walter Presents: ‘Mayanek’ is available as a boxset on C4 Streaming now.

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Leonardo is basically stuck in an earthly version of purgatory. He “died” right at the start of the first series, but chose not to pass through The Red Door to the afterlife. Leonardo wanted to find out who murdered him before he disappeared into Heaven (or wherever); and also believed his wife to be in mortal danger herself. Vanessa, a teenage girl with some dodgy friends, is a clairvoyant and is the only person who can see Leonardo.

Those of us of a certain vintage will recognise a lot of parallels with the fabulous ‘Randall And Hopkirk Deceased’, where Randall was the only one who could see his dead partner, Hopkirk. But whereas RAHD had its tongue very firmly in its ghostly cheek, ‘The Red Door’ (‘la porta rossa’ in Italian) takes itself way more seriously.

In Season 2, Leo’s wife – Gabriella (Anna Mayer) – is heavily pregnant with Leo’s child (obviously conceived before his death!). She is still in the police force, and it’s whilst she’s investigating the case of a man who was the victim of a murder attempt, she realises her baby is on its way. There are some complications, but thankfully she safely gives birth to a baby daughter.

Leo is there for the birth, of course (although no-one can see him, obviously) – but as his daughter is born, he gets a strange vision of her being kidnapped and her life being put in danger. I mean, how unlucky is this family? So, that Red Door will have to stay closed for another twelve (yes, twelve!) episodes until he can find out who is threatening his child and do what it takes to protect her, using Vanessa as his mortal touchpoint.

Meanwhile Vanessa’s boyfriend has got himself in trouble by breaking into a disused warehouse with some musician friends. Whilst they’re having a surprisingly melodious impromptu jam, a drunk man threatens them with a knife. They all run away, but Vanessa’s friend goes back to challenge the man. But when he gets there, the man has been shot. Of course, chummy gets his hands and clothes covered in blood (whilst you the viewer is screaming at the screen “don’t touch the body!!”) and Vanessa is woken in the night to come and sort it out the mess he’s gotten himself into.

Whereas many Italian shows look stunning and idyllic, with fabulous scenery, glorious sunshine and delicious food, ‘The Red Door’ is the very antithesis of this with its permanent torrential rain and graffiti-peppered urban locations. No-one smiles and it’s all very dour.

If you enjoy a dark (literally dark, most of the time) thriller with a supernatural twist, then give this a go, but I’d suggest watching S1 first to get the full backstory. It’s not really my cup of tea, but hats off to Walter Presents for giving us something different.

Walter Presents: ‘The Red Door’ Season 2 is available as a full boxset on C4 Streaming now.

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‘Lolita Lobosco’, or ‘Le Indagini di Lolita Lobosco’ to give it its original Italian title, is very much in the former camp. Featuring Deputy Chief Lolita Lobosco, played by Luisa Ranieri, the series is set in Bari. For those of you who failed your GCSE in Geography, Bari is at the top of the heel of Italy, very much towards the south of the country. And much like Sicily looks stunning in Montalbano, Bari looks idyllic in this show. I’ve no doubt the Bali tourist board are rubbing their hands together at the prospect of an upturn in visitor numbers.

Another extraordinary link to Montalbano is that Luisa Ranieri is the wife of Luca Zingaretti, who plays Inspector Montalbano himself. Zingaretti also produced a number of the episodes of ‘Lolita Lobosco’. Talk about keeping it in the family!

But enough of the Montalbano comparisons. Does ‘Lolita Lobosco’ stand up on its own merits? Well, I think the answer is yes it does. Don’t expect complex plots and multi-facetted characters – but if you want something that’s pleasing on the eye and entertaining, you could do an awful lot worse. Each episode is nearly two hours long, though – so it’s an investment in your time.

In the opening episode, Lobosco’s childhood sweetheart is accused of rape. Lobosco investigates and discovers that there’s more to this case than meets the eye. To be honest, the cracking of the case rests on a particular habit of the victim, and I sort of guessed how it was going to pan out from quite early on. But nevertheless, the journey was mostly entertaining.

Ranieri is the quintessential smouldering Italian beauty – like a cross between Monica Bellucci and Nigella Lawson. But for her character, Lolita’s looks are probably as much a hindrance as they are an advantage. As she says in the opening credits, “it’s been 50 years since the first woman joined the police force, and it’s still not an easy task. Especially when you’re 40, wear a 38” bra and are called Lolita”. Much has been made in the accompanying press release of her being a lone woman in a man’s world, like she’s some sort of feminist trailblazer. Personally, I think that’s over-egging the pudding. This is more fluff than a vehicle for girl power.

The bottom line here is – do you like ‘Inspector Montalbano’? If you do, they I’m 100% sure you’ll like this too. Ranieri is very good in the lead role, Bari looks sensational on screen, and the plots – whilst not particularly involved or intense – are a fun escape. Eminently watchable, I’d say.

Walter Presents: ‘Lolita Lobosco’ is available as a full boxset on Channel 4 Streaming from 25^th August 2023.

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If you want to avoid all spoilers for ‘Rig 45: Murder At Sea’, stop reading this article now.

Season 2 starts with a body on the beach in Scotland, whom the police believe to be the missing Fredrik. His death is clearly suspicious – despite being fish food for some time, he has a smack to the head that would certainly have killed him. Police Scotland’s Emma (Natalie Gumede) and Trevor (Ciarán McMenamin) are sent to investigate and decide to interview Petra, who is currently serving 20 years for her crimes.

For reasons best glossed over, they decide to take Petra with them back to the soon to be dismantled oil rig – the site of her murders – in the hope of finding evidence to back up her and their belief that Fredrik was killed because of what he’d uncovered. This – surprise, surprise – turns out to be a very silly idea indeed.

Shortly after the two police officers search the rig in the hope of finding a hard drive that they believe Fredrik hid, another murder occurs – and radio connections to the outside world are lost.

The spooky, remote location is a fabulous setting for a crime murder mystery. For a start, you have a limited cast of suspects. Secondly, the rig’s vast and bewildering maze-like structure is perfect for hiding, stalking, voyeurism and many other interesting hobbies. It’s like a North Sea version of a murder mystery country house, cut off from the outside world and full of hidden tunnels and secret passages.

There are more holes in this plot than a sailor’s sock. For a start, the likelihood of just two police officers being allowed to take a convicted serial killer onto a remote oil rig where she killed numerous people is ridiculous. It would never happen. And having got on the rig and discovered the hard-drive they were looking for, they then allow a Benthos Oil employee to open the drive and research its contents for them, enabling said employee to delete key data. Finally, leaving Petra locked in an office on the rig where all the keys for the entire structure are stored is quite possibly the most preposterous decision of them all.

With the possible exception of Emma, none of the characters are particularly engaging or likeable; and the script (which unlike virtually all Walter Presents shows is almost entirely in English – no subtitles required) lacks conviction.

The main draw here is the location. The sinister and isolated oil rig makes for a fabulous venue for this drama to play out. For the reasons listed above, this show is a long way from perfect, but perhaps the locale is enough to make this worth sticking with. Time will tell.

Walter Presents: ‘Rig 45: Murder at Sea’ Season 2 will air on More4 at 9pm on Friday 18^th August. The full box set is available for six weeks on Channel 4 streaming.

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Katja Salonen is a young ambitious journalist more used to writing inoffensive pieces about Finns enjoying their first ice-cream of the summer season than anything too controversial. So, when she writes a less than complimentary story about Samuli Tolonen – Finland’s most celebrated footballer and Tampere folk hero – the vitriol she receives the next day via email and social media is as unpleasant as it is predictable.

Katja’s editor is none too pleased either. But Katja isn’t put off, and she decides to dig deeper into Tolonen and his business deals. In particular, she focuses on his involvement in a scheme to finance a new stadium for the local football team (some of the footage is shot at Tampere Stadium, home of Ilves, Tampere’s football team). She suspects that there has been some financial impropriety involved and uncovers widespread corruption that involves not only the local sporting celebrity, but other high-ranking officials in town.

Initially unwilling to speak with her directly, she surprisingly receives a phone call from Tolonen himself, telling her that he wants to unburden himself and reveal all. He’s currently residing in his villa in Barcelona, but suggests that they meet up in a few days when he returns to Finland. She can’t believe her luck and discusses the matter with her colleagues at the paper.

News soon circulates among those involved in the corruption that Tolonen is about to spill the beans to this nosey reporter. But one person decides to take steps to stop him talking to her – or to anyone else, for that matter.

This is a delightfully Finnish thriller. There are no car chases or shoot-outs. Even the violent death at the end of the opening episode is almost apologetic in its manner. There’s no shouting or screaming – the murder is only audible by a distant “thud” as the body hits the floor. The characters are all wholesome, healthy folks with sensible haircuts and uncluttered houses.

I happen to like that. I’ve been to Tampere a couple of times. It’s not an obvious holiday destination, although it’s perfectly pleasant. But it’s an honest, open and welcoming city – just don’t expect exuberant outpourings of affection. That’s not the Tampere way.

Kreeta Salminen, who plays Katja, is very impressive in the lead role; you might also recognise her from ‘All The Sins’ and ‘Deadwind’, two excellent Finnish crime series. If you enjoy typically understated Scandinavian drama with an engaging protagonist, give this a whirl.

Walter Presents: ‘Enemy of the People’ will be available as a full boxset on C4 Streaming from Friday 4th August 2023.

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It’s worth stating from the off that season four kicks starts where season three ended; and without knowing the backstories, you will come into this a bit lost and bewildered (not least because the script is so fast paced, the subtitles often fly by before you’ve barely had a chance to read them). But if feisty, female-led legal thrillers are your thing, I suggest you go back and binge the earlier seasons first.

Joanna Chyłka (played by the impressive Magdalena Cielecka) is back from her near-death experience in the last series, and she’s sober for once – something that’s been lacking from previous seasons. She’s now a partner in the law firm, albeit an incredibly unpopular one. But she’s not one to rest on her laurels; not least because her former client and nemesis – Piotr Langer Jr – has pressured the firm into forcing Joanna to defend her own father, a man who she despises for what he did to her when she was a child. That pressure from Langer manifests itself in thinly veiled threats towards the welfare of Chyłka’s niece.

We also witness a young man alone in his flat, seemingly manufacturing some sort of incendiary device. Outside, the police are monitoring his movements from an unmarked van.  When the time to pounce arrives, they usher his neighbours out of the building, break in and arrest him. His adopted parents turn up a few days later at the law firm saying that their son is innocent and ask that the firm defend him. Joanna is convinced to take on the case, not least because of the publicity that she believes it will bring her personally. But she’s also keen to go up against the renowned prosecutor, Paderborn, to test her own skills. However, the case is complicated – not least because the boy says that the couple are not his parents, and he doesn’t want her to defend him.

Kordian ‘Zordon’ Orynski still works for Joanna, and he is the reliable rock to her chaos. He’s there with a handkerchief when she throws up, and he’s been there for her during her darkest times. She continues to treat him like something left on her shoe, but deep down she knows how important he is to her well-being. Their relationship is the most interesting thing about this series, in my opinion. Joanna herself is hard to like – she’s rude, arrogant and conceited. Whereas Kordian is perfect son-in-law material. They are the quintessential odd couple.

If you’ve seen the previous seasons, you will know what to expect. It’s basically more of the same, with ballsy Joanna taking on the various men in her life who are trying to quash her. But Joanna isn’t going down without a fight – despite the bombshell delivered at the end of the opening episode.

Walter Presents: ‘The Defence’ Season 4 is available as a full boxset on C4 Streaming now.

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The storyline in ‘Sløborn’ (originally known as Ankunft) follows the interwoven journeys of various individuals, each linked by their connection to the small island in the North Sea. We meet Nikolai Wagner (Alexander Scheer), an author who is invited to the island by a superfan and bookstore owner. Wagner is struggling with a looming deadline for his second novel, following the unexpected success of his debut. He has an abrasive nature, not helped by a drug addiction, and is obnoxious to his host and her family from the get-go.

Evelin Kern (Emily Kusche) is a schoolgirl who has returned to the island after a school trip. She’s feeling unwell, but is reluctant to elaborate about her symptoms to her veterinarian father or her indifferent mother. Her worst fears are confirmed when she takes a pregnancy test.

Magnus and Jan Fisker (Roland Møller and Mads Hjulmand) are brothers, but are at loggerheads over an inherited property. Jan is the local drug-dealer who frequently hosts outrageous drunken parties in the house; whereas Magnus has only just returned to the island to claim his part of the inheritance and to convince his brother to change his way of life – something that doesn’t go down well with Jan.

We also witness a seemingly abandoned sailing boat – Rachel II – floating around the sea. It runs into a small shipping boat, before washing up on the beach. Revellers from one of the Fisker parties discover the vessel and its grim contents. And it’s that discovery that will have serious implications for the inhabitants of the island in subsequent episodes.

As with all productions with a multitude of characters and various storylines going on, the opening episode (there are eight in total) is mainly a getting-to-know-you affair to embed the cast and make them familiar. But it’s obviously from the start that the acting and the direction is of the highest quality; this looks likely to be a slow burner as we learn more and more about the disease, how it affects the islanders, and how they cope with the isolation enforced to ensure that the disease doesn’t spread any further.

Some people will shy away from watching a series so close to the horrific few years we’ve suffered globally; but if you can get over that and enjoy this series for what it is – a superbly crafted thriller with some very fine acting performances – you will reap the rewards.

This is a bit of a departure for Walter Presents. But a bit of diversity is always a good thing when it’s as good as this. I notice that there is a second season, too.

Definitely one to watch.

Walter Presents: ‘Sløborn’ is available as a full boxset now on C4 Streaming.

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There is some sort of celebration happening in town, with fire-breathers, jugglers and much medieval merriment. We witness a group of school kids run through the square, freed from the confines of the stuffy cathedral they’ve just visited. The female teacher, Mme Stoller, decides to let them let off steam whilst she watches the entertainment – but not for long, because Mme Stoller is next spotted lying dead on the cobbles, her neck twisted at an unnatural angle.

And if the murder of a grown adult in a bustling market square wasn’t already a stretch of credibility, it gets worse – because all nine school children have disappeared into thin air. But surely, there’s CCTV everywhere these days, isn’t there? They’ll be on a grainy videotape somewhere, surely? Well, yes, but the script-writers old friend – the camera blind spot – means the kids wandered out of shot and into the thin air. Or maybe a van.

Brought in to investigate is Police Commissioner Maya Rosetti (Sara Forestier), a headstrong copper who has the cliched chaotic home and personal life (we hear her on the phone at various times throughout the episode trying – and failing – to arrange the delivery of a bed). Working with her is her ex-boyfriend, Clément Herrmann (Pierre Rochefort), a psychiatrist who is able to provide some helpful insights into the case. Their tempestuous relationship makes for some entertaining verbal sparring – but one might question whether someone who isn’t actually a police officer would really be so involved in working the case – Rosetti drags the poor bloke everywhere (doesn’t he have patients to see?).

The episode draws on the pied piper of Hamelin legend, where the local rat catcher would lure the rodents away from town to their death. When the mayor of Hamelin refused to pay him, the piper took revenge by enticing the town’s children away. In this case, the children are taken by a man dressed as a piper (yes, really!) to a van and on to an abandoned building. The kids are told it’s all part of a game – a prank they’re playing on the teacher. One child is diabetic, but the abduction is so well-planned that their captors have insulin prepared to ensure the child’s health isn’t affected. Another child – an Armenian boy, bullied because of his immigrant status by the other kids – is more suspicious of their captors’ motives than the others; and it is he who ultimately plots an escape.

The plot is utter piffle, it must be said. And I found myself losing patience and interest towards the end of the lengthy 90 minutes long episode. More interesting is the quirky character of Rosetti and the fabulous location. However, as I understand it, the cast mostly changes from episode to episode.

Not one of Walter Presents finest, it must be said. But worth checking out for the location as much as anything.

Walter Presents: ‘Disturbing Disappearances’ is airing on More 4 at 9pm from 14^th July for six weeks. The series is also available on Walter Presents via C4 streaming each week.

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‘Actor’ is set in Czechoslovakia in the 1950s. It’s about a young man called Stanislav Láník (Jan Cina) who lives in a modest apartment with his grandmother and sister, both of his parents having passed away – his father dying in the resistance and his mother murdered. Stan is a budding and promising actor, but despite getting rave reviews for his performances, his political beliefs mean that the theatre company director dare no longer use him through fear of repercussions for the company.

In addition to his acting talents, Stan is very interested in mathematics. But he’s poor, and there is no opportunity for him to study with the country’s elite. That is until one of his political allies gets him a job at the university – as a maintenance man. Using the pretext of fixing the radiators in the halls of residence, Stan befriends the maths professor, impressing him with his intelligence and aptitude for mathematics.

It soon becomes clear, however, that the professor is not only interested in Stan for his intellect. He suggests that his protégée joins him at his house in the woods so that they can study together for the forthcoming exams. Stan soon realises that the professor has an ulterior motive for inviting him to his private retreat. But rather than push him away, he chooses to succumb to the older man’s attentions.

However, when a group of men storm the house, they arrest the professor for homosexuality – and we soon learn that Stan is not the innocent victim we assume him to be.

Meanwhile back at the apartment, Stan’s sister, Anezka (Jenovéfa Boková) falls asleep in the bath. The water overflows and the landlord – who wants them out of the building – bangs on the door to alert her to the fact that she’s causing a flood. During the ensuing argument, he loses his temper and assaults and rapes Anezka.

You will have realised by now that this is not a lightweight piece of televisual fluff. It’s thought-provoking, intelligent drama where there’s no such thing as black and white, good and evil – it recognises that we all have a bit of both in us. The script, the acting, the direction – all of it is first class. Jan Cina is quite superb in the lead role, and the supporting cast do a fine job too. The action is occasionally interspersed with genuine vintage footage from the 1950s – its grainy, blurred imagery adding to the atmosphere of palpable fear that people lived in during the years after the war.

Each episode is nearly 90 minutes long, giving it time to breath and enabling us to get to know the characters and their weaknesses. But the 90 minutes doesn’t drag – it’s thoroughly engaging and absorbing throughout.

‘Actor’ (also known as ‘Herec’) won Best TV Series at the Venice TV Awards and has been nominated for various awards in its native Czechia. It certainly deserves a wider audience, and I suspect followers of Walter Presents will lap this up – it’s one of the finest series they’ve delivered.

Walter Presents: ‘Actor’ is available on C4 Streaming as a full boxset now.

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If you want to avoid all spoilers, stop reading this article now.

When she was 19, Audrey went to a party with her boyfriend and some other friends. She left the party with her boyfriend, who has the keys to a swanky house – knowing the occupants were away. They enter the building, drink the owners Champagne, sleep in their bed and generally makes the place their own. But when the boyfriend suggests stealing expensive jewellery and watches, Audrey draws the line, and they argue.

What they don’t know is that they are being watched, and as they’re enjoying themselves, someone sets fire to the property. In an act of selfishness and self-preservation, the boyfriend gets in his car and drives away – leaving poor Audrey in a burning building, with a priceless necklace around her neck that the boyfriend put on her.

Audrey escapes, but as she’s struggling home through the night – evading the incoming fire brigade by hiding in the woods – she realises she’s not alone. She is attacked by a hooded figure, during the struggle, the necklace and her shoes fall off. She manages to evade her attacker and hide until morning, despite a scalpel wound to her neck.

The following day when she gets home, her boyfriend pleads with her to not mention that they’d been to the house – but instead to simply say that she was attacked after leaving the party. He doesn’t want their names linked with the swanky property that’s now a smouldering wreck. Audrey foolishly agrees – hence the spiral of lies.

Cut to 16 years later and Audrey is now a lawyer. When reports of the murder of a young girl in the same area circulate, she uses her husband’s connections to acquire murder scene photographs – which is when she notices the same necklace that she lost 16 years ago around this young girl’s neck.

She manages to get to the family of the girl and offers to represent their interests, whilst clearly pursuing her own agenda in trying to find the person who attacked her all those years ago.

Camille Lou deserves a huge amount of credit for managing to be an entirely convincing 19-year-old, and an entirely convincing 35-year-old at the same time. Lou is well known in France as an actor and singer, performing her musician career under the name Jimmie.

There are plenty of holes in the plot, it must be said. And quite a few extraordinary leaps of faith that make you go – “really?!!”, which discredit the storyline to some extent. But the Basque coast looks lovely on screen, and Lou is very watchable and engaging.

The finest ever French thriller series was called ‘Spiral’ (known as ‘Engranages’ in France, starring Caroline Proust and the wonderful Audrey Fleurot). ‘Spiral Of Lies’ is no ‘Spiral’ – but it’s entertaining and worth checking out.

Walter Presents: ‘Spiral of Lies’ launches on Channel 4 at midnight on 25^th June 2023. The full boxset is available on Walter Presents via C4 Streaming now.

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