# Blue Lights (2023 TV series) series 1

The first series of the British police procedural drama series Blue Lights began broadcasting on 27 March 2023 on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. It ended on 1 May 2023. The series follows the pressures of three probationary police officers in the Police Service of Northern Ireland assigned to the fictional Blackthorn Station in Belfast. It consists of six sixty-minute episodes which aired on Mondays at 9 pm.

## Production

Casting for the first series was announced in February 2022, following the commencing of the filming. The series was created and written by Declan Lawn and Adam Patterson and billed as a story which follows "three rookie police officers working in Belfast, a uniquely dangerous place to be a police officer". The series was produced with support from Northern Ireland Screen as part of their partnership with the BBC. Siân Brooke, Martin McCann, Richard Dormer, Katherine Devlin and Nathan Braniff were announced as the lead cast of police officers alongside John Lynch, Jonathan Harden and Valene Kane to make up the ensemble. Director Gilles Brannier said the themes that run through the show are how you pass the baton to the next generation and how the generation that is reaching the end should share the experience. The series was filmed entirely in Northern Ireland with filming locations including Belfast, Dundonald's Coopers Mill, and Bangor.

## Cast

* Siân Brooke as Grace Ellis
* Katherine Devlin as Annie Conlon
* Nathan Braniff as Tommy Foster
* Richard Dormer as Constable Gerard 'Gerry' Cliff
* Martin McCann as Constable Stephen 'Stevie' Neil
* John Lynch as James McIntyre
* Jonathan Harden as Inspector David "Jonty" Johnson
* Valene Kane as Angela Mackle
* Dane Whyte O'Hara as Gordon 'Gordy' Mackle
* Joanne Crawford as Sergeant Helen McNally
* Hannah McClean as Constable Jen Robinson
* Andi Osho as Sergeant Sandra Cliff
* Nabil Elouahabi as Joseph
* Matthew Carver as Cal Ellis
* Michael Shea as Mo McIntyre
* Abigain McGibbon as Tina McIntyre
* Nabil Elouahabi as Joseph MI5

## Episodes

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | UK viewers (millions) |
| 1 | 1 | "The Code" | Gilles Bannier | Declan Lawn & Adam Patterson | 27 March 2023 (2023-03-27) | 4.68 |
| New constables Grace, Annie and Tommy struggle with the demands of police work. The police clash with MI5 agents and associates of gangster James McIntyre. |||||||
| 2 | 2 | "Bad Batch" | Gilles Bannier | Declan Lawn & Adam Patterson | 3 April 2023 (2023-04-03) | 4.25 |
| A poisonous batch of drugs turns up across Belfast. Annie wonders whom she can trust. |||||||
| 3 | 3 | "The Fear" | Gilles Bannier | Fran Harris | 10 April 2023 (2023-04-10) | 4.17 |
| A paramilitary-style assault case has Grace determined to bring the McIntyres to their knees. Meanwhile, Angela becomes increasingly desperate. |||||||
| 4 | 4 | "Full Moon Fever" | Gilles Bannier | Fran Harris | 17 April 2023 (2023-04-17) | 4.34 |
| The team attempt to cover for each other during a busy night shift. |||||||
| 5 | 5 | "The Q Word" | Gilles Bannier | Declan Lawn & Adam Patterson | 24 April 2023 (2023-04-24) | 4.23 |
| Mo risks his relationship with his father, and Tommy is put to the test. |||||||
| 6 | 6 | "Love the One You're With" | Gilles Bannier | Declan Lawn & Adam Patterson | 1 May 2023 (2023-05-01) | 4.44 |
| Truths are revealed as the team works together in the aftermath of the arms deal. |||||||

## Reception

Series 1 of Blue Lights received generally positive reviews. On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the first series 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 that series 1 wrote 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 5/5 stars, 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 1 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 3/5 stars, 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 1 "much more than just another cop show". 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". 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".
The popularity of the first series led to a second, third, and fourth series being renewed shortly after the end of its run.