Episode 1

**Episode 1** is the upcoming first episode of the first season of *Bulletproof*, and the first episode of the series overall.

## Summary

Noel Clarke and Ashley Walters buddy up as cop duo Bishop and Pike in this blockbuster blast around London.

## Plot

The episode opens at a boxing gym. Pike and Bishop are in the ring practicing, when Pike asks why Bishop is being so rough, and that he needs to calm down; they’re just playing. The two finish boxing and are in the changing room. Bishop is looking at his hair, and Pike remarks that it’s gone, with Bishop biting back that he needs to watch his weight. In that moment, Pike remembers that he has somewhere to be and is more than likely late.

At the Deputy’s meeting, the Deputy gives out the ‘Mayor’s Award for Distinguished Service to the Met’ to the director general of the NCA, Ronald Pike Sr. At the meeting and the party afterwards, Bishop keeps calling Pike, jealous that he hasn't been invited to the meeting. At the same time, both receive phone calls from Sabine, and when Bishop answers, she asks to meet at the usual place as somebody is aware she has been talking to the police.

Pike and Bishop are at the roadside as Sabine approaches, she is angry that she told the police everything she knows and now she is getting threats. Sabine begs that they put her in a safe house and she will reveal information about a gang stealing cars, however, Bishop laments they cannot just put her in a safe house over one threat. With this, Sabine leaves, and is the victim of a hit and run, both Pike and Bishop follow in pursuit of the car while calling for backup. As they follow the car, Pike and Bishop argue over Pike’s reckless driving. Pike manages to keep up with the car momentarily, until a truck swerves in the middle of the road, blocking their pursuit.

Back at the scene of the accident, Bishop and Pike are saddened by Sabine’s death. Tanner, a senior NCA detective arrives on the scene, questioning Sabine’s usefulness to the NCA; both Pike and Bishop are warned to stop getting sentimental and Tanner laughs as their car is driven off on the back of a recovery vehicle.

At the NCA office, Bishop asks Nell to run Sabine’s phone to tech to get scanned, but Nell refuses, laughing at the two. Pike and Bishop are seen at the firing range, and both are surprised to see Nell achieve better scores than them. Jonesy apologises to hear of the death of Sabine, and the group toast to her, promising to catch the ones that killed her. Tanner sarcastically appears at the door, holding up a car key. Taking the key, Bishop and Pike laugh to find that their new car is a Mini Cooper.

Pike and Bishop arrive at Sabine’s house and are repulsed by the messy state it has been left in. They search the property, finding engineering textbooks and a baby. They come to the conclusion that someone has visited the property looking for something, as there is no way she would have lived like that. With a baby found, Bishop calls for forensics and social services.

At home, both Bishop and Pike watch the news, which is covering the recent murder of Sabine. Sophie comes in, remarking that they’ll be late to Pike’s dinner if they aren’t quick. At the dinner, Bishop and Pike laugh at Ronald saying grace. While at the dinner, Sophie gets repeated notifications, which Bishop notices, looking concerned. At the end of the dinner, when Sophie is not around, Bishop checks her phone, finding numerous messages from Jonesy, one of Bishop’s work colleagues. Pike interrupts his snooping, revealing Tanner has found a lead from Sabine’s phone, and the two leave to chase it; Bishop. However, seems distant as he contemplates what he has just found.

Arriving at the address, the two search around the exterior of the property, breaking and entering through a window on the bottom floor. In the apartment, the two find multiple car keys, meaning that Sabine was right. However, as they’re searching, the owners of the apartment return. The two hide under the bed and are privy to the leader of the gangs plan to steal Range Rovers, Porsches and Mercedes. He tells the gang members to be careful as they are now known to the police.

Bishop and Pike follow the leader of the gang, catching him midway through trying to steal a car. However, he notices the two and, unsuccessfully tries to run away, with the two eventually catching him and taking him back to the station. During questioning, the two ask if the suspect new Sabine was a mother, he simply replies no comment. He gives no details to the gangs plans, simply smirking in their faces.

Tanner questions Bishop and Pike over the suspects connections to Sabine, lecturing them that there are no connections as the evidence in the flat is inadmissible and that the two should have waited to get a warrant before entering the property. Tanner decides to let him go and as Jonesy makes a joke, Bishop is enraged, threatening to slap him in the mouth. In the office, Pike places a tracking device in the lining of the suspects blazer, and the two track his every move. Finding a location, the two leave to follow the suspect, leading them to an abandoned warehouse.

At the warehouse, Pike questions Bishop’s mood, and he reveals that he checked Sophie’s phone, seeing the messages between her and Jonesy. He asks for advice from Pike, but Pike questions whether it is the same Jonesy, and he shouldn’t jump to conclusions. Amid the conversation, they catch the gang loading the warehouse with exclusive stolen cars, including the red Audi that had killed Sabine at the beginning of the episode. Bishop opts to go in guns blazing, however, Pike is able to talk him out of it, calling for 24 hour surveillance on the warehouse.

At home, Sophie returns home from work to find Bishop had cooked her dinner, however, Sophie reminds him that she had a reunion with the girls, including Jonsey who has travelled all the way from Paris. Bishop questions who Jonesy is, and Sophie reminds him of her friend, Fiona Jones; Bishop is relieved to find out that Sophie is not sleeping with his work colleague.

At the NSA office, Tanner informs the team about what they have found regarding the gang and the murder of Sabine. Bishop takes the lead on the plan to capture the gang, revealing that there is only one road in and out of the warehouse, so there is only one opportunity to arrest them. Bishop warns the team that he wants the gang caught, and they are not to leave the country. At the moment when the team are about to move out, the surveillance team is discovered by the gang, and the live feed cuts.

## Cast

### Main Characters

* Noel Clarke as Aaron Bishop
* Ashley Walters as Ronald Pike Jr
* Lindsey Coulson as Sarah Tanner
* Christina Chong as Nell McBride
* Lashana Lynch as Arjana Pike
* Mandeep Dhillon as Kamali Khan
* Jason Maza as Chris Munroe
* Clarke Peters as Ronald Pike Sr
* David Elliot as Tim Jones
* Caroline Goodall as Charlotte Carmel
* Emma Rigby as Sophie Latimer
* Jodie Campbell as Ali Pike
* Andrea Tividar as Sabine
* Florisa Kamara as Donna
* Matthew Stirling as Sasa

## Trivia

* This episode had the highest viewership of the season in the United Kingdom with a total of 1.590m viewers according to Sky.
* This episodes viewership peaked at 770,000 in the US

## References

1. ↑ Article directly from Sky Media.
2. ↑ https://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/daily-ratings/wednesday-final-ratings-aug-7-2019/