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BBC One's Bloodlands began filming its second series recently, having been confirmed for renewal last year. The police procedural TV drama was created by

The Northern Irish actor, 57, cut a smart figure in a pastel blue shirt and tie, which he paired with trousers, a jumper, and a grey overcoat as he embodied lead character DCI Tom Brannick.

REVIEW: If you’re a fan of James Nesbitt or British crime dramas, you’ll find some enjoyment here, but top-notch, essential viewing this is not.

I’d be inclined to watch James Nesbitt in just about anything he did, so it doesn’t take much to lure me to Bloodlands when I see Jed Mercurio ( Line of Duty, Bodyguard) is a producer. In truth this 4 part Irish police drama is written by actor-writer Chris Brandon ( Red Rock, Clash of Futures) and takes place in Belfast. Nesbitt plays Detective Tom Brannick, a single dad whose wife was killed two decades ago by the IRA. Daughter Izzy ( Lola Petticrew) is a university, a student of attractive lecturer Tori (Lisa Dwan), who takes an interest in her father’s case.

Bloodlands is more restrained, but trust me, it serves up a couple of lethal doozies. Although you can follow the action without knowing the historical backstory, it helps to remember the basics. Starting in the late 1960s, Northern Ireland lived through a de-facto civil war between Catholics and Protestants, and the violence killed many thousands of its citizens. The conflict ran until the Good Friday Agreement of 1998, which brought about an uneasy peace in a small, intimate land where nobody was left untouched by bloodshed. Bloodlands begins 20 years after this truce when a car is fished f...