“Engaging” British detective drama with “TV’s best new detective duo in years” jumps up UK chart
Cooper and Fry, the “engaging” British detective drama starring Doctor Who‘s Mandip Gill and Downton Abbey actor Robert James-Collier, has jumped up the UK trending chart since its release on Channel 5 last week. The show, which follows a pair of “chalk-and- cheese” detectives working in the Peak District, currently occupies the number three spot in 5’s ‘Top 10 Today’ chart.
Based on Stephen Booth’s Cooper and Fry novel series, the show stars James-Collier as local cop Ben Cooper who joins forces with Gill’s newcomer Diane Fry as they attempt to solve some peculiar cases.
“In the Peak District, mismatched detectives Ben Cooper and Diane Fry must work together on a series of unusual cases to get results,” the synopsis reads.
“Despite Fry’s pessimism of local folklore, they’ll need to navigate not only the twisted paths of the cases before them, but also the shadowy beliefs that still hold sway in the hills.”
Cooper and Fry debuted on the channel last week, with episode two airing on Channel 5 tonight from 8pm.
Channel 5
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Over on IMDb the show had a mixed response from fans and currently has a rating of 6.6 out of 10 from 120 reviews.
“I thought it was an engaging story and well-acted (in the main) and we’ll definitely watch the rest of the series,” penned one user.
Another user described the detective drama as “new and watchable”, while a third called it “pretty average”, adding that it was “no worse than a lot of stuff currently on TV”.
Channel 5
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“Episode one dealt with socioeconomic themes not seen in shows I typically watch, which added to some intrigue, and the casting was strong, too,” wrote one viewer.
Critic reviews have also been mixed, with The Times saying of Cooper and Fry: “This rural cop show is a long way from Vera.”
The i Paper‘s Gerard Gilbert described the lead actors as “TV’s best new detective duo in years”, adding: “The sure test of a new show like this is whether you are tempted to watch the next episode, especially with so many crime dramas to choose from. Thanks to these two central characters, I am.”
Cooper and Fry airs at 8pm on 5.
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Reporter, Digital Spy
Harriet is a freelance news writer specialising in TV and movies at Digital Spy.
A horror enthusiast, she joined Digital Spy after working on her own horror website, reviewing films and focusing largely on feminism in the genre.
In her spare time, Harriet paints and produces mixed-media art. She graduated from the University of Kingston with a BA in fine art, where she specialised in painting. She also has an MA in journalism from Birkbeck University.
