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There's no dearth of brilliant, gritty, and realistic crime dramas set in Britain, with the likes of Happy Valley, Line of Duty, Broadchurch, Prime Suspect, and Blue Lights having gained cult status over the years.

Amid the choc-a-bloc slate of British crime dramas fans can binge, it's hard to find a show that cuts through all the noise and truly stands out. This one does just that.

Set in Liverpool, with a cast that seems to have mastered the Scouse accent, this police drama about a troubled officer has received rave reviews from all corners.

Boasting a 100% approval rating across both its seasons, the show has left critics and audiences completely enthralled, with each glowing review outdoing the last.

The Responder stars an excellent Martin Freeman in the lead, who took home a well-deserved international Emmy for Best Actor for his portrayal of PC Chris Carson on the series.

Freeman is joined by Adelayo Adedayo, Josh Finan, Ian Hart, Warren Brown, Emily Fairn, and MyAnna Buring, to round out an outstanding supporting cast.

The Responder also earned four BAFTA nominations including for Best Drama Series, Best Actor (Freeman), Best Supporting Actor (Finan), and Best Supporting Actress (Adedayo).

The British police drama has an air of authenticity and realness in terms of the setting and finer details, owing majorly to Tony Schumacher, the creator and writer of the show, who is a former Merseyside Police officer. Tim Mielants is the lead director on the show.

The Responder first aired on BBC One in January 2022, with Schumacher saying the lead character of Chris has "a lot to do" with him and the struggles he had faced as a police officer during his time in the force. The storyline and events of the show however, are said to be fictional.

The show was renewed for a second season in March 2022 itself, and series two began airing on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on May 5, 2024 - a day which marked Titanic and Lord of the Rings actor Bernard Hill's final onscreen appearance, as he passed away on the same day as season two's release.

Upon its release, The Responder's pilot episode was viewed a staggering 6,164,000 times on BBC iPlayer alone during 2022, shooting it up the ranks to make it the third most-warched individual programme on the platform that year.

The often overlooked series has garnered rave reviews over the years, with one impressed critic writing: "In the overwhelming sea of crime dramas we see now, particularly from the BBC, The Responder feels like a massive breath of fresh air."

Another reviewer said of the show: "[The Responder] arms itself with a compelling plot, a pitch-black sense of humour and a wonderful cast of supporting players. The best new crime drama on telly? Probably."

While one critic couldn't believe how good the show really was: "I was rather taken aback by BBC One's The Responder: by how good it is, how unsettling and vivid."

An excellent IMDB user review of the show states: "Outstanding! I didn't know what to expect when I first saw this pop up but in the end was blown away at how good it was. Season 1 was amazing. Martin Freeman is brilliant and is surrounded by a superb cast. A very special nod though to Emily Fairn and Josh Finan. They took this to the 10 level it deserves.

"This is a gritty, fast-paced, humorous, intense and well-written/directed/acted TV series full of twist and turns. I flew through the 5 episodes and want more. Hopefully, there will be a second season."

Yet another impressed viewer said of the show: "Best thing I've seen in a while, Martin Freeman is AMAZING!!! And so is the rest of the cast - this is gritty British TV at its very best. If you don't like gritty and dark, this is not for you - it's no Midsumer Murders. It also shows a Britain that most people outside of it usually don't get to see or even know about.

"Another interesting aspect is the fact that this is set in Liverpool and most of the cast speak with a (more or less pronounced) Scouser accent. Britain is such a diverse place, but most people only think of London and the South when they think of it. I've always liked Martin Freeman, but I had no idea he was THAT good of an actor."

One glowing user review lauding Freeman's performance on the show reads: "Incredible acting performance. Martin Freeman is totally brilliant in this gritty and affecting drama. It's a pretty grim and dark setting so if you're expecting some light relief then this won't help. But if you enjoy totally immersive and compelling acting then you'll love it. One of the best acting performances I've seen in years."

While another viewer said of The Responder: "This was the best British crime drama I've seen for a while. I liked the fact that it centred around a regular, albeit troubled front line police officer. Also the best performance so far from Martin Freeman as someone getting himself unwittingly drawn deeper into trouble. Great stuff!"

The Responder is available to stream for free on BBC iPlayer.