The return of 165 Eaton Place is compact and lively, with only the odd wandering accent to let it down.

ITV1’s new drama is one ‘Identity’ that should have remained a secret.

A couple of years ago Philip Glenister, TV’s Gene Hunt, swore he “wouldn’t do bloody ‘Tin Machine’” so it’s best to assume that this really is the end of the ‘Life on Mars’/'Ashes to Ashes’ franchise. Huge spoilers ahead…

‘Ashes to Ashes’ is not a great TV drama. It’s enjoyable, and a pleasant lightweight watch for the weekend. But it’s not a great police procedural series, and it’s not an overly complex mystery series.

Somewhere, there’s a checklist of what all period TV drama must contain. Tipping the Velvet checks all the boxes and then some…

Uncomfortably stuck between attempts at US style slickness and the banal reality of most BBC drama production, this new espionage thriller becomes slightly laughable as a result, a hybrid that’s comical due to its internal contradictions.