{"id":6903,"date":"2021-11-08T17:06:03","date_gmt":"2021-11-08T16:06:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1489243"},"modified":"2021-11-08T17:37:15","modified_gmt":"2021-11-08T16:37:15","slug":"the-tower-review-gemma-whelan-plays-incorruptible-met-detective-in-itv-drama","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/the-tower-review-gemma-whelan-plays-incorruptible-met-detective-in-itv-drama\/","title":{"rendered":"The Tower review: Gemma Whelan plays incorruptible Met detective in ITV drama"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Flora Carr\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Monday, 08 November 2021 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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ITV drama\u00a0The Tower<\/a>, based on former Metropolitan Police detective Kate London\u2019s novel Post Mortem, follows a female Met detective surrounded by morally ambiguous colleagues. The series arrives at a time of public scrutiny for the force, following <\/span>the murder of Sarah Everard by a serving officer<\/span><\/a>, and the recent case of two Met officers who pleaded guilty to <\/span>taking and sharing photos of the murder scene of sisters Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The ITV drama\u2019s potential timeliness isn\u2019t lost on its cast. In an interview with its lead Gemma Whelan<\/a>, I mentioned a separate conversation with her co-star, Tahirah Sharif, who stated that <\/span>The Tower will shine a light on police officers\u2019 unconscious biases<\/span><\/a>. \u201cYeah, I think it could be interesting because, of course, they\u2019re under the spotlight for not good reasons at the moment,\u201d Whelan said. <\/span>Although I\u2019ve only watched a preview of episode one, she revealed that the rest of the series would delve into issues of racism and sexism, and the questionable behaviour of various officers we meet.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Episode one mainly focuses on introducing its key players, chief among them Met detective DS Sarah Collins, played by the brilliant and chameleon-like Whelan (best known for supporting turns in the likes of Game of Thrones, Upstart Crow and Gentleman Jack). Sarah is a definite \u2018good cop\u2019; she\u2019s \u201cunconventional, different \u2013 \u2018slightly nerdy\u2019 was what we were going for\u201d, Whelan told RadioTimes.com<\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

The character\u2019s orange coat (combined with a lilac shirt the first time we meet her) has all the makings of an iconic detective outfit, right up there with Vera\u2019s squashed bucket hat.<\/span><\/p>\n

When we meet Sarah, she\u2019s just parked up outside a crime scene. A veteran beat cop and a teenage girl have fallen to their deaths from the top of a tower block in south east London. Up on the roof, Sarah finds two shaken witnesses: a five-year-old boy, and a rookie police officer, Lizzie Adama (Sharif in The Tower cast<\/a>). She also runs into another officer: Lizzie\u2019s boss, DI Kieran Shaw (Emmett J Scanlan), who clearly has something to hide.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Sarah\u2019s job is made far more difficult when Lizzie runs away just hours after the incident. With their chief witness missing, Sarah and her colleague, DC Steve Bradshaw (Jimmy Akingbola), must piece together what happened in the run-up to the tower block fall.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, Sarah must also contend with sexist male superiors who seem suspiciously keen to sweep the investigation under the carpet, claiming Sarah is under stress following a painful break-up with her ex-girlfriend. (One particularly nasty colleague points out that she\u2019s still only a DS. She retorts that it\u2019s only because she doesn\u2019t tell jokes to men in bars.)<\/span><\/p>\n

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ITV<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div>\n

Flashbacks to a few weeks prior, with a focus on Lizzie, provide a further insight for the viewer. There\u2019s clearly a cover-up of some nature, and it seems linked to a mysterious comment made by veteran cop PC Hadley Matthews (Nick Holder) to teenager Farah Mehenni (Lola Elsokari) prior to both their deaths.<\/span><\/p>\n

It remains to be seen what direction the drama takes, or just how bright a light the series will shine on the police force. But when it comes to solving the show\u2019s central mystery, episode one does an excellent job emphasising how DS Sarah Collins is more than equal to the challenge.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Tower begins on ITV at 9pm on Monday 8th November. While you\u2019re waiting, take a look at our other <\/b>Drama<\/b><\/a> coverage, or find out what else is on with our <\/b>TV Guide<\/b><\/a>.<\/b><\/p><\/body><\/html>\n

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