Deceit

Deceit was absolutely superb and I binged it in one sitting barely taking a breath. It held me captivated from start to finish. I remember this tragic case and how the undercover officer Lizzie James was treated by the press. It's about time the story was set straight. She was clearly an ambitious and smart officer but she was treated appallingly.

I googled all I could after watching and was pleased to see that Rachel's son and family gave their blessing for this drama and that the writer had worked closely with Colin Stagg to make sure he was happy with his portrayal. It's a clever trick to take us on the same journey Lizzie went on.

I also loved seeing a true crime drama that wasn't slow, plodding and patronising but actually made the audience think. And a great female character at the centre. I recommend this to everyone as there are valuable lessons to learn here. It's also a terrific thriller so will appeal to everyone not just true crime fans.

I found the constant semi darkness very annoying. Reliance on shadows, emotive music and prolonged strained facial expressions made for a draining and often boring watch. It was obviously well researched with some stellar acting and great moments, but it felt like a missed opportunity. Too drawn out. A focus on the other characters involved, such as the Professor, or less episodes (!), may have enriched it.

I can't believe the low rating this has received.

Did all contributors watch the whole series or just rate after a few minutes of the first episode?

This is a great watch especially for a fact-based story.

Gripping, intriguing, compelling and sultry.

If fits in well with general detective dramas that lead you one way then somewhere else entirely in the final scenes.

I just had to keep watching like a good book you can't put down.

It's just the opening scenes of s1e1 that didn't really seem to be needed.

You know what it's like - just one more episode then I'm going to bed then before you know it you've done the whole thing and it's 2:00am on a work night! I have no idea who has rated this low but they were not watching the same thing as me! I was gripped and can't quite believe that the police, those that are here to protect us, could behave so despicably, so devious and blinkered. No spoilers but just wait until the last two episodes! Absolutely amazing!!!

Considering it's based on a true story I think the writers did a good job of squeezing as much drama as possible from the events.

But it's not perfect. There are some very slow moments and overall it might have fitted one less episode better.

Having said that, it is quite compelling and most of the lead actors were excellent.