Protection

There's no gloss in Protection, and that's exactly why it lingers. Across six taut, emotionally bruising episodes, this BBC drama delivers a quietly blistering takedown of a system that promises safety, then disappears the moment it matters.

Written by Kris Mrksa and led by a career-best performance from Siobhan Finneran, Protection doesn't rely on genre gimmicks or manufactured cliffhangers. Instead, it roots itself in something far more disquieting: the reality of British witness protection, and what happens when even the people sworn to uphold justice are forced to make morally corrosive compromises.

Finneran plays DI Liz Nyles with remarkable restraint. Every decision, every silence, feels loaded. She isn't the usual telly cop with a tortured backstory... she's just a woman doing an impossible job, one compromise at a time, until the ground disappears beneath her. Her performance never begs for sympathy, which is precisely why it earns it.

The pacing is deliberate, but never dull. Each episode deepens the psychological stakes, moving from procedural discomfort to full-blown ethical crisis without ever raising its voice. It's beautifully directed, especially in the moments between action: hushed corridors, flickering eye contact, late-night phone calls. It's in those spaces that Protection truly thrives.

This is not a show about big twists or neat endings. It's about failure - institutional, emotional, human. And yet, it's never cynical. It's simply honest.

Some viewers may find the finale frustrating in its lack of resolution. But that's the point. There are no heroes here, no neat redemptions. Just the question: what happens when the system meant to protect becomes the thing to fear?

In a landscape cluttered with noise, Protection stands out by whispering the truth - and it cuts deeper because of it. Unflashy, unfaltering, unforgettable.

One of the finest British dramas of the year.

I am writing this after series 1. I assume there won't be a second. This was a good series until the finale.

Maybe it was the strong cast that had kept me engaged (a lot of familiar B-listers but none of them really top billing) but the story just seemed to fall apart at the end. Maybe 6 episodes was too much for the writers.

I love Siobhan Finneran but this probably goes to show that she is a great support actress rather than a leading lady (even in Rita and Sue and Bob too see came second each time. The one time she came first there was an unsatisfactory outcome and the same goes for this show).

To have Siobhan, Katherine Kelly and Catherine Tyldesley in the first episode won me over but why they got as big a actress as Catherine Tyldesley for such a small role is beyond me (I guess she had a ship to catch) and she and Katherine Kelly are similar in looks and acting style.

I loved David Hayman as the cantankerous father, reluctantly having to give up on his independence as his health wanes and the way he acts with his daughter who dutifully followed him into the force is brilliantly written.

For a story made mainly in Liverpool, it did seem to have very few scousers but some great northern actors seeing the story through to a poor and convoluted conclusion.

Another great British police story with a brilliant Siobhan Finneran as always. She has really turned into one of my favourite actresses. The story line keeps you engaged throughout the episodes and without too many plotholes as well. I watched it over a couple of days and never felt bored at any point of time. It's really amazing how these Britt's can come up with one exiting series after another in this specific. If you liked Happy Valley and some of the other similar police stories you will definitely also enjoy this one. Without revealing the story I can say that the plot and the ending also was well crafted indeed. Highly recommended!!

A family in the care of DI Liz Nyles is gunned down at their safe house, just before they are due to give evidence against big shot criminal Edward Crowther. Liz has been having an affair with fellow officer DS Paul Brandice, is it possible her affair compromised the family?

It's an excellent drama series, if Line of Duty and similar dramas are your thing, then this will very much be up your Street, it has all the hallmarks, intensity, shocks, surprises, dodgy coppers, it's all there.

It doesn't dip, it maintains its intensity throughout, after an explosive first episode, the intrigue continues, very good all the way through to the excellent series finale.

At times you will need to suspend your disbelief, as there are a few moments that'll have you scratching your head, wondering how on Earth.

It's wonderful to see Siobhan Finneran playing a leading role, she's such a versatile actress, there's nothing she cannot do, there's big news at the moment that Benidorm is due to return, hopefully we'll see Janice back.

Super supporting cast including Jonathan Cake, Alex Newman and the wonderful David Hayman.

Catherine Kelly's character is loathsome, talented actress, but DI Wheatley is horrid.

I'd love to see Nyles return for a second series.

8/10.

As usual, as the plot thickens, the supposedly capable characters start doing stupid things to make it last longer?

I would say that the beginning episodes are the best, the last ones revolve around stupidity by characters. (Like why are they no using prepaid phones, not removing the sim cards, not saving information to an outside cloud,) and the list goes on...

Some good acting by supporting characters, main actor is not even in good enough shape to run without having a stunt double. Much better than American shows. More complex, more interesting. I would recommend if you ignore the logic flaws.