Whitechapel

This is something a bit different from the usual police procedural and it works very well because of the stylish and stylised direction and some great acting. The different sides of policing are painted with a broad brush but are essentially true, from the squad-room boys' club to the top brass—all management-speak plus old boys' network. Anyone who works in a company, private or public, of any scale, has seen these in action even today!

Phil Davis is cast very much to type as the cynical, angry, working policeman but the twist here is that he is the one who makes major mistakes every time about the perpetrator of the crimes and the possible suspects.

Steve Pemberton manages to be creepy and sympathetic at the same time.

Rupert Penry-Jones' subtle and far-from-heroic presentation of the "useless" plastic fast-tracker is spot-on, as is his gradual realisation that he's out of his depth and is being cast adrift by his "puppetmasters". He's been brilliant at the slow transformation into a real investigator, going with his instincts instead of by the book. It's a very unshowy but intense and believable performance and one of his best to date. The premise is highly imaginative by its nature but the mix of factual background and stylised dramatisation is so effective because it exercises the imagination. So many people, on the net and round the water-cooler, are talking about this drama, who dunnit and how the main characters are going to pan out, whether successful or failed or shattered. That's the mark of a really successful piece of TV!

I don't know why this show gets so much hate, but there's no way it's because of the actors. It's been a long time since I've watched anything of this standard. Sure, the show no doubt has its flaws, as all shows do. I've seen people complain about historical inaccuracies, and they're probably right. That doesn't spoil anything for me, though. I didn't expect a documentary. I loved the way the characters' relationships were portrayed, and they were all believable and heartwarming. I loved that British sense of humour from the very first episode and all through the series. I absolutely adored DI Chandler - he is, hands down, the most relatable character I have ever seen on TV. I don't suffer from OCD (I periodically have a very mild form of it), but I am autistic, and even though he isn't necessarily supposed to be, I see so many of my own traits in him. He is the sweetest and most adorable, socially awkward character I have ever seen, and Rupert Penry-Jones did an excellent job of portraying him. His issues are realistic, and I loved how Miles supported him instead of ridiculing him or just telling him to get help. I loved everything about this show, and the only thing I missed was a fifth season, because the fourth left a few things hanging.

I really enjoyed this series, including the OCD inspector. It was interesting to see a rehash of the famous historical Whitechapel murders. I had read about most of them. 30 years ago, so it was, I admit, fascinating to see them cast in a new light, today.

"Whitechapel" is rather like a Dan Brown novella. What it lacks in actual writing talent, it more than makes up in storyline.

The previous commenter skewered this 3-part ITV crime drama, a modernist re-do of the Jack the Ripper murders, but the high scores (9.0 out of 10 at time of writing) tell a different tale. Those who are watching are clearly enjoying this fast-paced, oddly dark series. I suspect this is a reflection on other lacklustre series offered today, as much as its own qualities, but equally it could be because of its ambitious narrative. It's one of those programmes which charms the viewer despite its flaws.

Rupert Penry-Jones, he of Spooks/Cambridge Spies and son of television grande dame Angela Thorne, leads a cast of unevenly talented actors who have been given the impossible task of updating the Jack the Ripper murders. But it's not just the crime which has been updated, but for once, so has the copper.

Like many "paper cops", who have more education than experience, DI Joseph Chandler (Penry-Jones) seems a bit wet to his hard-bitten colleagues in the force. His Savile Row suits, David Beckham haircuts, fashionably large Tag Heuer Grand Carrera Chronograph Calibre 17 watch (Penry-Jones is a big Tag fan), as well as homeopathic remedies for tension -- a mint pomade for the temples -- scream out metrosexual for these 'lager and crisps' men. It's all too much when he asks them to shower and look more respectable in a suit, not to mention actually read whole books on the Ripper murders, which they reluctantly do.

East Londoner extraordinaire, DI Miles (Philip Davis), especially doesn't like this new state of affairs. It's possible that he sees a future when policemen will be more like Penry-Jones than the rogue-copper-with-a-heart-of-gold version he represents; he constantly refuses to acknowledge the lad may have some good ideas. His colleagues agree, save for one DI Chandler wannabe, played by Sam Stockman. With his off-the-peg suits, and "crapuccinos" (as they are teasingly referred to by others), it seems even the lower orders may desire a more polished style.

The series is never bogged down by details of the old Ripper saga, perhaps due to the eccentric Ripperologist who hovers around the story, played to the hilt by the excellent Steve Pemberton. Could the mastermind of the modern Ripper murders, replicated to the exact detail, be none other than a man whose entire life is dedicated to Jack the Ripper? Or perhaps like an Agatha Christie murder, the obvious is too, well, obvious?

Whitechapel may have any number of flaws, not the least of which are hackneyed character development, seeming like a cross between Prime Suspect, Morse and cult-classic Edge of Darkness, but it packs a very intriguing punch all the same.

Most police dramas follow the same formulas, and rely on good acting, solid writing, crisp direction -- if they work, which most don't. Whitechapel breaks the mold. It is possibly the most imaginative police drama ever made, combining odd procedural elements with fantasy, relying on history and facts, creating characters unlike any others in similar shows, and basically inventing a world that is both believable and extraordinary. On top of that, the acting is superb, especially the wonderfully named Rupert Penry-Jones, but all the others are excellent too. So sad it only lasted four seasons. A police show like no other.