The Prime Suspect plays and mini-series have provided benchmarks for TV drama for a decade. The latest, Prime Suspect 6, raises the bar again. This two-part series is far more than a crime drama. Helen Mirren gives a complete performance, clever, vulnerable, confused, determined in turn. It is a magnificent sustained piece of top-quality acting.
The supporting actors are equally strong, from Frank Finlay as Mirren's elderly father to the Bosnian victims and villains, whose tortured history DS Tennison (Mirren) unearths. They are helped by the quality of Peter Berry's script and Tom Hooper's direction. The story line is more complex even than previous Prime Suspects, involving Mirren in a terrifying visit to Bosnia in a search for the truth that neither the British nor the Bosnians want uncovered.
In short, four hours of gripping, unmissable drama.
The supporting actors are equally strong, from Frank Finlay as Mirren's elderly father to the Bosnian victims and villains, whose tortured history DS Tennison (Mirren) unearths. They are helped by the quality of Peter Berry's script and Tom Hooper's direction. The story line is more complex even than previous Prime Suspects, involving Mirren in a terrifying visit to Bosnia in a search for the truth that neither the British nor the Bosnians want uncovered.
In short, four hours of gripping, unmissable drama.