James Nesbitt

Radio Times review

When the pilot for this police satire aired, it felt perfectly poised between farce and drama. Or maybe imperfectly: there were plenty of absurd moments and funny lines (its creators worked on The Thick of It), but also a thriller edge to proceedings. An action satire? A jet-black dramedy? Kafka meets The Bill?

As we start the full series, the tone feels clearer. The dialogue is still razor sharp - "I sleep like a cokey meerkat on an electric fence. That's me relaxing," snaps James Nesbitt's commissioner - but actual gags are rationed. We're more focused on the political minefield of policing London, and the PR machine - headed by Brit Marling's spin chief - that steers through it.

Their main problem here is a youth prison riot where private contractors running the unit have been overrun. The good news? "Joey Barton's said on Twitter he's willing to be an intermediary..."

The title of this show is Jamaican English slang for police officer... just in case you were wondering.

And there's plenty else that will have viewers scratching their heads here, too.

It's both a serious drama about coppers, corruption and crime in the capital, and a whip-smart comedy written by Peep Show's Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong.

A feature-length pilot directed by Danny Boyle aired earlier this year.

"It's fabulous that it is now getting a full series," says James Nesbitt, who plays Commissioner Richard Miller.

"I loved the character and the writing.

"I also knew it was going to go to interesting places so I didn't hesitate for a minute to sign up for a whole series."

In the opener, Richard declares, "London is safe, Big Ben's on time, all is well", to his PR executive Liz Garvey (played by screenwriter and film producer Brit Marling).

He then has to deal with a riot in a youth offender's unit caused by the failings of the institution's private security company.

Nothing is as it seems.

Radio Times review

Shambles, swearing and spin: if you've missed The Thick of It, you're in luck. Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong have applied the high-farce formula to the Metropolitan Police for this scabrous comedy drama directed by Danny Boyle.

Their Met, led by James Nesbitt as Commissioner, is obsessed with public image: top brass fret so much about media coverage that any actual policing comes a distant second. This gets ugly (and funny) in tonight's pilot, when a series of shootings breaks out across London on the day a new American PR chief (Brit Marling) arrives in the job. The script is sharp and cruel, though occasionally the delivery feels a little too delivered: throwaway realism is what's needed here. Roll on a full series.

Norton foregoes the usual physical challenges beloved of Comic Relief for a more sedentary affair: attempting to set the Guinness world record for most questions asked on a TV chat show, which should see him broadcasting into the wee hours of Friday morning. We can only hope that Graham also dispenses with his usual tipple of wine with guests, otherwise this chatathon is going to get very messy.

So far guests announced as appearing on the sofa include Ronnie Corbett, RT's Sarah Millican, Martin Freeman, Elle Macpherson, James Nesbitt, Louis Smith, Heston Blumenthal, Warwick Davis, Russell Tovey and Jimmy Carr, though you wouldn't bet against an American superstar or two turning up, too. Music acts will include Example, Paloma Faith, Hurts and Laura Mvula.

Graham will be assisted by co-hosts Terry Wogan, Frank Skinner and Nick Grimshaw, and viewers can help, too, by submitting questions via Twitter and Facebook. And by donating money.

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