ITV Aims For A New Classic Detective Series With 'Ridley'

PBS' Masterpiece has shaped American views of British television for two generations now, starting with shows like Upstairs Downstairs and I Claudius in the 1970s. But it was the program Mystery! that's done the most for what people think of when they think of U.K. police procedurals and detective series, doubling down on the Agatha Christie Poirots and Marples, and small quaint towns filled with the eccentric and elderly who magically track down murderers. Multiple series have tapped into this genre and come up with instant classics. Now, ITV is taking the actor at the heart of Line of Duty to see if magic can strike for yet another detective show.

Entitled Ridley, the show is built around actor Adrian Dunbar, best known as Superintendent Ted Hastings in Line of Duty. Dunbar will play retiring Detective Inspector Alex Ridley, who is pressed back into service as a private detecting consultant. According to Deadline, which first reported the series' commission, the plan is to pair him up with a younger, still-active DI on the force as his partner in detecting. The character is currently described as "former protégée, Carol Farman." The role of Farman does not have an actor attached as of this writing. The show's first season is currently slated for four feature-length installments.

Here's the show's synopsis:

Dunbar's Ridley has been nudged into retirement after 25 years of service as a homicide detective, though he is not exactly happy about the prospect. So when he gets a call from Farman, he is ready and willing to dust off his unique crime-solving experience.