TV & Movies

ITV’s New Police Drama Could Give Line Of Duty A Run For Its Money

Viewpoint is based on a real-life covert police surveillance operation.

by Sophie McEvoy
Noel Clarke as DC Martin Young
ITV

In ITV’s latest drama Viewpoint, Noel Clarke stars as a detective who sets up surveillance in the middle of a suburban neighbourhood in Manchester. Partly based on a true story, this five-episode crime drama will get you hooked immediately. So here’s everything you need to know about Viewpoint, and what it’s all about.

When does Viewpoint air?

Viewpoint begins on April 26 at 9 p.m. on ITV. The five-episode series will be broadcast weekly, and each episode will be available to watch on the ITV Hub after it’s aired.

What’s the plot of Viewpoint?

Set in Manchester, Viewpoint follows DC Martin Young and his partner DC Stella Beckett as they investigate the disappearance of Gemma Hillman, a primary school teacher. He uses the home of single mum, Zoe Sterling, to set up police surveillance where he scopes out the neighbourhood in hopes to incriminate the prime suspect.

All the while, the close proximity between Martin and Sterling sparks a relationship between the two – one that could jeopardise the investigation.

Who’s in the cast of Viewpoint?

Bulletproof’s Noel Clarke takes on the role of detective Martin Young, who is joined by The Fall’s Bronagh Waugh as his partner Stella Beckett. Killing Eve’s Alexandra Roach also stars, who plays single mum Zoe Sterling alongside Tutankhamun’s Amy Wren as the missing Gemma, with I May Destroy You’s Fehinti Balogun playing her boyfriend and suspect Greg Sullivan.

Coronation Street’s Catherine Tyldesley, Trust Me’s Sarah Niles, Get Even’s Shannon Murray, Whitechapel’s Phil Davis, Tin Star’s Ian Puleston-Davies, and Broadchurch’s Marcus Garvey also appear in the series.

What else is there to know about Viewpoint?

Viewpoint is partly based on a true story, one that its creator Harry Bradbeer experienced through a neighbour. In an interview with ITV, Bradbeer explained that a plainclothes police officer asked his neighbour if they could use her spare room for surveillance of the neighbourhood.

“He was there for a couple of weeks, peering through a chink in the curtains, but never revealing who he was looking at. She became intrigued and gradually worked out it was a case of drug dealing in the opposite house but it was odd having this man there,” Bradbeer explained.

He added: “Her husband was away on business – it was both rather tense and erotic having this strange man in her flat. It struck me as a great premise for a TV series. What if the police are investigating a murder and what if a relationship developed between the policeman and his host?”

With the release of Viewpoint only a week away, Noel Clarke gave viewers a little taste of what the series has to offer with a short trailer. It’s a very short teaser, but the ominous music and dramatic editing certainly point towards it being another widely-talked about show on social media once it starts airing.