Bloodlands – now streaming on BritBox SA - is a thriller about fictional detective Tom Brannick, who is forced to grapple with his past when he is sent on the hunt for a mythical assassin.
I’d be inclined to watch James Nesbitt in just about anything he did, so it doesn’t take much to lure me to
Bloodlands when I see Jed Mercurio (
Line of Duty, Bodyguard) is a producer.
In truth this 4 part Irish police drama is written by actor-writer Chris Brandon (
Red Rock, Clash of Futures) and takes place in Belfast.
Nesbitt plays Detective Tom Brannick, a single dad whose wife was killed two decades ago by the IRA. Daughter Izzy ( Lola Petticrew) is a university, a student of attractive lecturer Tori (Lisa Dwan), who takes an interest in her father’s case.
LIE OF DUTY
Line Of Duty star James Nesbitt admits he lied about being angry at Jed Mercurio to keep role secret
Exclusive
Apr 18 2021, 17:45 ET
HIT police drama Line Of Duty’s latest twist has seen James Nesbitt join the series as dodgy detective Marcus Thurwell.
His debut in last night’s episode was all the more surprising for fans as the Northern Irish actor had previously lied about his anger at being snubbed for the show.
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James Nesbitt has joined Line of Duty as dodgy detective Marcus Thurwell
While promoting another police thriller also shot in Belfast, James told reporters: “Even though Line Of Duty had been shot here for years I was never considered for it, which has always slightly galled me.”
Tonight s finale may or may not have provided an answer to that mystery, as Brannick confessed to committing murders in the 90s, but only because the real Goliath threatened to kill his wife if he didn t.
In the end, Brannick managed to wriggle his way out of the entire situation after killing Pat Keenan and passing him off as Goliath. While we can assume that Brannick is fibbing, it still wasn t made entirely clear if he s the mastermind assassin behind it all, or if he really was being forced to commit his crimes by another indvidual.
But if it feels like there are a lot of unanswered questions, there s a pretty good reason for that. As the continuity announcer revealed at the end of the episode, the Northern Ireland-set drama will indeed be back for a second series.