ssgb-1A Spitfire flies low over London then lands in the Mall – only for its pilot to be shot by the Resistance. Welcome to London, 14 months after the successful German invasion…

Neal Purvis and Robert Wade’s five part adaptation of Len Deighton’s alternative history tale draws you in from the start, with a very different London portrayed from the one we’re used to in Second World War dramas. Elements of life in the other occupied cities of Europe are transplanted across – often in the background – and the tension of the situation comes across quickly.

This first episode doesn’t dawdle in setting up the various plotlines that thread through Deighton’s tale – the difficulties of Superintendent Douglas Archer’s position in a Metropolitan Police that now has new masters; the murder in Shepherd’s Market that seems to be attracting far more attention than it should; the mysterious witness who knows far more than she’s telling – and through it all, the question of who’s involved with the Resistance and to what extent.

The period details certainly seem authentic (I have no doubts though that there’ll be plenty of nitpicking on the internet in the days to come!) and the script feeds in its worldbuilding in small doses. There’s the occasional moment that feels a little clichéd (both in the script and in the direction – did we really need the visiting SS officer to be cloaked in darkness during his first appearance?) but overall it’s a very effective opener.

Verdict: If you enjoyed The Man in the High Castle’s alternate take on events or period detective drams, chances are you’ll enjoy this. 8/10

Paul Simpson