I've been in love with Robson Green for years, and he's in top form here in "Wire in the Blood," a British TV series based on characters created by crime writer Val McDermid. It ran for six seasons and I believe had some specials along the way.Green plays Dr. Tony Hill, a clinical psychologist who works as a criminal profiler for the Bradfield police department. Tony gets into the minds of both killers and victims in his attempt to help DCI Carol Jordan (Hermoine Norris) and later, DI Alex Fielding (Simone Lahbib). The crimes are gruesome, violent, and sometimes hard to watch.Nevertheless, this dark, atmospheric series is compelling and absorbing to watch. I can't understand one word that Simone Lahbib says, but I still enjoy the show. Robson Green, as the thoughtful, quirky Tony Hill, is marvelous. I love British crime and TV shows - this is one of the best.

An eccentric psychologist, with zero social skills, and a smart and charming female detective come together in Bradfield, England, to solve cases that no normal policemen could ever. I found this series especially delightful because Robson Green's character lives within the confines of his own mind. Though he shows remarkable insight into the actions of the violent and deranged, he also displays that phenomenal lack of social consciousness that is particular to geniuses and artists (as in "Yes, I just invented nuclear fission, but no, I didn't know I was supposed to wear socks and shoes to this award ceremony."). This makes for some truly unusual and amusing situations, that help bring levity to the gruesome crimes he investigates. If you like Touching Evil or Monk, this series may be for you.

I started watching this show in series 1. It was edgy and gritty, with strong performances from everyone. It still is. "Wire in the Blood" is the story of Dr.Tony Hill (Robson Green), a slightly eccentric clinical psychologist who works part time with the police force of Bradford, England. He has a reputation of taking small seemingly unconnected facts puzzling them together and providing a profile for the police to follow. The show is bases on the books written by crime novelist Val McDiarmid. In series 1-3, Hermione Norris played Detective Inspecter/Chief Inspecter Carol Jordan of Bradford CID, who managed to rein Tony's scattered abilities and make sense of them. In series 4, Ms Norris has left the show and Simone Lahbib as Inspecter Alex Fielding has the dubious job of reining in Hill. Green is, of course, the lead of the show and he is brilliant. He mixes in just enough idiosyncrasies to make Hill human, endearing and sometimes down right aggravating. Norris brought an adult, feminine, vulnerability to her role as Carol Jordan. Brought up to believe in hard case police work, her world was turned upside down by Tony's presence. In the end, she asks for a transfer. Enter DI Alex Fielding, Simone Lahbib. Ms. Lahbib is an unknown entity to me, but as I finished watching series 4, I felt a bit queasy. When one actor leaves a show and is replaced. It is important to give the newcomer a distinctive identity. Fielding is a single mother with a son and a cat, yet in the second episode of s4, "Torment", the writers were able to slide her easily into the role that would have been Norris'. The "Jordan" character was specific to the McDiarmid book "Torment of Others", of which the episode was derived. The Jordan/Fielding character played a large part. The writing is exceptional, especially for the episode, "Torment". The acting is exceptional. This statement is meant to include: Mark Letheren(DI Kevin Jeffries); Emma Handy (DC Paula McIntyre) and Peter Sullivan (ACC Paul Eden). When there is an ensemble cast and crew that work their hardest to put out the best product possible, it makes viewing a very satisfying activity. Note: this show is designated TV-MA, because of some intense or violent scenes. I would not recommend this show for anyone under the age of 16.

Crime series can be made by the actors, the director, the scenery, the music and so on, but they can be ruined by a poorly developed plot. "Wire in the blood" gets at best half marks. I've seen two of the six episodes and the four remaining will land in my video player by mere accident, I'm afraid. There are simply too many inconsistencies, too many unrealistic behaviour for this series to rank among "Morse" or "A touch of Frost". I bet professionals in crime investigation pull their hairs out upon seeing the numerous mistakes made. No I'm not going to list them, you may want to see it without spoilers anyway.The acting crew try their very best and the shooting is nice - as far as I can tell - but they can't save the series either.