Viewers praise ‘outstanding’ BBC drama that’s ‘one of the best TV shows in a long time’

Crime fans are all saying the same thing about a ‘brilliant’ yet ‘dark’ BBC series created by an Olivier Award-winning playwright.

In June 2022, a brand-new series debuted on BBC One based on real-life murders taking place in Nottinghamshire in 2004.

Set in a quiet mining village, the six-episode show opened with the murder of former union activist, Gary Jackson (played by Alun Armstrong).

Two seasons of the show are now airing on BBC iPlayer (BBC)

DCI Ian St Clair (David Morrissey) was quickly called to the scene and began investigating Jackson’s death before the dead man’s solicitor, Vinay Chakarabarti, (Ace Bhatti) was also attacked.

Following another shocking fatality - this time Sarah Vincent’s (Joanne Froggatt) - St Clair becomes entangled in the case alongside Metropolitan Police officer Kevin Sailsbury (Robert Glenister).

And as the pair worked to uncover the mysterious murders and the hidden motivations behind them, their manhunt threatened to reignite divisions drawn during the Miners’ strike of 1984.

If you like the sound of this gritty detective drama, then get a load of the Sherwood trailer below:

The first series of Sherwood, written and created by James Graham, originally aired on June 13 2022, while a second outing premiered earlier this summer.

It’s fair to say fans and critics alike are obsessed with Sherwood as the show boasts a rare 100 percent rating on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer and an average 71 percent on the Popcornmeter.

As well as official ratings, Sherwood has seen a recent surge in popularity across social media following the second season’s premiere in August.

“It sums politics up at this moment – the general fear, the general insecurity to stand by your decisions – but also the power to do good and to believe in what you do and the difficult decisions you have to make.”

Fans are hailing Sherwood as 'dark' but 'epic' (BBC)

Gushing about Sherwood on X, formerly known as Twitter, Labour Councillor David Meller said: “Sherwood is outstanding isn’t it? James Graham is outstanding. The BBC is outstanding."

A second commented: “Sherwood. Brilliant on BBC iPlayer as long as you can cope with the Nottinghamshire accent.”

“Sherwood. UK. BBC. Epic and dark. Good to see ya Mark,” remarked another.

A fourth typed: “Sherwood has to be one of the best TV shows in a long time. I feel like I’ve lived through the drama with them. Extraordinary.”

Someone else echoed: “David Morrissey is such a great actor, been watching him since he was in One Summer in the 80s, he's phenomenal. The whole cast were terrific though #Sherwood.”

Both seasons of Sherwood are available to stream on BBC iPlayer now.