As police dramas go, Blue Lights is up there with the BBC’s greatest ever series – and while series 3 might have been called the best so far, we have a feeling the fourth instalment is going to top it. In fact, we’ve been told so. With the most recent instalment delivering its darkest storyline yet, the BBC’s Director of Drama, Lindsay Salt, has promised even more “brilliant ideas” to come and judging by the newly-released trailer (which you can watch below) – she's completely right.
If you’re new to the series, the Northern Irish police drama revolves around response officers Grace (Siân Brooke), Annie (Katherine Devlin) and Tommy (Nathan Braniff), who, three series in, have become accustomed to life under the blue lights. However, series 3 really tested the trio as they delved into the sinister world hidden behind the veneer of middle-class life – and don’t even get us started on their personal lives.
With the fourth series on its way to our screens imminently, here’s everything you need to know about the next instalment, including the plot, cast and when we’re expecting it to air.
What is Blue Lights about?
The Northern Irish police drama revolves around the fictional Blackthorn police station in Belfast and follows rookie police officers as they attempt to fight crime and navigate life in the police force. The first series launched in March 2023 and centred around three new PSNI probationary recruits - Grace (Siân Brooke), Annie (Katherine Devlin) and Tommy (Nathan Braniff) and their challenging first few months in the job.
The second series followed the same characters a year later when Belfast city centre was awash with drugs and beset by street crime. Both instalments of the show received high praise and led to a third instalment, which launched this September. The three response officers returned once again and their work took them into a sinister world hidden behind the veneer of middle-class life, that of the accountants and lawyers who facilitate organised crime.
What will happen in Blue Lights series 4?
We know that series 4 will consist of another six episodes and that writers and directors Declan Lawn and Adam Patterson will once again be at the helm of the new series. Three years into their jobs as response officers, Constables Grace Ellis, Tommy Foster, and Annie Conlon are now operating at their limit, facing a new threat on the streets that the police can barely control.
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Meanwhile the murder trial of Gerry Cliff exposes a dangerous and long-buried secret that leads to chaos both inside the police, and across the criminal underworld. As they struggle with big decisions about their future, Grace, Tommy and Annie must find the courage to face the greatest threat they have ever encountered: the truth.
According to the BBC, the series will answer important questions from the past and see the return of Hannah McClean as solicitor, Jen Robinson, as well as Jonathan Harden as disgraced former Inspector Jonty. According to Declan and Adam, the series "reveals a lot of dark secrets, examines what justice looks like in Belfast today, and ties together the past, present, and futures of Grace, Annie and Tommy in an action-packed story."
Who’s in the cast of Blue Lights series 4?
The cast of Blue Lights series 4 includes:
- Siân Brooke (Sherlock, Trying) as Grace
- Martin McCann (Trespasses, Hostage) as Stevie
- Katherine Devlin (The Day Of The Jackal, Vikings) as Annie
- Nathan Braniff (Blue Lights) as Tommy
- Frank Blake (Say Nothing, Normal People) as Shane
- Richard Dormer (The Day of the Jackal, Game of Thrones, Fortitude) as Gerry Cliff
- Hannah McClean (Malpractice) as solicitor, Jen Robinson
- Jonathan Harden (The Rainmaker, Time) as disgraced former Inspector, Jonty
- Joanne Crawford (Outlander: Blood of my Blood) as Helen McNally
- Andi Osho (The Sandman, I May Destroy You) as Sandra
- Abigail McGibbon (Sadie, Ballywalter) as Tina
- Dearbháile McKinney (Blue Lights) as Aisling
- Neil Keery (How To Get To Heaven From Belfast) as McCloskey
- Andrea Irvine (Call The Midwife) as Nicola
- Cathy Tyson (Dune: Prophecy, Black Ops) AS private members club owner, Dana Morgan
- Michael Smiley (Bad Sisters, Censor) as C3 intelligence officer Paul ‘Colly’ Collins
Is there a trailer for Blue Lights series 4?
Yes, you can watch the trailer for Blue Lights series 4 below. In it, we see Constable Shane Bradley (Frank Blake) stop an elderly driver, David (Trevor Gill) and his passenger, Imelda (Rosamund Monteith), in a bid to improve Blackthorn’s crime statistics.
Is Blue Lights any good?
Yes – it’s exceptionally good. Viewers have called it “the best TV in years”, “edge-of-your-seat viewing” and "BAFTA-worthy". Earlier this year, the series won the BAFTA for Best Drama Series and its third series, which kicked off in September, earned high praise and was called the best series yet, which we wholly agree with.
How can I watch Blue Lights series 4?
Blue Lights series 4 will premiere on BBC One and BBC iPlayer this autumn. As soon as we have an exact date, we'll share it here. In the meantime, you can catch up on series 1-3 on BBC iPlayer.
Will there be a Blue Lights series 5?
As it stands, a fifth series of Blue Lights hasn’t yet been announced, but we’re hopeful that another series will be commissioned.
What other police dramas can I watch now?
Aside from Blue Lights, police dramas don’t get much better than Shetland. Set in the isolated Scottish Shetland Isles, Ashley Jensen plays DI Ruth Calder and for the past two (almost three!) series, she and DI 'Tosh' Mcintosh (Alison O'Donnell) have investigated grizzly crimes on the Scottish islands, from the disappearance of a young girl to a deadly case involving a murder and a former Oxford professor. You can catch up on series 1-9 on BBC iPlayer ahead of series 10 arriving this Wednesday (10th November). We’d also recommend Task, which takes us to the working-class suburbs of Philadelphia where Mark Ruffalo is an FBI agent with a major investigation - and an even bigger moral dilemma - on his hands. You can watch series 1 on Sky.
