“More watchable than Endeavour”: Inspector George Gently is the "perfect" detective series to get lost in

If you feel like you’ve worked your way through all the modern detective dramas, from Broadchurch to Line of Duty, and need some new cases to crack, we’ve delved back through the archives and uncovered the perfect detective series. With eight series, Inspector George Gently is your next binge-watch that you can get lost in it for hours.

The series follows an unlikely pair: the strongly anti-corrupt Inspector George Gently (Martin Shaw) and his partner, the rash DS John Bacchus (Lee Ingleby). Together, they investigate a string of complex cases against the rugged backdrop of North East England. From kidnappings, murder and corruption to bank robberies – it’s a riveting watch that’s, dare we say, even more watchable than Endeavour.

With the series available to stream now, here’s everything you need to know about Inspector George Gently, including the plot, cast and how to watch it.

What is Inspector George Gently about?

The decade-spanning series, which first aired on BBC One in 2007, follows the eponymous Inspector George Gently (Martin Shaw), a former Met Police officer, who moves to Northumberland in the early 1960s for what’s supposed to be his final case…

The first series centres around the former soldier avenging his wife, who was murdered by a gangster in a hit-and-run, and is partnered with the ambitious but impulsive DS John Bacchus (Lee Ingleby). Concerned for the young policeman’s wayward streak, which could drive him to corruption – Gently decides to stay and take him under his wing as his protegé.

Across the eight series, the duo investigate a series of cases involving: IRA gun-running, corruption at a local mill, the murder of a well-known left-wing academic, the discovery of a schoolgirl’s body, the kidnapping of an adopted baby, and a Christmas Eve bank robbery. Paired with the drama is the changing social and political backdrop of the 1960s as attitudes towards class, race, sex and policing evolve.

The eighth and final series, which first aired in 2017, propels the series into 1970. Bacchus is promoted to Detective Inspector, but he’s turned to alcohol, leading his relationship with his mentor to reach breaking point. Worsening the fracture is that fact that Bacchus’s old failings have resurfaced and led to a miscarriage of justice. Meanwhile, the duo must investigate a murder of a body that’s been disintegrating in a factory tank, and the question on everyone’s lips is will Bacchus follow Gently’s example or turn instead to corruption?

Who’s in the cast of Inspector George Gently?

The cast of Inspector George Gently includes:

• Martin Shaw (The Professionals) as Detective Chief Inspector George Gently
• Lee Ingleby (Nature Boy, Innocent) as Detective Sergeant,
• Simon Hubbard (The Duke) as Police Constable Taylor
• Lisa McGrillis (Mum, Rivals) as Police Constable Rachel Coles
• Tom Hutch (Vera) as PC Tom Reynolds
• Tony Rohr (Derek) as China
• Melanie Clark Pullen (Ordinary Love) as Lisa Bacchus
• Katie Anderson (Tracy Beaker Returns) as Leigh Ann Bacchus
• Annabel Scholey (The Split, The Couple Next Door) as Gemma Nunn

Is Inspector George Gently any good?

Yes – Inspector George Gently is a fascinating glimpse back through time to an exciting era where society was changing at a rapid rate. The dynamic between Gently as the patient, by-the-book mentor in contrast with the impulsive and arrogant Bacchus is truly compelling, especially watching how their relationship unfolds across eight series.

Is there a trailer for Inspector George Gently?

Yes – you can watch the trailer for series 8 of Inspector George Gently below.

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How can I watch Inspector George Gently?

You can watch Inspector George Gently now on Netflix and U.

What other detective dramas can I watch now?

For a lighter detective drama, we’d point you towards The Chelsea Detective, where we follow Detective Inspector Max Arnold (Adrian Scarborough) as he cracks puzzling cases across the upmarket west London borough, but he’s very different to the wealthy residents he helps. The Chelsea Detective is available to stream now on U. For another drama steeped in British history, we’d suggest The Inspector Alleyn Mysteries, when we join the eponymous Inspector Roderick Alleyn (Patrick Malahide) and his colleague Inspector ‘Brer Fox’ (William Simons) taking on cases among the upper echelons of post-war British society. The Inspector Alleyn Mysteries is available to stream now on U.