“As good as police dramas get”: Granite Harbour is the “beyond brilliant” series Shetland fans will love

If you were asked to think of a brilliant police drama, what would spring to mind? Shetland, by any chance? How about Granite Harbour? The latter series - despite getting nowhere near the recognition of the former two shows – is a brilliantly atmospheric, binge-worthy series that introduces us to crime duo DC Davis Lindo (Romario Simpson) and DS Lara "Bart" Bartlett (Hannah Donaldson) – and if you’re a fan of Shetland, we’re confident you’re going to love it.

Like Shetland, the series whisks us off to Scotland, only this time the drama plays out against the dramatic city scape of Aberdeen. Fortunately for some, Granite Harbour is a little less gritty than the BBC megahit, but that’s not to say Lindo and Bart don’t have their work cut out – think woodland vanishings, the death of a local oil magnate and the murder of a notorious fixer for a drug kingpin. See what we mean?

With three series of Granite Harbour available to stream tonight (or now, if you please), here’s everything you need to know about the series before you do, including the plot, cast and how to watch it.

What is Granite Harbour about?

The Aberdeen-set drama, which first aired on the BBC in 2002, introduces us to former Royal Military Police officer Lance Corporal Davis Lindo (Romario Simpson) who’s a new recruit to Police Scotland. Having completed his final tour with the Royal Military Police, he dreams of being a detective at New Scotland Yard, but instead finds himself sent to train as a Detective Constable in the North East of Scotland.

Lindo must quickly adapt to his new life, which is worlds away from anything he’s known before and, fortunately, he has DCI Lara “Bart” Bartlett (Hannah Donaldson), an established, by-the-book detective to help him along. Bart is used to doing things solo, but together they must navigate the choppy waters of their first case, which involves the murder of one of Aberdeen’s most recognisable faces from the Oil Industry.

A second series aired in 2024, which sees the pair reunite to investigate two cases that seem unrelated at first. There’s a city-wide influx of designer drugs and an impending drugs turf war brewing, plus a man’s disappearance from a cargo ship to deal with. The cases soon spiral towards each other, and Lindo and Bart’s bond deepens as they grapple to get to the bottom of them.

In the third, three-episode series, which premiered earlier this year, the detective duo investigates another suspicious death - this time, in the travelling community at an estate in the outskirts of Aberdeen. And as the investigation gets underway, Lindo and Bart find themselves navigating a complicated cross-community romance, which uncovers a complex past.

Discussing where we find Lindo in series 3, Romario Simpson told the BBC: “We find Lindo in his third year as a detective. He's much more comfortable in his role and is dealing with bigger, more intricate cases. We also explore his love life a bit more, and you still see him sticking to his renegade tactics of going off the books for the greater good. It's never selfish - it's always about helping others. This series really shows Lindo in his element.”

Hannah Donaldson explained that her character, Bart, finds herself in a slightly more precarious situation. “Bart is newly promoted to DI, following DI Mallick’s pending court case. The long-awaited position however is somewhat thwarted by her boss Mac who struggles to trust Bart following Mallick’s dismissal. Bart is once again caught between towing the party line and trusting the instincts of her partner Lindo, who follows his own instinct, better than orders from above.”

Who’s in the cast of Granite Harbour?

The cast of Granite Harbour includes:

• Romario Simpson (Small Axe) as Sgt Davis Lindo
• Hannah Donaldson (Payback) as DCI Lara “Bart” Bartlett
• Dawn Steele (Monarch of the Glen) as DCI Cora Macmillan
• Michelle Jeram (Liar) as DS Simone ‘Monty’ Montrose
• Bhav Joshi (Fear) as DI Jaiyush Mallick
• Katie Winter (Off Track) as Karolina Andersson
• Gary Lewis (Billy Elliot) as Shay Coburn
• Hiftu Quasem (Ten Percent) as Sandy Hepburn
• Andrew Still (Waterloo Road) as Rory Dashford
• Caroline Deyga (Girl) as Hannah Coutts
• Kate Bracken as (Being Human) Katie Forsyth (series 2)
• Lesley Hart (Wild Rose) as Grace McFadden (series 2)
• Patrick Robinson (The Trouble with Maggie Cole) as Grantley Lindo (series 2)
• Sani Mamood (Scarlett) as Nazir Mallick (series 2)
• John Gordon Sinclair (Traces) as Chief Constable Graeme Willis (series 3)
• Amelia Isaac Jones (Legends) as Harper Ross (series 3)
• Ellie Haddington (Motherland) as Rose Gough (series 3)
• Alastair Mackenzie (Vigil) as Richard Loughty (series 3)

Is Granite Harbour any good?

Yes – if you’re a fan of shows like Shetland and Annika, you’ll enjoy Granite Harbour. While the series has received mixed reviews over the years, it gets better by the series and the third instalment is easily the best (and most emotional) yet. If you're not convinced within the first 10 minutes or so - persevere! It honestly gets better and you'll likely find yourself thinking about the cases for a while after you've finished it.

Will there be a fourth series of Granite Harbour?

The BBC hasn’t yet confirmed a fourth series of Granite Harbour, but we’re hopeful an announcement will come soon. As soon as we hear more, we’ll update you here.

How can I watch Granite Harbour?

All three series of Granite Harbour are available to watch on BBC iPlayer now.

What other crime dramas can I watch now?

For another atmospheric series, this time set in Wales, we’d recommend The Pact. The series stars Julie Hesmondhalgh as one of four brewery coworkers and friends who find themselves bound by a terrible secret after their young boss, Jack (Aneurin Barnard), is found dead. You can watch The Pact on BBC iPlayer now. Already seen it? Try Accused. The anthology drama introduces us to a series of characters who have each been accused of a crime – including Anna Maxwell Martin’s tormented prison officer, Tina Dakin. Accused is available to watch on ITVX.