No Offence


No Offence is a British television police procedural drama on Channel 4, created by Paul Abbott. It follows a team of detectives from Friday Street police station, a division of the Manchester Metropolitan Police. The series stars Joanna Scanlan as the protagonist, Detective Inspector Viv Deering. The first series focuses on the team's investigation into the serial murders of young girls with Down syndrome. It was renewed for two further runs. The second series of seven episodes began broadcasting on 4 January 2017, and follows the investigation into Manchester crime boss Nora Attah. It was filmed on location in Manchester.
In the UK, the first episode of No Offence launched with 2.5 million viewers, Channel 4's biggest midweek drama launch for more than three years. Although subsequent episodes lost overnight viewers, dropping as low as 1.2 million, the weekly consolidated series average remained at 2.5 million and finished 47% up on Channel 4's slot average. In France, the first episode of No Offence aired on 29 February 2016 on France 2 and was watched by 5.46 million viewers, 20.4% of the TV audience. The next three episodes were shown back-to-back that evening and together achieved an average 4.6 million viewers, 19.3% of the TV audience.
A third series was confirmed in July 2017. Filming took place in Manchester in March 2018 and it began broadcasting on 13 September 2018. The six-episode series has a political focus, with the main storyline following the attempted murder of a local politician by a far right group. On 19 October 2018, Paul Abbott stated in an interview that he had begun working on ideas for a potential fourth series, but on 28 November 2019, Executive Producer Martin Carr confirmed on Twitter that the show would not be returning.
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Plot

In the first series, DI Viv Deering is introduced as the dynamic but blunt leader of a team of detectives at a fictional police station within the 'Manchester Metropolitan Police'. DC Dinah Kowalska misses out on promotion to DS after leaving the scene after an impetuous foot chase results in a death. She then uncovers a link between a murder, a drowning and a disappearance: someone is killing girls with Down syndrome. While negotiating different cases, the team must solve the case as more girls come into danger. The prime suspect is killed whilst fleeing arrest, but Dinah and Viv separately conclude that Viv's husband is also involved. Viv burns the evidence and plans to kill rather than arrest him, but he is killed by Cathy while she and Dinah are holding him at Viv's home. With Viv they cover up their involvement before the body is found.
The second series begins a little over a year later, as Viv returns after extended leave and attends a gang funeral, which is bombed despite the police presence.

Cast

Main cast

Recurring cast

Characters

Main

  • Detective Inspector Vivenne Deering is a cast-iron cop with a tough-love approach to managing her team. She is at the prime of her life and capable in her job. However, with a high-flying career comes a disintegrating home life.
  • Detective Constable / Detective Sergeant Dinah Kowalska is a strong yet impulsive member of the team. She is passed over for a promotion to sergeant following a stupid mistake, and it's not long before she makes another move in following her emotions, which threatens her job. She lives with her eccentric Polish mother Magda and her teenage daughter Tessa.
  • Detective Sergeant Joy Freers is an equally brilliant detective but one who is shy of the spotlight. Her promotion to sergeant ahead of Dinah removes her from her comfort zone; if only she recognised her own brilliance behind her anxiety.
  • Detective Constable Spike Tanner is a risk-taking headstrong man amongst the powerful women of the group. He provides emotional glue for the group, but he is also a cheeky fun-loving guy.
  • Randolph Miller is an eccentric in forensics, despite the team's general despair of his lacklustre attitude to the job. Often hungover, it's lucky Randolph's a maverick who's amazing at his job.
  • Detective Superintendent Darren Maclaren is the big boss who even Viv has to answer to. He is straight-talking but manipulative; he is the only man who can take on Viv, and even then she's more than a handful.
  • Detective Chief Inspector Christine Lickberg is Viv's new boss in the second series. She's not afraid to question Viv's decisions, and does not intend to make friends of the team.
  • Detective Chief Inspector Marilyn Marchant is Viv's new boss in the third series, who provides both support to Viv and firm leadership depending on what the moment requires.
  • PC Tegan Thompson is a tough and ambitious officer. She refuses to suffer fools and has a good relationship with her police partner Stuart; is there a hint of romance?
  • PC Stuart O'Connell is a smart and switched-on policeman, and Tegan's partner. He aims to make sergeant, but he cannot get drawn into the trouble his colleagues like to indulge in.
  • PC Jonah Mitchell is overweight and mischievous, yet enthusiastic; he is Taz's partner.
  • PC Taz Ahmed is a happy-go-lucky yet calming influence on the team, and Jonah's partner.

Recurring

Multiple Series

  • Cathy Calvert is a young woman from a broken home who becomes a person of interest for the team after she becomes a target for a serial killer. She later stays with Dinah and her family, thus developing a familial bond with Dinah.
  • Donna Calvert is Cathy's older sister and a former drug addict attempting to turn her life around. Her role as Nora Attah's hairdresser brings her into more professional contact with Viv's team in the second series.
  • Dr Peep is a longtime friend of Dinah's and consultant psychiatrist working with the police on cases requiring her psychological expertise.
  • Tessa Kowalska is Dinah's teenage daughter and Magda's granddaughter.
  • Gavin is a civilian support worker within Viv's unit, replacing Connie Ball from the second series onwards.

Series 1

  • Laurie Gaskell is Viv's husband and an aspiring musician, who often takes issue with the hours required for Viv's job.
  • Magda Kowalska is Dinah's mother and Tessa's grandmother who lives with the family.
  • Ruth Cheetham is a nurse at one of the local Accident & Emergency departments who occasionally comes into contact with the team and later dates Jonah.
  • Patrick Llewellyn is a social worker and community group leader for young people with Down's Syndrome who encounters Viv's unit during their investigation into a serial killer.
  • Alpha is the boyfriend of Cathy Calvert and the father of her child.
  • Connie Ball is a civilian support worker within Viv's unit, dealing with administrative matters relevant to their cases.

Series 2

  • Nora Attah is a major crime boss in Manchester, heading up the Nigerian crime syndicate that is in direct competition with the Irish Mob. Nora has also known Viv for a long time and the two are frequent opponents across the police/criminal divide.
  • Manni Attah is Nora's son and a senior figure in her crime syndicate. Manni harbours hopes of succeeding Nora, even as his mother frequently takes issue with his decisions and instincts.
  • Kim Garvey is a young offender and petty criminal with connections to the Attah family.
  • Detective Sergeant Ewan Murray is an officer within the Child Protection Unit, who becomes involved with Viv's unit when they come across a case of child exploitation connected to the Attah family.
  • Sergeant Keith Pankani is the officer in charge of the custody suite within the police station where Viv's unit is based.
  • Aidan McGee is a war veteran and former criminal attempting to set his life on the right course whilst dealing with a recent bereavement, a case that is the subject of an investigation by Viv's unit.

Series 3

  • Detective Chief Inspector Tom Pembroke is a member of Special Branch who clashes with Viv when her investigation into the assassination attempt on Caroline McCoy conflicts with an undercover Special Branch inquiry into Albion.
  • Caroline McCoy is a local businesswoman and longtime family friend of Viv, who knew Caroline's mother. Caroline is running for Mayor of Greater Manchester as an independent candidate, pledging to bring communities together, which causes her to face an assassination attempt.
  • Dennis Caddy is the leader of Albion, a local extreme far-right group based in Manchester, who is well known to the police.
  • Faye Caddy is the younger sister of Dennis Caddy and deputy leader of Albion, supporting her brother's far-right political efforts.
  • Bonnie Sands is the girlfriend of Albion leader Dennis Caddy and raises suspicion from Viv's unit at the start of their investigation into the assassination attempt on McCoy.
  • Kashif Hassan is the incumbent Mayor of Greater Manchester and running for re-election against a field of candidates that includes Caroline McCoy.
  • Lionel Durkin is the owner of Pellinore, a private security company with interests all across Manchester. Durkin also runs several charities on behalf of war veterans whilst financially supporting Albion at the same time.
  • Detective Chief Inspector Terry Taylor is a zealous, politically motivated senior officer allied with Caroline McCoy and who clashes with Viv when appointed as her superior.

DVD

The complete Series One and Two were released on 10 August 2015, as well as a boxset containing both series. The complete Series Three was released on 22 October 2018, along with a complete collection containing all three series.