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2024 / Police institutional thriller / Created by Paul Rutman
An anonymous call reopens a case and divides two detectives.
What is Criminal Record about?
A new anonymous phone call draws two London detectives toward an old murder case. One is early in her career and looking for an answer, while the other has a reputation and a professional history bound up with the inquiry’s existing conclusion.
Five things to know.
The starting situation
The call gives an apparently established case a new uncertainty, placing two detectives with different professional positions in direct contact with its history.
The world around it
Contemporary London supplies the setting for a police drama concerned with institutional power, race and the consequences of an earlier investigation.
The central pressure
Re-examining the case puts the search for truth beside the interests attached to a professional legacy, making cooperation far from straightforward.
The creative approach
Paul Rutman creates the series, with Cush Jumbo and Peter Capaldi playing the detectives at the center of its institutional conflict.
Before episode one
The show explores a fictional confrontation over an old case; this brief does not establish whose account is correct or disclose the inquiry’s outcome.
A thought to take with you.
The old case means a possible answer to one detective and a professional legacy to another. That difference makes the investigation a contest over who can afford to question what is already recorded.
Is it your kind of series?
Try it for a character-led police thriller about institutional accountability. Expect a contested investigation and contrasting positions within the same profession.
Three ideas to take with you.
- A professional record can become a personal stake.
- New evidence can challenge an institutional conclusion.
- Two investigators can approach the same case with very different incentives.
Before you press play.
What is Criminal Record about?
A new anonymous phone call draws two London detectives toward an old murder case. One is early in her career and looking for an answer, while the other has a reputation and a professional history bound up with the inquiry’s existing conclusion.
Who is behind Criminal Record?
Created by Paul Rutman. Paul Rutman creates the series, with Cush Jumbo and Peter Capaldi playing the detectives at the center of its institutional conflict.
What kind of series is Criminal Record?
Police institutional thriller. Try it for a character-led police thriller about institutional accountability. Expect a contested investigation and contrasting positions within the same profession.
Sources & scope
This AI-assisted brief draws on the linked descriptions and production information. Facts and interpretation are separated; it does not claim personal viewing or independent expert review.
Source details checked October 7, 2026. Suggest a correction · Our editorial approach