The Turkish Detective (BBC Two, Sunday 9pm) is adapted from a bestselling thriller series by British author Barbara Nadel. She’s been cranking them out since 1999 and has explained she is drawn to the “crazy hustle and bustle” of Turkey’s largest city, Istanbul, where the novels are principally set. Adapted for the screen by the BBC , the show is an evocative introduction to the tumult of Istanbul – a megapolis on the fringes of Europe (just like the Continent’s other two largest cities, Moscow and London), where millenniums of history collide with the chaos of modern life.
Our entry point into this world in a fascinating first episode is Mehmet Suleyman (Ethan Kai), a British-Turkish detective reassigned from London to Istanbul (for reasons that are hand-waved away). He has his first “not in Kansas” moment immediately upon arrival as the wacky taxi driver who picks him up from the airport turns out to be his eccentric boss, Inspector Ikmen (Haluk Bilginer). There isn’t much time for Mehmet to acclimatise to the pace of life in Istanbul.
He’s barely landed when a student is murdered, and the investigation into her death pulls back the curtains on a conspiracy involving a local drug lord and a video game geek whose obsession with the victim has gone to a dark place. READ MORE The Turkish Detective review: compelling mystery stitched into this thriller makes it worthwhile Three sporting events to watch this week: Your handy guide to sport on television TV gu.