It’s not quite cosy enough to be cosy crime, but too lightweight to be considered gritty, despite a plot that involves misogyny and the dark web From left: Ethan Kai, Haluk Bilginer and Yasemin Kay Allen in The Turkish Detective. Photo: BBC/Paramount Ethan Kai and Yasemin Kay Allen. Photo: BBC/Paramount Inspector Çetin Ikmen is played by Turkish actor Haluk Bilginer.

Photo: BBC/Paramount Nobody watches television at this time of year. We’re all too busy in the garden or in the park or at the beach, basking in the glorious summer sunshine. This, at least, is the fiction the people running television like to maintain.

It’s the reason why RTÉ, except when there’s a major sports event on, shows 20 hours of repeats most days in the summer, as opposed to the mere 18 hours of repeats most days at other times of the year. I’m exaggerating about RTÉ, of course — but only slightly. Still, there’s no doubt broadcasters do take their foot off the pedal a little in summer.

This is because they’re saving up all the good stuff until autumn, when the dark evenings are upon us again. The summer quality drought is likely why we’re seeing The Turkish Detective (BBC2, Sunday & Monday, July 7 & 8), an acquisition that was pushed out at the weekend with little fanfare and continues for three more weeks of two-part stories. It’s hard to envisage BBC2 showing this at any other time of year.

In fact, it’s a surprise that BBC2 is showing it all; you’d be hard-pressed to f.