Manchester crime series The Detectives has been nominated for a BAFTA

BBC Two’s hugely popular crime series The Detectives: Fighting Organised Crime has been nominated for a Bafta.

The documentary series, which first hit screens across the UK back in March 2021, gave viewers a rare glimpse into Manchester’s criminal underworld, and the real-life investigations led by Greater Manchester Police into criminal activity and organised crime gangs.

These investigations, spanning across two years, were followed and documented in a startlingly candid manner, as were the gang members behind the heinous crimes happening across the city. 

BBC

The first episode, which aired on March 23rd last year, saw police officers called out to a hostage situation in central Manchester, where a man had been taken by an armed gang in front of his wife and children, only to be released after a £34,000 ransom was paid.

Episode two, which aired the following week, followed Greater Manchester Police’s Major Incident Team as they launched a murder investigation into the murder of a known drug dealer.

Viewers watched on as officers meticulously pieced together CCTV evidence and information from phone records to uncover a large-scale conspiracy.

Thanks to ongoing investigations, the third instalment never aired, though producers have promised that the series will return later this year when the ‘ongoing investigations have concluded’. 

BBC

And thanks to its overwhelming success, the series has now been nominated for a Bafta in the Best Factual Series category. 

It is going up against Channel 4’s Undercover Police: Hunting Paedophiles, Amazon Prime’s Uprising, and National Geographic’s 9/11: One Day in America. 

Elsewhere, Sean Bean has been nominated under the Leading Actor category for his role in the acclaimed BBC prison drama Time, as has Stephen Graham for his performance in Channel 4’s pandemic drama Help. 

This year’s Bafta TV Awards will take place on Sunday May 8th at the Royal Festival Hall in London.