The show throws Chief Inspector George Gently into a maelstrom of murders and mayhem whilst lovingly recreating the swinging sixties as it finally hits the North-East in perfect and nostalgic detail. With his sidekick the ambitious and undisciplined Detective Sergeant John Bacchus they make the perfect police partnership full of warmth and humour.
Review
This is a high quality well written series which contains excellent acting and believable plots (well more believable than "Midsomer Murders" for example). The episodes can be viewed as standard "whodunnits" but also spectacularly reveal the massive changes in law attitudes and culture in the UK over the past 45 years or so.
My only gripe is that despite the great attention that is paid to period detail the writers always make the mistake (not restricted to this series) of scripting the words Ȫgainst you" in the caution used by a police officer when making an arrest. The UK police caution in such circumstances before 1995 was "You are not obliged to say anything unless you wish to do so but anything you do say may be given in evidence." The words "used against you" were only ever used in USA. To have used these words in UK could have prejudiced the case.