The French Connection

- Caren Clark, Alison Slade

Viewers of BBC1’s acclaimed thriller The Missing were captivated by its jaw-dropping twists and emotional punches as well as the spellbinding performance of Tchéky Karyo as dogged detective Julien Baptiste, who went to extreme lengths to track down lost loved ones.

Now, prepare to be baffled, stunned and hooked all over again as the French sleuth returns in an equally shock-filled six-part spin-off, Baptiste, penned once more by The Missing’s Harry and Jack Williams.

The series, which also stars Tom Hollander and Jessica Raine, finds Baptiste on the mend after surgery for a brain tumour. He’s in Amsterdam with his wife Celia (Anastasia Hille), recovering and looking after their new grandchild. But he’s soon back on a case when ex-girlfriend Martha (Barbara Sarafian), the city’s police chief, asks him to help look for missing sex worker Natalie, the niece of divorced Edward (Hollander).