Force for good

Parminder Nagra returns as the embattled Birmingham cop

-  REBECCA MAHONEY

DI Ray Sunday-Tuesday, 9pm, ITV1 (box set, ITVX)

Detective Inspector Rachita Ray

(Parminder Nagra) learnt the hard way that dreams rarely match reality in the first series of ITV1's DI Ray, when her longed-for promotion to the homicide squad exposed her to the injustices of institutional racism.

Assigned to lead a murder investigation into the death of a Muslim man, seemingly because of the colour of her skin, Ray succeeded in solving the case - but at the cost of discovering that her fiancé, DCI Martyn Hunter (The Wives' Jamie Bamber), was corrupt.

As the series returns for a second run this week, Ray is tasked with investigating a drive-by shooting outside a hospital - but the events of the first series have taken their toll on her.

TRUST ISSUES

'She was betrayed by her partner, and a guy that she had strong feelings for [Police Sergeant Tony Khatri] was shot in front of her, says former ER star Nagra. 'We pick up soon after that, so she's in a place where she's not feeling her best.