Better (British TV series)

*Better*
Better
Genre	Crime Drama
Created by	Jonathan Brackley and Sam Vincent
Written by	Jonathan Brackley and Sam Vincent
Directed by	Jonathan Brough
Starring	Leila Farzad; Andrew Buchan; Carolin Stoltz;
Composer	Samuel Sim
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No. of series	1
No. of episodes	5 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers	Jonathan Brackley; Sam Vincent; Lucy Dyke; Nawfal Faizullah; Mona Qureshi; Jane Featherstone; Chris Fry;
Producer	James Dean
Running time	59 minutes
Production company	Sister
Original release
Network	BBC One
Release	13 February –; 13 March 2023

Better is a British crime drama television drama series, created and written by Jonathan Brackley and Sam Vincent, about a corrupt police officer who attempts to turn her life around, only for it to get much worse. The series began broadcast on BBC One on 13 February 2023, with all five episodes available on BBC iPlayer simultaneously.

Plot

After her son Owen almost dies, corrupt police detective Lou Slack attempts to make amends for her sins and escape Col McHugh, the powerful criminal she has been working for.

Cast

Main

Leila Farzad as DI Lou Slack
Andrew Buchan as Col McHugh
Samuel Edward-Cook as Ceri Davies
Zak Ford-Williams as Owen Davies
Olivia Nakintu as DC Esther Okoye
Cel Spellman as Donal McHugh
Anton Lesser as Vernon Marley
Garry Cooper as Peter "Bulgey" Donovan

Recurring

Carolin Stoltz as Alma McHugh
Lucy Black as DCI Sandy Mosby
Moe Bar-El as Artem
Mark Monero as Curtis "Lord" Roy
Junade Khan as DS Pritam Khan
Joseph Steyne as Joleon
Tillie Amartey as Jade Wilkes
Gavin Spokes as DI Phil Cowper

Episodes

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	UK viewers (millions)
1	"Episode 1"	Jonathan Brough	Jonathan Brackley and Sam Vincent	13 February 2023 (2023-02-13)	4.69
Lou Slack recovers a firearm from a gangland shooting on behalf of businessman Col McHugh. A few days later she attends a party at McHugh's house, during which time her son Owen contracts meningitis and her husband Ceri takes him to hospital.^[1]
2	"Episode 2"	Jonathan Brough	Jonathan Brackley and Sam Vincent	20 February 2023 (2023-02-20)	3.75
Owen is using a wheelchair and attends a support group, which McHugh sends his son Donal to infiltrate. Slack tracks down retired officer Vernon Marley who has experience of the West Yorkshire organised crime world.
3	"Episode 3"	Jonathan Brough	Jonathan Brackley and Sam Vincent	27 February 2023 (2023-02-27)	3.61
During a vehicle stop on the Malik gang, Slack plants drugs in their car which DC Esther Okoye notices.
4	"Episode 4"	Pier Wilkie	Nick Ahad, Jonathan Brackley and Sam Vincent	6 March 2023 (2023-03-06)	3.49
To keep Okoye on her side, Slack sets up McHugh for an arrest but Okoye finds nothing incriminating on his person. Slack and McHugh have a showdown but he agrees to let her go. Later at Marley's house, McHugh's associate Bulgey tries to kill her but Marley shoots him first.
5	"Episode 5"	Jonathan Brough	Jonathan Brackley and Sam Vincent	13 March 2023 (2023-03-13)	3.75
Marley is killed in prison by one of McHugh's associates. Slack and McHugh agree to hand themselves in to the Police.

Broadcast

Better began broadcast on BBC One on 13 February 2023, with all five episodes available on BBC iPlayer simultaneously.^[2]^[3]

Reception

Sean O'Grady from The Independent gave the first episode four out of five stars, praising Farzad and Buchan.^[4] Rebecca Nicholson of The Guardian awarded the first episode three stars out of five, criticising the opening but finding it gained momentum by the end.^[5] Anita Singh in The Telegraph also gave it three stars out of five, unimpressed by the plot.^[6]

References

^ Episode one recap (Stylist)
^ "Better cast – who stars in the BBC thriller?". Radio Times.
^ Cormack, Morgan (22 April 2022). "BBC One's Better: everything you need to know about the new drama". Stylist.
^ "In Better, Leila Farzad brings flawed humanity to a bent copper – review". The Independent. 13 February 2023. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
^ Nicholson, Rebecca (13 February 2023). "Better review – this moreish bent copper show gets stronger and stronger". The Guardian.
^ Singh, Anita (13 February 2023). "Better, review: the BBC brings back bent coppers – but this is no Line of Duty". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 3 March 2023.

External links

Better at IMDb

[1] Episode one recap (Stylist)

[2] "Better cast – who stars in the BBC thriller?". Radio Times.

[3] Cormack, Morgan (22 April 2022). "BBC One's Better: everything you need to know about the new drama". Stylist.

[4] "In Better, Leila Farzad brings flawed humanity to a bent copper – review". The Independent. 13 February 2023. Retrieved 3 March 2023.

[5] Nicholson, Rebecca (13 February 2023). "Better review – this moreish bent copper show gets stronger and stronger". The Guardian.

[6] Singh, Anita (13 February 2023). "Better, review: the BBC brings back bent coppers – but this is no Line of Duty". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 3 March 2023.

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