Better

In a crime drama that stretches belief, Leila Farzad stars as a corrupt detective who has a change of heart about her dodgy dealings.

She doesn’t do a bad job of the Leeds accent either, although the fact that she’s doing one is a distraction in itself. The ending is – no pun intended – a cop-out. The show effectively builds tension in the tightly woven opening episodes, as Slack must conceal her double-dealing from colleagues while trying to do the same with McHugh and his gang. It’s testament to the talents of Farzad – so good in Leila Farzad plays DI Lou Slack who, unbeknown to her colleagues on the force, is in league with McHugh. The bad news: it stars Andrew Buchan doing an impression of James Nesbitt.

Better is the brand new drama from BBC One starring I Hate Suzie's Leila Farzad and Broadchurch's Andrew Buchan, Ceallach Spellmam, Samuel Edward-Cook, ...

DS Khan - Junade Khan It's so vibrant and full of life with brilliant people and the banter's class." But now, when Lou’s family is brought to the brink of a tragedy, she must put right the wrongs that she has spent years rationalising and excusing to have a second chance at a new, better life." Andrew Buchan added: "I've worked there once before when I did the ABC murders with John Malkovich and Rupert Grint. Better was set and shot entirely in Leeds and West Yorkshire. But while Col is a dangerous enemy to make, Lou’s biggest battle may yet be with herself. I thought: 'This is where I used to have pints with Rupert!" It's not cops and robbers. It leads to her realising that she wants to undo all the bad things she's done and start to lead a better life. The five-part thriller explores the complex and powerful bonds of loyalty and family set in a world where everyone has their own version of right and wrong. It is about a police officer and a gangster but it's not a good guy, bad guy story. But this will mean coming into direct conflict with the man she's worked for, for 20 years, and a man that she loves like a brother."

The five-part thriller is set to help us recover from the loss of Happy Valley from our screens and stars some familiar faces.

Anton Lesser will also appear as Vernon and viewers are likely to recognise the actor for countless roles including in Game of Thrones, Andor, Wolf Hall, The Crown, and Endeavour. "19 years ago, when Lou was a young police officer at her lowest ebb and Col a low-ranking but ambitious newcomer to the Leeds underworld, their paths crossed, and they struck a deal that changed their lives forever. "A complex but special bond between the pair was forged, and so began Lou’s gradual slide into corruption. Anthony Lewis, Junade Khan, Gavin Spokes and Jamie Dorrington. But while Col is a dangerous enemy to make, Lou’s biggest battle may yet be with herself. But now, when Lou’s family is brought to the brink of a tragedy, she must put right the wrongs that she has spent years rationalising and excusing, to have a second chance at a new, better life."

Better is a story about a battle of redemption, corruption and loyalty between a detective and a criminal kingpin.

"They are in one person and that's very clear from the first moment. Set in West Yorkshire’s criminal underworld, Better is a thriller about an unlikely friendship that spans almost 20 years between DI Lou Slack (played by Leila Farzad) and powerful crime boss Col McHugh (Andrew Buchan). Episode one is going to air on BBC One before the series is dropped in full on the streamer. The entire box set of Better is going to be available on the channel's streaming service BBC iPlayer. As long as there are no changes to the schedule, the final episode of Better is going to come out on Monday, March 13. How many episodes are in Better on BBC One?

BBC One's gritty new Leeds -based crime drama aired tonight (February 13). The new five-part thriller follows the life of DI Lou Slack, played by Leila Farzad, ...

All episodes will be available to stream as a box set on iPlayer as well. @monkstermonk wrote: "You know when you just can't warm to the main character. But viewers didn't seem to think the new Better police officers had a patch on Sarah Lancashire as they were left underwhelmed. While others have picked up on the actor's accents. She was a proud grandmother and mother first, a decent law abiding cop the latter. @maffie71 said: "Less than half an hour in but.. For her, it will hopefully come in the shape of bringing down Col McHugh, played Andrew Buchan, who previously she came to care for like a brother to her but is now head of a Leeds criminal underworld. Did anyone see that she had sessions with work psychologist." The new five-part thriller follows the life of DI Lou Slack, played by Leila Farzad, and her battle to find redemption. Here's everything we know so far about BBC 's Better. @ASuperGav said: "Oh dear. Others have said it has been a 'very slow' start to the new crime drama.

It's hard to pinpoint the exact moment I decided to get a UK passport, or even remember why. As an American who had spent 27 years in the country with a ...

For a full comparison of Standard and Premium Digital, click here. You'll enjoy access to several newsletters including FirstFT, a daily newsletter with the global stories you need to know as well as Editor's Choice, a weekly newsletter featuring the editor's favourite stories. Access our essential offering with over 600 journalists in 50+ countries covering markets, politics, business, tech and more.

Charley, who is best known for her role as Debbie Dingle in the ITV soap, has spent much of the last few years at home raising her three children but now she is ...

[Charley](https://www.leeds-live.co.uk/news/celebs-tv/emmerdales-charley-webb-shares-heartbreaking-26137305), who is best known for her role as Debbie Dingle in the [ITV ](https://www.leeds-live.co.uk/all-about/itv-yorkshire)soap, has spent much of the last few years at home raising her three children but now she is returning to our screens in a whole new light. The 34-year-old was seen wearing a police uniform while filming scenes on-location for an upcoming drama about [ the Yorkshire Ripper.](https://www.leeds-live.co.uk/news/west-yorkshire-news/10-secret-murders-yorkshire-ripper-23181148) Charley teased her involvement in the show last year, as she posed for a selfie and told her fans: "Costume fitting today for my new job. The couple went on to welcome two other sons, Bowie Grey in 2015 and Ace in 2019. Charley has former co-stars Lucy Pargeter and Emma Atkins acting as bridesmaids. [The famous stars who have made cameos in Emmerdale](https://www.leeds-live.co.uk/news/celebs-tv/leeds-united-icon-emmerdale-cameo-17965179) [Inside the real life of Emmerdale couple Jeff Hordley and Zoe Henry](https://www.leeds-live.co.uk/news/celebs-tv/inside-real-life-emmerdale-couple-24553515) [Secrets and gossip from hanging out with the stars behind the scenes at Emmerdale](https://www.leeds-live.co.uk/news/celebs-tv/secrets-gossip-hanging-emmerdale-stars-24908199) [Emmerdale star Dominic Brunt's exciting career away from Emmerdale](https://www.leeds-live.co.uk/news/celebs-tv/emmerdale-legend-dominic-brunt-teams-25937486) [Sign up for our Emmerdale newsletter](https://www.leeds-live.co.uk/newsletter-preference-centre/) I never felt the need to announce it which is why we didn't." [the possibility of a fourth child.](https://www.leeds-live.co.uk/news/celebs-tv/emmerdales-charley-webb-hints-fourth-22656732) In a question and answer session with her fans on Instagram, the star shared her future family plans as she told fans it's not the right time at the moment to be thinking about another baby. [Matthew](https://www.leeds-live.co.uk/news/celebs-tv/emmerdale-fans-shocked-david-metcalfe-25808828) met on the set of Emmerdale in 2007, Matthew and Charley started dating, with the pair getting engaged two years later on Christmas Day in 2009. [ the closure of her "dream business"](https://www.leeds-live.co.uk/news/celebs-tv/emmerdales-charley-webb-shares-heartbreaking-26137305), a Scandinavian-inspired handcrafted toy store, Nordi Babi, as she revealed they don't have the time to do it justice anymore. "I left to have Ace 2 years ago. [BBC drama Better](https://www.leeds-live.co.uk/news/celebs-tv/new-bbc-drama-better-filmed-24023398).

Speaking to Gabriel Tate in Radio Times magazine, Andrew Buchan discusses his new role in BBC's Better and playing the role of a drugs kingpin.

The series will also be available to stream as a boxset on "I asked my agent to press pause on those roles – maybe a bit of lightness instead? He got the drinks in and chatted with us for a couple hours, then another guy sat down. "I was on set with Peter Mullan once, and said, ‘I think I’m going to have to be quite vile towards you in this next scene.’ He smiled at me and said, ‘I know. "I was away when the first episode came out. I had a strong word with myself – it’s got to be just me and this other person doing the scene, otherwise I’m going to fall apart. I was interested to see him unravel." [subscribe now](http://radiotimes.com/magazine-subscription?utm_term=evergreen-article). It’s like a holiday.’ I’m quite light and smiley in general, so playing someone like Col was fun." "I went into the audition and said, ‘I can’t play Col as a gangster, but I could play the bloke I met in that pub’ – which was exactly what they were after." I’ve tried to apply that to everything and not think too much about the exterior stuff." "I was in a tiny pub with a friend and this guy sat down at our table, at ease and exuding confidence.

Speaking about her role in the new series, Leila explained: "Better is a morality tale about a bent DI, Lou Slack played by myself, and her quest for redemption ...

He's lost his house. He's lost his wife. He's lost his career. He explained: "He spent most of his time growing up with his dad, so he looks up to him. He explained: "They are childhood sweethearts and have been married for a long time and they have a son called Owen, who is 17 now. I found the character of Lou to be a brilliant, well-rounded woman, written with humour, wit, and humanity, which isn't always the case."

Better writer Sam Vincent and series star Andrew Buchan reveal what viewers can expect from “high drama” finale of the BBC series.

[subscribe now](http://radiotimes.com/magazine-subscription?utm_term=evergreen-article). "I think if you're going into a day afraid and not quite knowing how this thing's going to play out or what you're going to do, that's the joy of it. We already know that this is a series that will leave us questioning our own morality, as well as not really knowing what party to side with. He said: "It's nice as an actor if you're a little bit afraid of what's to come, because therein lies most of the challenge. You don't do it for the easy day." [TV Guide](https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/tv-listings/) or [Streaming Guide](https://www.radiotimes.com/streaming-guide/) visit our dedicated [Drama](https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/) hub. "A lot that they're not quite dealing with, and they eventually will be forced to confront everything and each other. It's really exciting." [first look at Better](https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/better-bbc-first-look-clip-exclusive-newsupdate/) showed us a glimpse of a showdown between our two leads so all bets as to who will be "better" and have the ultimate redemption tale are off the table. And yes, not everybody makes it out alive this season." [Better star Leila Farzad watched Happy Valley to prepare for role](https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/better-leila-farzad-happy-valley-preparation-exclusive-newsupdate/) [Better cast and writers on inspiration and why it's “not a typical cop show”](https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/better-bbc-cast-writers-inspiration-exclusive-newsupdate/) [drama](https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/) quickly put us in the morally compromised world of Lou (Leila Farzad) and Col (Andrew Buchan).