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Bulletproof buddy cops

Bulletproof buddy cops

As series 2, starring Noel Clarke and Ashley Walters, comes to Sky One, we get on the case of TV’s best (and worst) crime-fighting duos

“Buddy cops, buddy cops, whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do, when they come for you…”

By Laura Rutkowski, Staff Writer

London’s finest are back for a second series that takes place a year after the first, with an undercover mission that spans not only London, but Cyprus and Amsterdam too. After a sting turns up drug money worth a million pounds, the trail leads Detective Inspector (DI) Aaron Bishop (Noel Clarke, Kidulthood) and DI Ronnie Pike (Ashley Walters, Top Boy) to an international crime family, the Markides.

 

It’s up to Bishop and Pike to infiltrate the group and earn the trust of head honcho Alex Markides (Stavros Zalmas) without blowing their cover. The case might be new, but one thing that stays the same is the bromance between Bishop and Pike.

Clarke and Walters co-created the series, which they both also write and executive produce on. They were inspired by buddy-cop films Lethal Weapon and Bad Boys, but they’ve breathed new life into the genre with the banter they bring to their characters and general… goodness. As equally important leads in Bulletproof, they do things by the book and are likable overall, making them positive role models.

 

Walters said: “We’re bringing a new audience to this genre. We understand that there’s this huge stigma around police, especially in our communities. Maybe in the future… there might be some kids going, “I want to be like Bishop and Pike,” and they will end up getting into that field.”

Even more than that, Clarke and Walters take very seriously their responsibility to portray a healthy family life, something that often falls by the wayside in other police dramas due to the nature of the job.

 

“We’re both married, we’re both family men. We both were pretty sick of black male representation on TV, especially when it comes to family,” Walters adds. “It was important for us to make that family dynamic solid. It’s not all just about action and drama and entertainment. Sometimes, it’s about changing perceptions in the media.”

 

It would seem that Bishop and Pike are squeaky clean, but we can’t always say the same about television’s other crime-fighting duos. We investigate – ranking them in terms of where they fall on the good cop/bad cop scale (geezer or wideboy) and just how professional they are (suited and booted or rough and ready). Click/hover on the faces below to find out more.

When is Sky One’s Bulletproof on TV?

Episode 1 of Bulletproof series 2 airs on Sky One/HD (CH 110/109) on March 20th at 9pm. It is also available for 30 days in Catch Up > Channels > Sky One. 

 

All eight episodes are available from Friday 20th March

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