Is there any limit to our fascination with the emergency services? TV bosses don’t think so.
We’re so bombarded with fly-on-the-wall series about paramedics, midwives, mountain rescuers, firefighters and detectives, I almost feel qualified to take blood pressure and interrogate suspects.
Of course, this is an illusion – I couldn’t park an ambulance, let alone treat a patient. Nonetheless, every week I hear about a new documentary following brave men and women on the front line.
On Tuesday it was the turn of Brighton police, as C4 gave us Night Coppers about officers who deal with drunks and scuffles. It’s not a job I’d fancy, that’s for sure.
The show isn’t reinventing the wheel but I did enjoy this week’s first episode, particularly meeting the youngest members of the force. It was eye-opening to discover what it is like for newly qualified coppers, trying to assert their authority and learn on the job.
Matt is only 19 and says his mum worries about him when he’s on night shifts. His partner, Will, isn’t much more experienced at the age of 22 and admits it’s awkward dealing with suspected criminals who look at him like he’s a child.
But together, it’s up to Matt and Will to keep the peace and go to whatever dangerous situation they are called to. Their shift starts quite sedately and they decide to pull over a driver who appears to be swerving and might be under the influence of alcohol.
Unfortunately, this time Will has totally misjudged the situation – not only is the lady at the wheel stone cold sober, she’s also a recently retired senior officer who is fairly unimpressed to be questioned. Will is mortified. Somewhere, a sitcom writer is taking notes…
The shift gets spicier when they are called out to deal with an arson attack. A truck has been torched and it turns out there’s a stalking element to the case as the owner has been targeted before.
Will and Matt have never dealt with an arson before, so they need to think on their feet and make the right judgment calls. Maybe New Coppers would have been a better title than Night Coppers.
Everyone remembers how cringey it can feel starting out but not knowing the in-jokes pales into insignificance compared with being thrown out on the streets to catch bad guys.
To me that was much more interesting than the stresses of night shifts.
