--- title: "Cracker" year: 1993 kind: "series" canonical: "https://film.one/tv/cracker" fi1m_id: "cracker" imdb_id: "tt0105977" tmdb_id: 35 wikidata_id: "Q1482392" fi1m_score: 85 critics_reviews: 3 published: "2026-09-13" updated: "2026-09-20T21:08:15.782123+00:00" region: "CO" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Cracker (1993) Created by Jimmy McGovern · 1h 00m · Crime, Drama ## Identity Cracker - **Canonical:** https://film.one/tv/cracker - **Type:** Series - **Fi1m ID:** cracker - **IMDb ID:** tt0105977 - **TMDB ID:** 35 - **Wikidata ID:** Q1482392 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105977/, https://www.themoviedb.org/tv/35, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1482392 **Fi1m score: 85** · Critics: 3 of 6 reviews so far *In a sentence:* Robbie Coltrane makes a list of bad habits sound suspiciously like an application for promotion > Robbie Coltrane makes *Cracker* worth the discomfort, giving Fitz enough humour to keep his excesses from becoming merely exhausting. The writing sometimes presses too hard, but this is crime drama with a difficult, compelling centre. ## Synopsis Edward ‘Fitz’ Fitzgerald drinks, smokes and gambles too much, and describes himself in much the same terms. Robbie Coltrane plays Fitz in *Cracker*, a crime drama whose cast includes Barbara Flynn as Judith Fitzgerald and Kieran O’Brien as Mark Fitzgerald. Geraldine Somerville plays Jane ‘Panhandle’ Penhaligon, alongside Lorcan Cranitch as DS Jimmy Beck and Christopher Eccleston as Bilborough. The writing comes from Jimmy McGovern, Paul Abbott and Ted Whitehead, in a series built around Fitz and the excesses he readily acknowledges. ## Review *Cracker* is a forceful crime drama, carried by Robbie Coltrane’s funny, abrasive performance as Edward ‘Fitz’ Fitzgerald. It asks a great deal of our appetite for a man who drinks, smokes and gambles too much. He is frank about his bad habits, which makes it tempting to forgive them sooner than we should. We recommend it, with the qualification that his company can become tiring well before the writing seems ready to concede the point. Coltrane gets the comedy out of Fitz’s confidence in his own excess. There is something funny about a man presenting a list of bad habits with so little apparent embarrassment, and something wearing about the prospect of hearing it again. We laughed at that shamelessness, then felt uneasy about how quickly we had warmed to him. Coltrane is persuasive enough to make us briefly overlook how much indulgence Fitz is asking for, and alert enough to make that indulgence feel questionable. Jimmy McGovern’s writing credit matters, although Paul Abbott and Ted Whitehead also contribute to the series. The attraction is the willingness to give the central character qualities that can irritate us without immediately smoothing them away. The weakness comes when the writing leans on those qualities too insistently, as though another demonstration of excess will necessarily tell us something new. Fitz can be over-explained by repetition, and there are stretches where the insistence makes him feel less interesting. Barbara Flynn, as Judith Fitzgerald, is particularly valuable because her presence does not need to match Coltrane’s force to register. We notice the comparative restraint, and welcome it. Geraldine Somerville’s Jane ‘Panhandle’ Penhaligon also helps keep our attention from settling permanently on Fitz. Alongside Lorcan Cranitch as DS Jimmy Beck and Christopher Eccleston as Bilborough, these performances give the series enough human variety to keep Fitz from exhausting our interest; there are other people here worth attending to. We like the lack of fuss in the cinematography credited to Ivan Strasburg and Dick Dodd. It gives the actors priority, a sensible choice when Coltrane already supplies so much force. Editors including Oral Norrie Ottey, Edward Mansell and Tony Cranstoun have similarly demanding material to manage; the pacing feels most assured when the performances have room. That room matters for the quieter actors, whose work takes a little longer to register beside Coltrane, and whose contributions reward the attention. For a crime drama built around such a prominent lead, *Cracker* is unusually willing to let affection become difficult. Coltrane never needs us to find Fitz agreeable all the time, and the programme is stronger when it trusts that. Its humour helps, but it does not make the drinking and gambling seem harmless. We keep watching because Coltrane makes this difficult man worth the trouble of trying to understand. Choose it for him, and allow for the moments when spending an hour with Fitz feels like a longer commitment. *Fi1m score 85, published 13 September 2026.* ## Straight answers **Is Cracker worth watching?** *Cracker* is worth watching for anyone who can put up with a difficult, self-destructive lead for an hour at a time, and we scored it 85. Robbie Coltrane makes Fitz funny as well as abrasive, which keeps the excesses from becoming merely exhausting. The writing sometimes presses the same point too hard, and his company can tire before the series admits it. **How long is Cracker, and what is it rated?** *Cracker* has episodes of about 1h 00m. It is a crime and drama series. **Where can I watch Cracker in Colombia?** *Cracker* is not on any streaming or rental service in Colombia at the moment. It is available in 5 other countries; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily. **How violent or frightening is Cracker, and is it suitable for children?** *Cracker* carries a UK 18 certificate and is a crime drama for adults, not children. The review dwells less on violence than on Fitz himself, a man who drinks, smokes and gambles too much and is frank about it, and the programme does not make those habits seem harmless. Teenagers used to adult crime drama may cope; younger viewers should be kept away. **How does Cracker compare to Prime Suspect?** *Cracker* is the louder and more abrasive of the two, built around a lead whose excesses the series asks us to tolerate, where [*Prime Suspect*](https://film.one/tv/prime-suspect) gives Helen Mirren a detective who is right, tired and resented for it. The first *Prime Suspect* story is the more consistently achieved; *Cracker* is the better choice if you want Coltrane's force and comedy, and can forgive some repetition. **What should I watch after Cracker?** After *Cracker*, try [*Prime Suspect*](https://film.one/tv/prime-suspect) (1991, Fi1m 88): Another crime series where a formidable central performance complicates the pleasures of detection. Then [*High and Low*](https://film.one/film/high-and-low) (1963, Fi1m 90): Patient police work and moral pressure, with social class shaping every difficult choice; and [*Memories of Murder*](https://film.one/film/memories-of-murder) (2003, Fi1m 91): Investigators make costly mistakes in a crime film that finds humour without offering reassurance. ### Reviews we read (3) - **Empire**, William Thomas (70/100, inferred): The enduring success of the series comes down to gifted writer Jimmy McGovern and perfect casting in Robbie Coltrane as Fitz. A new episode marks McGovern’s welcome return after the quality dipped in the third series. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/tv/reviews/cracker-complete-collection-review/) - **Den of Geek**, Jamie Andrew (90/100, inferred): The series is one of the most riveting and compelling TV dramas ever, a brutal mix of entertainment and social commentary that outshone American shows before HBO existed. It singles out Robbie Coltrane's career-defining performance as the flawed forensic psychologist Fitz for praise. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/cracker-the-drama-that-taught-hbo-everything-it-knows/) - **Digital Spy**, Chris Longridge (90/100, inferred): Cracker stands as one of the greatest British crime dramas with its unflinching realism, big ideas and standout ensemble cast. It singles out the dark, uncompromising handling of themes like grief, injustice and violence, especially in episodes featuring Robert Carlyle's performance. [Read](https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/a812231/cracker-box-set/) ## Details - **Created by:** Jimmy McGovern - **Creator:** Jimmy McGovern - **Director:** Tim Fywell, Roy Battersby, Julian Jarrold, Jean Stewart, Andy Wilson, Simon Cellan Jones, Charles McDougall, Michael Winterbottom - **Writer:** Jimmy McGovern, Paul Abbott, Ted Whitehead - **Cinematography:** Ivan Strasburg, Dick Dodd - **Editor:** Oral Norrie Ottey, Edward Mansell, Tony Cranstoun, Anthony Ham, Trevor Waite, Chris Gill - **Costume design:** Janty Yates - **Producer:** Gub Neal, Paul Abbott, Hilary Bevan Jones - **Cast:** Robbie Coltrane as Edward 'Fitz' Fitzgerald; Geraldine Somerville as Jane 'Panhandle' Penhaligon; Lorcan Cranitch as DS Jimmy Beck; Ricky Tomlinson as Wise; Kieran O'Brien as Mark; Robert Cavanah as Temple; Colin Tierney as Harriman; Barbara Flynn as Judith - **Runtime:** 1h 00m - **Release (Colombia):** 27 September 1993 - **Genres:** Crime, Drama ## Where to watch in Colombia Not streaming, renting or buying in Colombia at the last check. Also available in: AT, AU, CA, GB, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *Prime Suspect* (1991), Fi1m 88: Another crime series where a formidable central performance complicates the pleasures of detection. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/tv/prime-suspect.md) - *The Offence* (1973): A harsher study of police psychology, with little comfort in its central performance. - *High and Low* (1963), Fi1m 90: Patient police work and moral pressure, with social class shaping every difficult choice. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/high-and-low.md) - *Memories of Murder* (2003), Fi1m 91: Investigators make costly mistakes in a crime film that finds humour without offering reassurance. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/memories-of-murder.md) - *The Secret in Their Eyes* (2009), Fi1m 78: A criminal investigation entangled with obsession, regret and feelings its investigators cannot neatly contain. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-secret-in-their-eyes.md) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/tv/cracker