---
title: "Criminal Record"
year: 2024
kind: "series"
canonical: "https://film.one/tv/criminal-record"
fi1m_id: "criminal-record"
imdb_id: "tt21088136"
tmdb_id: 204490
wikidata_id: "Q112663545"
fi1m_score: 81
critics_score: 85
critics_reviews: 6
published: "2026-09-11"
updated: "2026-09-15T21:38:44.936611+00:00"
region: "PH"
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."
---

# Criminal Record (2024)

Created by Paul Rutman · MTRCB SPG · Crime, Drama

## Identity

Criminal Record

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/tv/criminal-record
- **Type:** Series
- **Fi1m ID:** criminal-record
- **IMDb ID:** tt21088136
- **TMDB ID:** 204490
- **Wikidata ID:** Q112663545
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21088136/, https://www.themoviedb.org/tv/204490, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q112663545

**Fi1m score: 81** · Critics 85 from 6 reviews

*In a sentence:* Peter Capaldi and Cush Jumbo make being in the same police force look like an administrative error

> Peter Capaldi and Cush Jumbo make *Criminal Record* a tense, absorbing police drama with something worth saying about institutional racism. Some secondary stories weaken the pressure, but the central contest is worth staying for.

## Synopsis

DCI Daniel Hegarty (Peter Capaldi) and DS June Lenker (Cush Jumbo) are rival detectives within London’s Metropolitan Police. Their clash brings different generations and experiences of policing into conflict, with race, gender and professional loyalty shaping their approaches to the job. Hegarty represents the established order; Lenker challenges it. Questions of police malpractice become inseparable from the work of investigating crime, while neither detective offers a straightforward guide to whom to trust. The cast also includes Shaun Dooley as DS Kim Cardwell and Charlie Creed-Miles as DS Tony Gilfoyle.

## Review

*Criminal Record* is a good police thriller made considerably better by Peter Capaldi and Cush Jumbo. It takes the familiar contest between an established detective and a challenger and gives both enough weight that we cannot settle down to cheering for a side. DCI Daniel Hegarty and DS June Lenker disagree about policing, but the series keeps asking how much freedom either has to do the job differently. The tension between them is reason enough to watch.

Capaldi makes Hegarty’s seniority feel like an advantage in every encounter. We are left wondering how much of his authority comes from experience and how much comes from being accustomed to getting his way. Jumbo gives Lenker the determination to challenge him without making her seem immune to the strain of it. We felt uneasy watching them together, because her challenges and his resistance never seem to carry equal professional risk.

The writing, credited to Paul Rutman, Thomas Eccleshare, Natasha Narayan and Ameir Brown, is strongest when race and gender affect the detectives’ dealings with each other. Institutional racism can become a topic that a crime series mentions and then leaves alone while the chase resumes. Here it affects our judgement of the officers and of the organisation behind them. Hegarty remains difficult to assess even when Capaldi is at his most compelling, and the series is careful about how much reassurance it offers through Lenker.

London has a useful prominence here. Cinematographers Ben Wheeler, Laurent Barès and Jan Jonaeus give the city enough presence to keep the detectives from seeming like the only people who matter. Matthew Button’s production design supports that impression of a place with more going on than the current investigation. It works because a drama about institutional failure needs us to feel that people live with its consequences, even when we are absorbed by a dispute between two officers.

The pace is less dependable. Editors Mark Davis, Sacha Szwarc, Mark Trend, Matthew Tabern and Alex Kalmakrian sustain the friction between the leads, but the less involving subplots make stretches away from them feel longer than they should. Neil Davidge and Michael Asante’s music helps maintain the unease, though it cannot make every strand equally absorbing. We kept wanting to return to Hegarty and Lenker, whose encounters require so little encouragement to hold our attention.

Police dramas often make institutional failure easier to accept by supplying one officer whose decency can settle every doubt. *Criminal Record* is more interesting when it makes that reassurance difficult. Its characters’ differing experiences shape what they notice, what they defend and what they are prepared to question. That gives the familiar business of professional rivalry enough substance to sustain attention beyond the immediate mystery. Settle in for the confrontations, and be prepared to wait through some lesser stories between them.

*Fi1m score 81, published 11 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

The consensus is firmly positive, with praise clustering around Peter Capaldi and Cush Jumbo as rival detectives whose tense exchanges give the series much of its force. Most critics also value the way the crime story addresses racism, sexism and institutional failure in policing through characters with competing loyalties and perspectives. The plotting earns praise for its intricacy and tension, while Digital Spy particularly admires the vivid sense of London and the contradictions of working within a flawed Met.

Reservations are limited rather than shared across the reviews: Collider cautions that the slow pace may not suit everyone, and Paste finds the subplots less compelling than the central pairing. There is no outright dissent in the supplied reviews, though enthusiasm ranges from solid approval to emphatic praise. The strongest agreement concerns the leads’ layered performances and the series’ willingness to make its policing questions uncomfortable.

## Straight answers

**Is Criminal Record worth watching?**

*Criminal Record* is worth watching for anyone who likes a police drama built on a clash between two detectives, and we scored it 81. Peter Capaldi and Cush Jumbo make every encounter between DCI Hegarty and DS Lenker tense and hard to call, and the series has something to say about institutional racism. The subplots away from them sag, so expect some waiting between the confrontations.

**How long is Criminal Record, and what is it rated?**

*Criminal Record* is rated SPG by the MTRCB in the Philippines. It is a crime and drama series.

**Where can I watch Criminal Record in the Philippines?**

*Criminal Record* is streaming on Apple TV in the Philippines. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How violent or frightening is Criminal Record, and is it suitable for children?**

*Criminal Record* carries a UK 15 certificate, which rules it out for children and younger teenagers. The review does not dwell on violence or scares; the strain here is professional and institutional, two detectives at odds inside the Metropolitan Police, with race and gender shaping how they treat each other. Older teenagers and adults with a taste for crime drama will find nothing here they cannot take.

**How does Criminal Record compare to High and Low?**

*Criminal Record* is a series about two rival detectives inside the same police force, while [*High and Low*](https://film.one/film/high-and-low) is a Kurosawa film about a kidnapping in which a tycoon's moral choice comes before the police work. The film is the tighter and more exactly staged of the two, and the easier recommendation. The series offers more time with its leads and a sharper interest in how race and rank distort an institution.

**What should I watch after Criminal Record?**

After *Criminal Record*, try [*High and Low*](https://film.one/film/high-and-low) (1963, Fi1m 90): A kidnapping investigation that keeps class and responsibility firmly in view. Then [*Memories of Murder*](https://film.one/film/memories-of-murder) (2003, Fi1m 91): Detectives’ failings become central to a murder inquiry that resists reassurance.

### Reviews we read (8)

- **Variety**, Aramide Tinubu (85/100, inferred): The critic finds the series a compelling and brilliantly twisted crime drama centered on race and legacy in policing. They single out the strong performances by Peter Capaldi and Cush Jumbo, along with the intricate plotting by the writers and directors. [Read](https://variety.com/2024/tv/reviews/criminal-record-apple-tv-review-1235851383/)
- **The AV Club**, Sarah Shaffi (B): The critic highlights the strong clash and chemistry between Capaldi and Jumbo's characters as the old guard versus the new, with their layered performances keeping viewers guessing amid an interrogation of modern policing realities. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/criminal-record-review-apple-tv-plus-peter-capaldi-1851137684)
- **Evening Standard**, William Mata: The review calls it a gripping, taut London crime thriller with stellar lead performances from Capaldi and Jumbo as rival detectives, anchored by Jumbo's extraordinary work. It singles out the authentic portrayal of Met Police issues like sexism and racism alongside a thrilling storyline. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/tvfilm/criminal-record-review-peter-capaldi-cush-jumbo-b1131036.html)
- **The Guardian**: The critic praises Peter Capaldi and Cush Jumbo as mesmerizing in their roles as rival detectives in this corrupt cop thriller, highlighting their sublime joint performances. It singles out the clever, timely handling of issues like institutional racism and police malpractice through the main characters. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2024/jan/10/criminal-record-review-peter-capaldi-and-cush-jumbo-are-great-alone-together-theyre-mesmerising)
- **Digital Spy**, Rebecca Cook (5/5): The critic praises the layered, electric performances of Capaldi and Jumbo as adversaries whose scenes sizzle, the vivid portrayal of London as a third character, and how the series captures the contradictions and difficult job of officers in a deeply flawed Met system. [Read](https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/a46327274/criminal-record-review/)
- **Collider**, Maggie Boccella (9/10): The critic praises the series for its intense exploration of race and institutional failure in the justice system, highlighting the electric performances of Peter Capaldi and Cush Jumbo as the standout element. It singles out the refusal to provide easy answers and the complex, morally gray characters for praise, while noting the slow pace may not appeal to all. [Read](https://collider.com/criminal-record-tv-series-review/)
- **Paste**, Lacy Baugher Milas (8.2/10): The critic finds the series a timely and arresting drama that blends crime elements with institutional critique, commending Peter Capaldi’s nuanced performance as the key strength that elevates it beyond expectations. It singles out the tense interplay between the leads and the exploration of flawed systems for praise, while noting subplots are less compelling. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/tv/apple-tv-plus/criminal-record-review)
- **Den of Geek**, Louisa Mellor (4/5): The critic praises the solid, bleak, violent and pacy crime thriller elements with strong genre tension, alongside the intellectually provocative exploration of two differing perspectives on policing shaped by race, gender, and experience. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/criminal-record-review-peter-capaldi-apple-tv-mystery/)

## Details

- **Created by:** Paul Rutman
- **Creator:** Paul Rutman
- **Director:** Jim Loach, Shaun James Grant, Joelle Mae David, Ben A. Williams
- **Writer:** Paul Rutman, Thomas Eccleshare, Natasha Narayan, Ameir Brown
- **Cinematography:** Laurent Barès, Ben Wheeler, Jan Jonaeus
- **Editor:** Mark Davis, Matthew Tabern, Mark Trend, Alex Kalmakrian, Sacha Szwarc
- **Music:** Michael Asante, Neil Davidge
- **Production design:** Matthew Button
- **Costume design:** Rebecca Duncan
- **Producer:** Carmel Maloney, Sue de Beauvoir
- **Cast:** Peter Capaldi as DCI Daniel Hegarty; Cush Jumbo as DS June Lenker; Shaun Dooley as DS Kim Cardwell; Zoë Wanamaker as Maureen; Charlie Creed-Miles as DS Tony Gilfoyle; Cathy Tyson as Doris Mathis; Stephen Campbell Moore as Leo Hanratty; Sia Alipour as Hasad
- **Certificate (MTRCB):** SPG
- **Release (the Philippines):** 10 January 2024
- **Genres:** Crime, Drama
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_sohSQWHvg

## Where to watch in the Philippines

- Apple TV: streaming, uhd

*Checked 2026-09-11.*

Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HU, ID, IE, IL, IN, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PH, PL, PT, SE, SG, TH, UA, US, VN, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## If you liked this

- *Happy Valley* (2014): Another forceful lead performance, with police work inseparable from damage at home.
- *Spiral* (2005): For a wider institutional struggle, with investigators entangled in the machinery of justice.
- *High and Low* (1963), Fi1m 90: A kidnapping investigation that keeps class and responsibility firmly in view. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/high-and-low.md)
- *Memories of Murder* (2003), Fi1m 91: Detectives’ failings become central to a murder inquiry that resists reassurance. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/memories-of-murder.md)
- *Serpico* (1973): A more openly furious account of the cost of challenging police corruption.

---
© 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/criminal-record