BRITAIN has regained its empire.

Britannia is ruling the TV airwaves at the moment with dramas that are the envy of the world's broadcasters.

Even the Americans, dominant in recent years with some quite brilliant box set series, haven't got anything that can hold a torch to some of the current scheduling here.

There are two police dramas in particular dominating the listings and worthy of mention.

I'm completely gripped by both and am eagerly awaiting the next episodes.

It's rare these days, but you actually need to attempt to watch both Line of Duty and Broadchurch as near as possible to when they actually go out for fear of spoilers.

There are so many twists and turns and both shows are such a minefield of shocks and booby traps, that you can't risk learning a vital line of enquiry from a friend on Facebook or a colleague on your tea break as they can't resist talking about what has become compulsive viewing.

To be honest, you want to watch at the first opportunity anyway as they're just so addictive.

Line of Duty is without doubt the best of the Beeb's police dramas of recent years, possibly ever. With a blistering pace and a gasp out loud cliffhanger at the end of pretty much every episode, you can't take your eyes off the screen for a second.

The addition of Hollywood darling Thandie Newton (Roz Huntley) to a cast which already includes Vicky McClure (Kate Fleming) and Martin Compston (Steve Arnott) is a masterstroke and is certainly paying dividends. She's a seriously cool customer, but what with her, more than one balaclava man on the loose and a very dead looking DI, audiences are getting a bit overheated.

Broadchurch has screened its penultimate episode and we're still no nearer to working out whodunnit. Frankly, every man in the West Country has been discredited in one way or another by the marvellous detective team of Hardy and Miller (David Tennant and Olivia Colman).

We have waded through scores of suspects to get here to where a serial rapist is being hinted at, but I'm still not sure we've got to the bottom of another changeable case.

The finale of Series Three has many more questions to answer, not least why on earth is Cath Attwood (Sarah Parish) still with her husband, have Ellie's powers of deduction improved since the first series and is there anyone in this sleepy Dorset town who isn't up to no good?

For audiences, it's a golden age of police drama.

And long may it continue.

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