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Guardian embraces Leopard series
Guardian newspaper name Leopard Films Britain's Bravest Cops as one to watch
Multichannel television means we're now exposed to more global law enforcement than ever before. Want to see how they take down baddies in the Caribbean? Tuesday, Sky1. Want to know what they do to smugglers in New Zealand? Sunday, Sky Living.
But despite this giddy spectrum of international crimefighting, there's still nothing that soothes the bones quite like a documentary about British coppers. Less violent than their American equivalents, and with far fewer frizzy haircuts than anything from Australia, you know exactly what to expect with a British cop doc - namely lots of people called Colin doing mundane things in bleak little towns that you barely knew existed.
But people like this sort of documentary. That's why the TV schedules are currently overrun with them. It's not because they're cheap and it's summer and everyone's so busy larking around in meadows that it's not worth putting anything decent on or anything. No, it's because people love them. However, with such a vast spectrum of documentaries about British police officers knocking around, it's easy to feel out of your depth. Which shows are worth investigating?
Less fly-on-the-wall than its contemporaries, Britain's Bravest Cops still qualifies for inclusion because it's a British series with the word Cops in the title. It's a 999-style reconstruction show, where officers recognised in the Annual Police Federation Bravery Awards describe their most profound moments of courage. Plus it's presented by that policeman from Strictly Come Dancing who used to go out with the Big Brother woman, so Lord knows he understands bravery inside out.