The popular BBC surveillance thriller stars Holliday Grainger as detective Rachel Carey as she delves into complex casesclose up of woman in corridor

etflix users, listen up! You have just over three weeks to binge-watch both seasons of the hit BBC surveillance thriller, The Capture, before it leaves the platform at the end of the month.

The series, which stars Holliday Grainger as tenacious detective Rachel Carey as she investigates complex conspiracies, is returning to the BBC with its third season this Spring – so now’s the perfect time to catch up on seasons one and two!

The series, which has been hailed as “edge-of-your-seat” by viewers, comes from Ben Chanan, a BAFTA-winning filmmaker whose previous credits include acclaimed thrillers such as The Missing and Then You Run. Plus, the show is produced by the team behind blockbuster hits such as Barbie, Jay Kelly, Wonka and more, so it’s safe to say The Capture is a high-quality production.

woman leaning against table in interrogation room© BBC/Heyday Television Ltd/Laurence Cendrowicz

Holliday Grainger stars in the show

What is The Capture about?

The story opens with soldier Shaun Emery, whose conviction for a murder in Afghanistan is overturned because of flawed video evidence. After returning to normal life as a free man with his young daughter, damning CCTV footage from a night out in London emerges and Shaun is accused of kidnapping his barrister, Hannah – a crime he strenuously denies.

Newly promoted DI Rachel Carey is called upon to investigate Shaun’s case and quickly learns that the truth can sometimes be a matter of perspective. Should she trust Shaun Emery?

The series looks at a “troubling world of fake news and the extraordinary capabilities of the intelligence services” and asks if, in this ‘post-truth era’, we can really believe what we see.

Meanwhile, season two introduces Isaac Turner MP, a highly ambitious, rising star politician , while DCI Rachel Carey finds herself in the middle of a new conspiracy. The story focuses on the frightening rise of deepfake technology, the ever-growing tension between government and Big Tech and corruption at the heart of the British media, according to the synopsis.

Man in suit, woman in dark clothing sitting in car

Ben Miles plays Commander Danny Hart

Who stars in The Capture?

Holliday Grainger leads the cast as Rachel Carey. The 37-year-old actress is no stranger to leading compelling thrillers, having starred in Strike and The Stolen Girl.

She’s joined by Callum Turner (Masters of the Air, Boys in the Boat), who plays Shaun Emery in season one, while Paapa Essiedu (I May Destroy You, The Lazarus Project) stars as Isaac Turner MP in season two.

Ben Miles (The Crown, The Girlfriend) as Commander Danny Hart, Ginny Holder (Death in Paradise) as DS Nadia Latif and Nigel Lindsay (The Salisbury Poisonings, Unforgotten) as DCI Tom Kendricks (The Salisbury Poisonings, The Last Kingdom), Indira Varma (Coldwater, Obsession) as BBC Newsnight presenter Khadija Khan and Daisy Waterstone (The Durrells, The Long Shadow) as Abigail Carey.

Holliday Grainger in The Capture on BBC One

Viewers have hailed the show as “gripping”

What have viewers and critics said about the show?

The series boasts a high Rotten Tomatoes score of 96 per cent and has also been hailed as a “mind-blowing drama” and “absolutely gripping” by viewers on social media.

Meanwhile, The Telegraph awarded the show four stars in its review of season one’s premiere, while The Times also handed out four stars for season two, hailing it as “the best drama on TV”. The Guardian gave season two three stars, describing it as “implausible, daft and thoroughly gripping”.

the capture holliday granger

The show leaves Netflix on January 30

How to watch The Capture

Seasons one and two of The Capture are currently available to stream on Netflix. The last day to watch the show is 30 January.