"A Sleeping Tiger" Wakes in 'Ridley' Season 2 Premiere

Season 2 of Ridley is here, starring Adrian Dunbar as troubled cop Alex Ridley, whose dream of a peaceful retirement was shattered by the murders of his wife and daughter. Murder, in a sense, saved his sanity when his successor, DI Carol Farman (Bronagh Waugh), requested in Season 1 that he should be recalled to duty. Now, three years later, in addition to murder as therapy, Ridley has also taken the (very frequent) advice of his colleagues to seek professional help. In a session with Dr. Samantha Larsson (Suzanne Packer), he admits that he sees his dead daughter sometimes. Perfectly normal, she replies.

Hence, the melancholy atmosphere of the series, filmed chiefly in winter on the Lancashire-Yorkshire border, includes Todmorden (standing in as the fictional town of Allerton) and Bolton. The series is surrounded by bleakly beautiful scenery, wandering sheep, clouds with an occasional glimpse of blue sky, and severe stone buildings. Don’t expect the sunny Yorkshire Dales of All Creatures Great & Small or the rugged beauty of Vera’s Northumberland.

The premiere begins with a robbery at a jewelry store by three young men. Shop owner Harry Bentham (John Michie) has installed the latest DNA-based security spray system, marking offenders with a unique solution to his shop. One of the robbers, Ryan Stanford (Ruaridh Mollica), falls off his moped and is arrested. He’s looking at a ten-year sentence, so his reluctance to admit who was behind the robbery seems suspicious, as does the arrival of high-powered attorney Rebecca Bayling (Kris Bohn), who ends the interview with Carol and DCI Paul Goodwin (Terence Maynard).