This is a series that gets straight into the action. While some shows can have a relatively slow preamble to the story, Black Doves gets stuck in from the very first scene and doesn’t let up until the last episode. Not only is it a story of conspiracies, secrets, and betrayal, but there’s also a really beautiful friendship at its heart.

The relationship between Helen and Sam is complicated, especially in their deceitful worlds, but these are two people who, against all odds, always have each other’s backs. Even though he’s struggling with a disastrous end to his relationship with Michael (Omari Douglas) and a broken heart, Sam still returns to help Helen. And when Helen was heavily pregnant with twins and Sam needed her as backup in a pretty hairy situation, Helen was there in a flash, guns blazing.

Setting a thriller within the context of the Christmas period could have pushed Black Doves into a slightly gimmicky environment, but the show never feels cringe or contrived. The darkness, grit and violence of the story are balanced out by the bright and colourful decorations, festive tunes and even a Christmas dinner. It feels slightly unnerving and eerie to hear a Christmas classic accompany a bloody and intense gunfight, but that eeriness is what keeps the viewer well and truly hooked.

Black Doves also feels like a love letter of sorts to London, too. Albeit, with a lot of murder. I often found myself looking at a particular scene and thinking, I was there last week or I’ve walked across that street, which isn’t all that common for such a huge TV show. It’s very cinematic but also feels very familiar and like home.

A thriller that I’m still thinking about a week later, Black Doves is a sexy, action-packed and emotional thriller that I inhaled in one evening. It’s been a long time since I watched an entire series in one session, but I just couldn’t turn the TV off. I had to know what happened next. And the fact that a second season has already been confirmed, I’m already excited to see what the Black Doves get up to next.

“I’m not usually a thriller fan, but Black Doves was so brilliant, I finished it in one night”