The greatest thing about British crime dramas is that they leave you on the edge of your seat with endless twists and turns. One series that consistently delivered on this was a classic ITV drama, which had viewers gripped for years. The programme centres on a detective who decides to return to the Metropolitan Police force after her husband announces that he's leaving her.

In the first season, the deeply troubled Marcella Blackland is drawn back into a haunting case from 11 years earlier when a new investigation emerges with disturbingly similar details. While navigating her intense personal life, including a divorce and separation from her two children, Marcella must deal with severe blackouts that leave her questioning everything.

Anna Friel stars as Marcella throughout the shows three seasons, which ran on ITV from 2016 to 2021. The actress, 49, received critical acclaim for her performance, winning the International Emmy Award for Best Performance by an Actress in 2017.

Friel admitted that working on the drama was "quite harrowing" at times, declaring: "You have to just mentally prepare and think that for four and a half months I'm not going to be the happiest bunny."

Written, directed and produced by Swedish screenwriter Hans Rosenfeldt, the mastermind behind The Bridge, the series was praised for its intense atmosphere, brought to life by its "gripping" and "fast-paced" narrative.

However, some felt the series dropped off during season three, questioning the confusing storyline and plot holes. Despite this, Marcella continues to receive widespread praise online, with many ranking it among the greatest British crime dramas of all time.

An IMDb reviewer wrote: "One of the best British crime showsOne thing I've learned is to not judge a show based on its reviews here. Stuck to my guns and watched it and binged watched both two seasons in two days. Amazing. Defo worth a watch can not wait for season 3. Baffled by the 1/10 and 2/10 reviews it's at least a 7/10 always leaves you wanting more."

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Another posted on X: "So I watched the entire Season 3 of #Marcella within two days. It was a bloody mess right from the beginning. Brilliant acting. Thanks for this masterpiece, @annafriel! The ending was everything I wanted for Marcella. She deserved it."

A third echoed: "#Marcella on @Netflix is one of the BEST British thrillers in writing & storytelling I've ever watched. Thanks for this masterpiece @annafriel. The ending was everything I wanted for Marcella. She deserved it."

Also sharing their thoughts on IMDb, this viewer said: "I see a lot of reviewers trying to compare this show with The Killing and The Fall and Happy Valley. But it was created by the fella who created The Bridge. It has the same quirky/bizarre sort of supporting characters that get introduced early and then turn out to be victim/perpetrators, or what have you, by the end of the series. I like the style. It's different and not like all the other cop shows. Also both Marcella and the Bridge have emotionally/mentally compromised female leads which I find interesting."

All episodes of Marcella can be streamed for free on ITVX.