Traces (2019–2022)
6/10
Relatively enjoyable but not much to do with Dundee
13 December 2019
I had been looking forward to this since it was announced. As a Dundonian was also quite excited to see my hometown on a national TV show. Unfortunately very little as actually been shot in Dundee, most of it shot in I believe in Bolton and Manchester. I appreciate that it is not possible to be able to film everything in the area it is set, but surely it is possible to at least try to film more than 5-10% of outside scenes in the City you are trying to say it is set in. Again as a native it really grates seeing buildings so obviously English (different brickwork and architecture) when it is supposed to be set in Scotland's 4th largest city.

The show also suffers from the usual media "ignorance" in thinking that there is a "Scottish" accent. As such there is not one Dundonian accent nor indeed an attempt of one. Almost everyone is Glaswegian, including the accents used by the English and Welsh actors. Its like Basing a show in Manchester and everyone in it has a Birmingham accent.

The show itself is enjoyable. It does suffer from an amazing amount of coincidences that do require you to suspend reality, but it is entertainment after all not a documentary. It does start off quite slowly, but starts to pick the pace by the 3/4th episodes. As the first original show from Alibi ti was a very good start. Looking for ward to more.

One final point, the theme music is dreadful. Another one of these fashionable re workings of a song into a dreary, slowed down acoustic dirge. For those of you getting fed up of these you might want to fast forward the intro.
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