User Reviews

I've read the other reviews on here, They range from one that obviously doesn't 'get it' and compares it to car crash TV (have they even seen it ???!!!, I don't think they have); to fellow Brits that loved it. Not surprising as it certainly encapsulates the irreverent northern British attitude to life. No messing about, sod the risk and get it done, break a few rules if you have to - and have a laugh while doing it. It's a strong flavour, so I shouldn't be surprised at the odd marmite response. I hope that most people love it too? If you're expecting Morse or Scott & Bailey you will be offended, that's the intent.

This show turns every stereo type on its head. Paul Abbott brought us 'Shameless' - a joyful, unapologetic celebration of the council estate underclass and all of their faults. Faults that can actually be strengths in the long run; and he's done it again with a huge dollop of 'Girl Power' for want of a better phrase. Shameless' strongest characters were the women, they were the family glue, doers and problem solvers. No Offense is far more overt. The girls haven't only learned to drive, they own the bloody car so get out of the way or you're getting rammed!

Most of the characters smashing in the headlights are women. Yet this is no Cagney & Lacey - I haven't seen one bit of designer knitwear yet. This is not a cynical attempt to capture 'the female demographic' at prime time like the 80's New York Cop show, quite the opposite.

There's the soft centred yet canny, hard as Blackpool rock and ferocious boss, DI Deering (Joanna Scanlan) who prefers the ladies loo to an office for a briefing. And the absolute opposite, recently promoted virgin in a brothel DS Joy Freers (Alexandra Roach, Utopia)who obviously feels she shouldn't have been promoted at all but is going to find a back bone and earn it. Stuck in the middle and the one that should have been promoted is the level headed, capable, ultra brave and prone to wrong decisions, DC Kowalska (Elaine Cassidy). Her unfortunate and accidental squishing of a murderer's skull with the help of a bus ruled her out of the detective sergeant's spot. Was it wrong for me to laugh so much that I didn't need an enema? 'No', says Paul, 'It's okay'. We are given a wealth of characters, with an insight into their off duty and totally unguessable private lives. There are too many good actors to mention;even those with a a few lines are already making their presence known.

It's not just about gender and tearing up some stereotypes. I'm happy with the supporting role of tough yet deferential DC Spike Tanner (Will Mellor - 2 Pints Of lager And A Packet Of Crisps) who comes across as big brother to his even bigger sisters; and the seen it all still smiling despite a banging hangover Miller. I'm not sure of his job. Teckie? Forensic pathologist? This enigmatic role is meat and gravy for Paul Ritter. He's also kicking backside with his 'petrified of being outed' political animal MI5 spy master in 'The Game' (BBC).

The underlying plot that will run 'til the end is the hunt for a serial killer preying on young girls with Downs Syndrome. The subplots are many motley yet major crimes, about one an episode, which is enough to give variety as well as depth. Human nature and the motivations that make people 'bad' seem to be a theme, however I'm only three shows in, maybe it's not.

Comedy is born of tragedy and the tragedy here is that the perverted killer's victims are the most innocent and vulnerable of all God's creatures. Pure pathos. Yet no one is made to feel guilty about the laugh out loud moments despite the serious subject. Having come from a police family with a few burnt out alcoholic wrecks as testament to an often traumatic, thankless job I can understand and even vouch for the humour. It's a coping mechanism to make light of something that would put some of us in a mad house. Example;

There was a suicide on the rail line near us. An uncle attended along with others including firemen. They found the victim strewn along the track. But they just couldn't find the head, the last remaining piece and possibly crucial for ID as it was way before DNA profiling. The search went on for hours until finally a fireman found it in an adjacent field. To announce the discovery he picked it up by the hair, looked it in the eye and said 'You won't do that again, will you'?! Those close enough to hear cracked up. That's the dark humour, Paul Abbott has found the head.

Thanks Paul. You and (let's not forget 'em, they love to break the rules too) Channel 4 deserve a big, hearty thanks and many awards.

As I said, this is meaty, feisty Marmite doing a power riff; not a limp and bland cucumber sandwich accompanied by strings on an idyllic English lawn.

Can anyone smell toast?

IT'S FINISHED NOW! Saw all episodes and it got better and better - a lot of the questions I asked were answered; It's now a box set on 4OD for those that didn't catch it the first time round - get in a bottle of Chardonnay (DI Deering drinks it) settle back and wallow in the low down, sewage soaked, crazed streets of Manchester. There'll be twist after turn after double bluff to kleep you hooked. The 'Sisters' are really doing it for themselves and man did they 'do it'! I'd have to climb to the top of Everest to be able to recommend this highly enough - MENTAL!

"No offence" has been marketed as a comedy and if taken as such,I can imagine it might well cause offence as it is as bloody and in - your - face as inner - city police work is in real life,with grim and bitter humour providing relief for the coppers whose job it is to cope with the madness and desperation that is abroad in 21st century England's green and pleasant land.And in Manchester. Imagine "Scott and Bailey" on steroids. Refreshingly free from the usual macho bullsh*t that cop show writers seem to think is obligatory,"No offence" centres round three women detectives,two of whom are smart,tough and clever and one of whom is clever but not smart enough to know that cleverness isn't enough in what is still predominantly a man's world. The first episode starts off with an extraordinary sequence where an off - duty woman detective spots a wanted man and chases him.In attempting to escape he is hit by a coach that runs over his head. Horror -stricken she leaves the scene,hoping no one had seen her. This is a straight if beefed - up steal from "Scott and Bailey",but "hommage" is a perfectly acceptable device providing it is not over - used e.g "The delivery man" slavishly following in "Green Wing"'s footsteps. Unfortunately for her,the uber - tough DI has found CCTV footage of the accident and recognises her. They reach a deal where the DC withdraws her application for DS and the DI forgets to recognise her best officer on telly. The plot revolves around a killer apparently specialising in women with Down's Syndrome,a theory that is so politically incorrect in today's "no offence" society that it is a reality check,an intrusion by the real world into the comfortable and often smug world of the middle - class sensibilities that have prevailed for years in the media. A young girl leaving the A&E dept with facial injuries is mistaken for a Down syndrome sufferer and kidnapped. Redeeming herself,the DC tracks her down and jumps into a freezing, open sewer of a river where the girl has been dumped still alive and wrapped in plastic,and pulls her out. There are no easy solutions in "no offence",i's are not dotted nor t's crossed at every turn.The coppers are often vulgar,dirty - mouthed and intolerant - just like in real life.But,as in real life,they hang together lest they be hanged separately. There is also a wonderful coppers' joke about a woman killed in an RTA whilst performing some sort of sexual congress with her Jack Russell terrier.No offence. This is a police world I recognise after having served over 30 ,years in the Met.Just the accents are different.No offence.

I'm amazed at the consistency of high quality product coming from Acorn. Each new season of a show or each new show of theirs I watch I'm stunned at not just the production quality of the show but the originality of the stories being told. With the release of NO OFFENCE SERIES 1 they tackle a group that is rarely discussed or shown in any television shows and in most shown only as helpless. That's people with Down syndrome. As someone with a family member who has this the series held a personal interest for me.

The story here takes place in Manchester and focuses on the detective bureau of the fictional Manchester Metropolitan Police. D.C. Dinah Kowalska (Elaine Cassidy) has just missed out on a promotion and her colleague DS Joy Freers (Alexandra Roach) has been chosen for the post. The head of the squad, DI Vivienne Deering (Joana Scanlon) explains her reasoning to Dinah but soon that's shelved as a case comes in.

Investigating a drowning incident of a young woman with Down syndrome, Dinah connects the death to another case that was similar. As she puts the pieces of the puzzle together it appears that there is a serial killer on the loose and his focus is on women with Down syndrome. The investigation eventually leads to a prime suspect but finding enough evidence to be certain and to convict is something else altogether. In addition to that, as the series moves forward we begin to wonder if any of the suspects the present is the actual killer or if it's someone else. Each episode provides information but at the same time has you guessing.

In addition to the main focus of the eight part series other crimes are investigated as well. There is also the drama of police political interference going on from the start as one higher up demands to take over the investigation from those who found the case to begin with. It doesn't stop the team here from following up on their own and eventually getting the case handed back to them.

There is also the story of one of the potential victims, a young woman saved before she was murdered. In this case the killer made an error and the girl in question didn't have Down syndrome at all but appeared so because of facial surgery she'd just had. Surviving she becomes the only potential witness to the murderer but suffers from a mind block that prevents her from recalling details. Coming from a home of drug addicts adds to the problem and Dinah takes her under her wing to help.

The series works on all levels here. The characters as written all have their pluses and minuses. I know myself by the end of the first episode I couldn't stand the character of Vivienne but by the end she was the most thought out character of the bunch. Other members of the team have personal problems that at times interfere with their work. Some have interpersonal relations at work that cause problems. Each has more depth than most in a series like this.

But those characters would amount to very little in the hands of actors who weren't at the top of their game. Fortunately each and every actor in this drama is superb, down to what might be considered a bit part. Scanlon is amazing as the brash, mouthy boss who rules with an iron fist but is filled with compassion at the same time. Cassidy does a great job of showing the hardnosed officer who has that soft spot in her that needs attention. And Roach does a great job of appearing to be in over her head only to show she has what it takes for her new role at the station.

As I said from the start there is a certain amount of twistedness that goes with their chosen storyline here, a serial killer who targets Down syndrome women. Not only is he killing them he's raping them as well, a particularly heinous crime in anyone's book. It makes we the viewer look at each suspect with a high level of disgust until their innocence can be proven. That someone would do such a thing is stomach churning.

While extras don't amount to much that doesn't matter. What does is a solid series with 8 episodes that will leave you wanting more. Thank goodness a second series is already in the can and hopefully will make its way to disc as well. One can only hope it goes past that.

I enjoyed the first series and would give that an 8 but series 2 and 3 are nowhere near as well put together. Overall, it also feels like it is borrowing from Line Of Duty (OK, I don't watch many police shows, so maybe I've missed many other similar productions) but is a long, long way behind.

What really makes the show is Joanna Scanlan. The writing clearly revolves around her and in series 1 it works well. I wouldn't call the show a comedy at all, but her character and performance is maybe irreverant?

Series 1 holds together well because beyond Scanlan the threads of all the characters blend together well and so the script has good balance. Paul Ritter is the strongest performance other than Scanlan but all are at least passable, except for Alexandra Roach's badly written, unbelievable character..

Series 2 suffers dramatically as the show switches from giving the secondary characters and threads breathing space to focusing heavily instead on Scanlan Elaine Cassidy and Roach, with Ritter as the main second string. It also suffers from real implausibility in relationships and an increasing god like, foot never wrong approach to writing Scanlan. The characters are all beginning to show themselves to be rather 1D. Plus Kate O'Flynn's character has become bizarre and the lawyer pair are comic strip style. It has also become political in its choice of bad guys and really seems to throw things in to the script just for the sake.

Series 3 thankfully eliminates Roach's character and brings some of the characters from series 1 back to life a bit more. But by now Scanlan is well and truly feet never touching the ground always gets things right, Cassidy is simply irritating, the politicisation of who is bad and who isn't has swung way beyond any reasonable balance and the bad guys are simply laughably badly written. I only bothered to stick with it to see if one or more twists appeared at the end (I was expecting Scanlan/Viv and Tom Varey/Stuart to be shown as corrupt. But nothing. Simply stuck to its dull, 1D rails.

So, overall 6 stars. But best bet is to watch series 1 and then spend your time on the vast amount of better stuff available than series 2 and 3.

I am not blaming the actress, but the character of Kowalska killed this show's she was an unbelievably dumb cop. She was too reckless to be promoted above anyone or have her option valued after series 1. At times when it was obvious that she should've known to be patient and play along, she was feral and telling the villains they were suspected with her face. Again, not the actress, the writing and direction....they left several seasons on the table.

I loved the first two series absolutely great but this one is all wrong. They are showing people who care about their country as racist thugs, they're not they are just very worried about what is happening to their country and culture.

It is set in Manchester where just over a year ago 22 young girls were murdered by a Muslim terrorist, who was rescued from Libya and brought with his entire family to this country to be housed, given money and jobs and repaid us by murdering our people.