The 10 Best Crime Dramas This Week (Monday 26th December – Sunday 1st January)

I’m putting this up a day early, because… well Christmas and all that. The important thing to know is that there some heavyweights emerging from the shadows this week, namely a brand new Agatha Christie adaptation, Alan Davies back as Jonathan Creek and a certain resident of Baker Street. Add in some tasty nuggets on both radio and TV, and this holiday week is going to be a busy one for crime drama fans.

1 The Witness For The Prosecution *NEW UK PREMIERE TWO-PARTER*
Wealthy widow Emily French is murdered in her London townhouse and all the evidence points to Leonard Vole, who the victim’s housekeeper claims seduced the older woman into leaving him her vast fortune before killing her. Penniless solicitor John Mayhew is put in charge of defending Leonard, who is certain his innocence can be proved by his wife, enigmatic chorus girl Romaine. Will she testify and save her husband or will his infidelity make her vengeful?
Monday 26th and Tuesday 27th December, 9pm, BBC1

2 Sherlock *NEW UK PREMIERE SERIES*
The detective returns to investigate the apparent return from the dead of his old enemy Moriarty, but another strange case is soon demanding his attention. Scotland Yard is baffled by a mysterious criminal who is defacing images of Margaret Thatcher, and Sherlock is convinced there is a more sinister purpose at work behind these acts of vandalism – which may have a connection to Mary Watson’s dark past as an assassin.
Sunday 1st January, 8.30pm, BBC1

3 Jonathan Creek: Daemon’s Roost *NEW UK PREMIERE EPISODE*
According to a local legend, the house known as Daemons’ Roost was once home to Jacob Surtees, a 19th-century sorcerer thought to have summoned the powers of Hell to terrorise and subjugate visitors. Now, it is home to Nathan Clore, an ailing film director with a dark secret, who has summoned his step-daughter Alison back home to impart to her the chilling truth of what happened to her mother and sister, who died in mysterious circumstances when she was just a child. However, mere days before Alison arrives, Nathan suffers a debilitating stroke, leaving him unable to shed any further light on the matter. Determined to get to the bottom of the mystery, Alison calls in old acquaintance Jonathan Creek to help.
Wednesday 28th December, 9pm, BBC1

4 Elementary *NEW UK PREMIERE EPISODE*
Holmes learns a secret about Gregson’s girlfriend when she hires him for a case she does not want the captain to know about. Holmes and Watson also search for an abducted woman.
Tuesday 27th December, 9pm, Sky Living

5 Quarry *NEW UK PREMIERE EPISODE*
Mac looks for a way to pay off a newly acquired debt. Meanwhile Joni is questioned by detectives following the death of her co-worker.
Wednesday 28th December, 9pm, Sky Atlantic

6 Mystery Theatre: Ellery Queen
If murder is the fever, who has the cure? A girl’s best friend turns out to be murder for one man. The mystery stars music legend Miss Peggy Lee.
Monday 26th December, 10am, BBC Radio 4 Extra

7 Crossing Lines *NEW UK PREMIERE EPISODE* *SERIES FINALE*
The press spokesman for an extremist right-wing Romanian political party is murdered in a Berlin hotel room, but Dorn suspects the victim was neither the only target nor even the main one.
Thursday 29th December, 9pm, Alibi

8 Hawaii Five-0 *NEW UK PREMIERE SERIES*
McGarrett and the team hunt for a vigilante when the dead bodies of two serial killers are found on Five-0 property with chess pieces in their mouths, prompting a growing fear grows that tourists aren’t safe in Hawaii.
Sunday 1st January, 9pm, Sky1

9 Inspector George Gently
The inspector and his ambitious sergeant John Bacchus investigate the murder of Dolores Kenny, a black woman. She is a regular attender of a local club’s soul all-nighters, events popular with factory workers from across the racial divide. Gently begins to uncover evidence of prejudice within the local community and his own police force as he seeks to identify the victim’s killer.
Friday 30th December, 9pm, Drama

10 Ruth Rendell’s Thirteen Steps Down
Notting Hill resident Mix Cellini has two dangerous obsessions – his hero, serial killer John Christie, and local supermodel Nerissa Nash. Mix is convinced he and Nerissa are in love and goes to extraordinary lengths to be close to her – but as his fixation grows more powerful, reality and fantasy blend – with disastrous results.
Friday 30th December, 9pm, ITV 3