“A Death In Paradise replacement”: The Turkish Detective is the “gold standard” crime drama to binge in one go
If you’re on the hunt for a new mystery – you’re in luck!
The BBC mini-series kicks off with the arrival of London detective, Mehmet Süleyman (Ethan Kai), who joins the city’s ever-stretched homicide team. From suspicious murders to undercover investigations – it’s a twisty ride that we think is the perfect Death In Paradise replacement.
With the drama available to stream now, here’s everything you need to know about The Turkish Detective, including the plot, cast and how to watch it.
What’s The Turkish Detective about?
Based on an the Inspector Ikmen novel series by Barbara Nadel, the eight-part series, which first aired on BBC Two in 2024, transports us to Istanbul, Turkey, where we meet Detective Mehmet Süleyman (Ethan Kai) who’s drafted in from London to join the city’s homicide team. His partner is the charismatic Inspector Çetin Ikmen (Haluk Bilginer), an old-hack, and the suave female officer, Detective Ayşe Farsakoğlu (Yasemin Kay Allen).
Together, the trio face various ups and downs as they tackle the ancient city’s crimes rooted in Turkey’s history but brought up to date by modern perpetrators. From the murder of a university student and Mehmet going undercover as a bin-man to track down a serial killer, to the public slaying of a music manager – they are never short of riveting cases to crack.
As well as his policing duties, Mehmet must contend with his ex-girlfriend, Leyla Pamuk (Dilan Gwyn) who’s suffering with memory loss after a suspicious hit-and-run. He conducts an off-the-books investigation to try and uncover who was behind the attack – but what information were they trying to stop her from publishing?
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Who’s in the cast of The Turkish Detective?
The cast of The Turkish Detective includes:
- Haluk Bilginer (Baba) as Inspector Çetin Ikmen
- Ethan Kai (Killing Eve) as Detective Mehmet Süleyman
- Yasemin Kay Allen (The Usual Suspects) as Detective Ayşe Farsakoğlu
- Dilan Gwyn (The Other Side) as Leyla Pamuk
Is The Turkish Detective any good?
The man from the Met … Ethan Kai in The Turkish Detective. Photograph: Paramount/BBC
Yes – we’re obsessed with a cosy crime drama and The Turkish Detective’s beautiful shooting allowed us to explore the fascinating city of Istanbul! Despite being a lighthearted watch, the cases still involved lots of twists and turns, and we particularly loved Haluk Bilginer’s performance as the force’s veteran who doesn’t like to play by the rules.
How can I watch The Turkish Detective?
You can watch The Turkish Detective now on BBC iPlayer.
What other detective dramas can I watch now?
For another charming detective drama, we’d recommend The Chelsea Detective, where we follow Detective Inspector Max Arnold (Adrian Scarborough) as he cracks puzzling cases across the upmarket west London borough, although he’s very different to the wealthy residents he helps. The Chelsea Detective is available to stream now on U. If you’d like a similarly light watch, we loved Agatha Raisin, in which the eponymous sleuth, played by the brilliant Ashley Jensen, solves an assortment of murder cases in a supposedly sleepy Cotswolds town. You can watch Agatha Raisin now on Acorn TV via Prime Video.
