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Viewers are hailing the third season of ‘one of the best British dramas on TV’ as ‘simply magnificent’ following its release on BBC iPlayer.
Blue Lights, which first began in 2021, provides a searing commentary on the difficulties faced by police in the fictional Blackthorn station in Northern Ireland.
Exploring the post-Troubles politics of Northern Ireland and structural issues rampant within the police force, series one began by following three newbie officers in Grace (Siân Brooke), Annie (Katherine Devlin) and Tommy (Nathan Braniff).
After racking up a solid average of 4.35million viewers before increasing to 4.48million for season two, the third season now joins the no-longer newbie officers alongside a host of new faces.
Following the premiere of season three on BBC One on Monday September 29, Blue Lights fans are describing it as ‘absolutely tremendous’.
Taking to social media, @KDCunliffe wrote on X: ‘Welcome back to without doubt one of the best TV series ever broadcast by the BBC. Blue Lights is simply magnificent.’
@steveclarkuk commented: ‘Blue Lights series 3 is outstanding – tense, twisty, brilliantly acted. A contender for series of the year. Big credit to
@Angela_Griffin, who directed half the episodes and absolutely nailed it. #BlueLights.’
@joelivoryharte added: ‘Blue Lights proving – yet again – to be right up there as one of the very best programmes on British TV. What an opening episode – so good to have it back #bluelights.’
@SirJamieH also wrote: ‘BBC has just dropped the whole of the new third season of Blue Lights on iPlayer. That’s me binge watching it over the next couple of days. Fantastic cop show, if you’ve not seen it, you’re missing out #BlueLights.’
Meanwhile, @RodneyFarmer said: ‘Crashed all episodes of Series 3 #BlueLights on the iplayer. Absolutely tremendous. Roll on the next series.’
For those wanting to binge-watch the entire series, all 18 episodes can be streamed on iPlayer now.
However, if you want to watch it in a more traditional fashion, the next six episodes will be broadcast in weekly instalments on BBC One at 9pm every Monday.
Speaking to the i Paper, Brooke said of her role in Blue Lights: ‘I was concerned the police genre was saturated when I first heard about the show.
‘But then I saw how fully formed the characters are, that even the smallest characters have real heart. That’s why the viewers care: they’re invested.’
What does Metro think of Blue Lights season 3?
TV Reporter Asyia Iftikhar writes in her 4.5-star review: As Blue Lights returns for an explosive third season, it’s obvious this Bafta-winning drama has cracked the perfect formula.
There’s no question why the BBC show, set in modern-day Belfast, has reeled audiences in over the past two seasons.
It offers a phenomenal cast to play out nuanced plotlines interweaving the post-Troubles politics of Northern Ireland, criticism of the structural issues rampant within the police force and the very human heart of the city’s underbelly.
Season three embraces a shift in direction as we look into the middle and upper class echelons of society, funding the drug trade in and out of the city and getting off scot-free.
Read more here.
She continued: ‘Plus, I think there is a huge appetite to understand what Belfast is like now. The city is so much more than we’ve been led to believe it is. It’s more complex and nuanced than just a hangover of the Troubles.’
Brooke revealed that her father was a police officer for 20 years in Staffordshire, adding: ‘I always saw beyond the cars and uniforms to the people inside them.’
The series has been released to positive reviews, with season one posting a score of 91% on Rotten Tomatoes, while season two climbed up to 93% on the same website.
This article was originally published on September 29, 2025.
Watch Blue Lights on BBC iPlayer.
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