ITV's The Blame Premieres, Portraying Police Misogyny and Corruption

ITV's new crime drama, The Blame, has premiered, sparking immediate discussion with its portrayal of systemic police corruption and misogyny. The six-part series, which debuted on Sunday, September 20, stars Michelle Keegan and Douglas Booth as detectives investigating the murder of a 16-year-old figure skater in the fictional town of Wakestead. The show follows Detective Inspectors Emma Crane and Tom Radley as they delve into the death of Sophie Madsen, a case that quickly uncovers a culture of institutional cover-ups and moral compromise within their own team. The narrative is driven by the discovery of a WhatsApp group where male officers share offensive messages and images about female victims, a plot point central to the series' exploration of workplace toxicity. According to the show's creators, the drama incorporates real, shocking text messages from police officers that were uncovered through whistleblowing operations. Actor Douglas Booth noted that the original opening scene was so explicit it had to be refilmed, though the final version still presents a blunt depiction of casual misogyny among colleagues.