DCI Tony Gates

Tony Gates is DCI of a Major Crime Unit with the best clear-up rate in the force, charming and confident, adored by his team. He's introduced accepting a commendation, married with two young daughters, everything about him signalling a model officer — until AC-12 starts quietly asking how he gets his results.

Lennie James plays him as genuinely likeable, not a villain in waiting, which is the trick: you want him to be exactly what he appears to be. The writing lets his charm and his corner-cutting come from the same place, so watching the gap between them widen is uncomfortable rather than satisfying.