Spoiler Warning: This review contains spoilers for Blue Lights Season 4, including details of its main storylines.

Blue Lights is back for its fourth season, and the BBC’s Belfast police drama wastes absolutely no time throwing its officers into another difficult investigation. With all six episodes now available on BBC iPlayer, the latest series brings some of its most intense moments so far, alongside a particularly emotional return to a storyline that has been with us since Season 1.

Created by Declan Lawn and Adam Patterson, Blue Lights has always stood out for its portrayal of everyday policing in Northern Ireland and the complicated relationships between the officers at Blackthorn Police Station. Season 4 builds on everything that has come before, bringing the characters we’ve grown to love back together as they face growing pressure from both the public and within the police force itself.

An Explosive Return to Belfast

Season 4 opens with an anti-immigration protest outside a refugee support centre that quickly erupts into violence. Grace (Siân Brooke), Stevie (Martin McCann) and their colleagues are called to the scene as tensions escalate, leaving the officers facing an increasingly hostile crowd and struggling to bring the situation under control. It is an incredibly tense opening and feels uncomfortably close to recent headlines. The scenes are brilliantly handled, showing how quickly the violence escalates and the danger Grace and her colleagues face as they struggle to control the crowd.

One of the new characters making an impression is Katie (Tabitha Smyth), a social media influencer whose involvement in the demonstrations creates further problems for Grace. Their interactions are interesting to watch, with Grace attempting to reason with someone who has already made up her mind. When Katie’s actions online begin putting Grace’s personal safety at risk, the consequences extend well beyond the initial confrontation.

Siân Brooke is once again excellent as Grace, whose determination to help people has always been one of her defining qualities. Watching her attempt to approach these situations with compassion, even when doing so puts her in danger, continues to make her one of the most compelling characters in the series.

The Pressure Is Building at Blackthorn

Away from the protests, Blackthorn Police Station has plenty of problems of its own. Newly promoted Helen (Joanne Crawford) is facing the possibility of the station closing, with senior figures questioning its performance. It adds further pressure to a team already dealing with some difficult investigations and raises questions about the decisions being made by those higher up.

The series also returns to the criminal underworld established in previous seasons. Tina McIntyre (Abigail McGibbon) is increasingly concerned about her son Mo (Michael Shea), who is finally facing trial over his involvement in the murder of PC Gerry Cliff. With the possibility of information about the family’s connections to the security services being exposed, there is more at stake than the outcome of the trial.

One thing we really enjoyed this season was seeing the different storylines come together. There is a lot going on, at times perhaps a little too much, but the mystery surrounding the security services and just how far people are willing to go to protect themselves kept us invested. It is also frustrating to watch the officers trying to do their jobs while powerful people continue interfering behind the scenes.

We also love that Blue Lights still makes time for the relationships between its characters. The quieter moments at Blackthorn give us a chance to spend time with the officers outside the investigations, and the chemistry between the cast remains one of our favourite things about the series.

Gerry’s Return Is an Emotional Highlight

One of the biggest highlights of Season 4 is the return of Richard Dormer as Gerry Cliff through an extended flashback episode. Gerry’s death in the first season remains one of the drama’s most devastating moments, and his absence has continued to affect the characters, particularly his wife Sandra (Andi Osho).

The flashback takes us back to the early days of Gerry and Sandra’s relationship, and we loved getting to see more of their history together. Dormer and Osho are brilliant as always, and having Gerry back was wonderful, although knowing his fate makes these scenes even more emotional. Watching their relationship develop and spending more time with two characters we have missed made this one of our favourite episodes of the season.

We also learn more about Gerry’s past and gain a better understanding of some of the decisions he made throughout his career. It gives Sandra’s continuing fight for justice even greater significance as the investigation into his murder becomes an important part of the new season.

Our Verdict on Blue Lights Season 4

For CultureCues, we absolutely loved being back at Blackthorn. Blue Lights has been one of our favourite BBC crime dramas over the past few years, and Season 4 gives us another gripping chapter with some incredible performances from its cast. The opening episode is especially intense, Siân Brooke continues to be brilliant as Grace, and Richard Dormer’s return gives us one of the most emotional episodes of the series.

There is a lot packed into these six episodes, and some of the storylines could have benefited from a little more room. However, we remained invested throughout, especially with the unresolved questions surrounding Gerry’s murder and everything Sandra has been fighting for since Season 1.

The series has always done an excellent job of making us care about the people behind the uniforms, and that continues here. We love these characters and the relationships between them, which remain one of the biggest reasons we continue watching. Season 4 delivers some fantastic television, and we certainly hope there is plenty more Blue Lights to come.

CultureCues Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)

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