He Kills Coppers: Gritty Kelly Reilly crime drama coming to Channel 5 is a 'dark story of corruption and obsession' inspired by real events
Stars from Shetland, Trying, and Yellowstone lead the cast
He Kills Coppers is an award-nominated series which first aired on ITV in 2008 to critical acclaim, and now – 18 years later – Channel 5 have announced they’ll be streaming it this June.
And there couldn’t be a more timely series to revisit ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the largest tournament in history, which runs from June 11 to July 19.
The hard-hitting drama stars a very young-looking Rafe Spall and Kelly Reilly, alongside a brilliant supporting cast. And the gripping events are based on a tragic true story.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the release of He Kills Coppers on Channel5.com.
What is the drama He Kills Coppers about?
The gritty crime drama He Kills Coppers is set against the “jubilant summer of the 1966 World Cup”. Football fans will know that was the last year England won the tournament. (They hosted and defeated West Germany 4-2 in the final at Wembley Stadium.)
He Kills Coppers, as the name suggests, follows the events after three policemen were murdered during the 1966 World Cup celebrations. The brutal crime sparked a decade-long hunt for the killers.
The crime drama sees “driven detective” Frank team up with “obsessive journalist” Tony in an attempt to hunt down the “ruthless killer”. The synopsis tells is: “As they become entwined, a dark story of corruption, obsession and justice unfolds.”
Is it based on a true story?
At the time, ITV described He Kills Coppers as a “gripping fictionalised crime drama” based heavily on a true story.
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Based on author Jake Arnott’s second thriller, the “dark and disquieting work” was indeed inspired by true events. Most notably, the Shepherd’s Bush Murders, also known as the Massacre of Braybrook Street. Killer Harry Roberts murdered two policemen and subsequently hid out in Epping Forest for more than three months.
Harry Roberts, who died in 2025 aged 89, was an English career criminal turned murderer. In 1966, he and his accomplices shot three police officers dead. The murders took place after plainclothes officers approached a Standard Vanguard estate car in which Roberts and two other men were sitting near Wormwood Scrubs prison in London. He killed two officers – Temporary Detective Constable David Wombwell and Detective Sergeant Christopher Head – while his accomplices John Duddy shot dead Police Constable Geoffrey Fox. A third man Jack Witney was also present and complicit in the murders.
The killings caused massive public outrage and led to one of the largest manhunts in British history. After being convicted, Roberts spent nearly 48 years in prison. In 2014, when he was 78, the Parole Board for England and Wales approved his release. He far exceeded his minimum term of 30 years, making him one of the UK’s longest-serving prisoners. He remained in custody since 1966.
Who’s in the cast of crime drama He Kills Coppers?
Rafe Spall and Kelly Reilly united for the first time on screen in the ITV series. Crime drama fans with a Sky subscription will know they reunited in 2026 in the atmospheric Under Salt Marsh. If you haven’t watched it yet, you really should.
In He Kills Coppers, Rafe Spall portrays DI Frank Taylor, who makes it his mission to track down the cop killer. The ambitious, incorruptible Detective Sergeant seeks vengeance for his fallen colleagues. Of course, Rafe is famous for his roles in Trying, Secret Service, Pete Versus Life, Roadies, and The Salisbury Poisonings.
Kelly Reilly plays Jeannie. Yellowstone fans will know Kelly best for playing Beth Dutton, a role she is currently reprising in Dutton Ranch.
The Long Shadow’s Liam Garrigan plays Jonathan Young, while Shetland’s Steven Robertson stars as ambitious journalist Tony Meehan, who also witnessed the murders. Tony is a closeted tabloid journalist who uses the manhunt to make a name for himself.
The Vice’s Mel Raido plays murderer Billy Porter, the disaffected thief and war veteran who pulls the trigger.
The ensemble cast also includes Maureen Lipman as Lily Porter, Arthur Darvill as PC Wallis, Paul Ritter as Sid Franks, Cavan Clerkin as Stan, James Dreyfus as Julian, and Joel Beckett as Vic Sayles.
Is it based on a book?
He Kills Coppers is based on author Jake Arnott’s 2002 thriller of the same name. This followed his first novel entitled The Long Firm. BBC Two adapted The Long Firm into a series in 2004. The third in the trilogy was called True Crime.
The Buckinghamshire writer has subsequently written dozens of crime novels. These include Blood Rival, Netherwood, The Fatal Tree, and The House of Rumour.
His books are generally highly-acclaimed, gritty crime thrillers that explore the dark underbelly of British society from the 1960s to the 1980s.
Screenwriter Ed Whitmore adapted the book for the screen.
How many episodes is it?
He Kills Coppers is a three-part British TV crime drama, which also broadcast as a TV movie in some countries.
The crime drama premiered on Easter Sunday on ITV in 2008, and largely received good reviews.
How can I watch He Kills Coppers?
He Kills Coppers is currently available to watch on Prime Video, but it will soon be available to watch for free.
The three-part crime drama will be available on Channel 5 streaming from Thursday, June 25, 2026.
He Kills Coppers reviews
The three-part ITV adaptation was widely praised as a harsh, realistic, and complex departure from conventional detective dramas.
Directed by Adrian Shergold, the series was celebrated for its gripping character studies and evocative attention to detail. It’s largely regarded as a faithful translation of Jake Arnott’s book.
At the time, The Guardian said: “He Kills Coppers is a terrific book, definitely unbalanced, but only because it so ferociously ambitious. It tells the history of British policing in the crucial period between the bent 1960s and the politicised 1980s.
“It would be possible to criticise the ITV adaptation for blunting the novel’s experimental edge. […] In He Kills Coppers, Billy Porter is mad, but he is also a kind of holy fool who is born again, while more ordinary men are so guilt-ridden they fall hopelessly into evil.”
IMDB gives the crime drama He Kills Coppers 6.4 out of 10. One fan, who gave it 8/10, said: “Frighteningly believable, and it is based on real events. It was jarringly brutal at times, but not gratuitous. Ralf Spall was excellent as the copper, as was Mel Raido as the criminal.”
Another said: “For a mainstream drama on ITV, He Kills Coppers is remarkably harsh, complex and realistic; a long way from conventional serial-killer cliché. An enigmatic villain, and the under-Britain he inhabits, is set against a story of corrupt policeman.”
Read more: Top 5 Kelly Reilly TV and film roles that cement her as a British icon and how to watch them
