NORTH SEA CONNECTION

BBC Four, 9pm & 9.45pm

This six-part drama is an Irish import with a Scandi noir edge.

Set amid the stark, brooding scenery of the west coast of Ireland, it follows Ciara Kenny (Lydia McGuinness), the skipper of a small fishing boat who occasionally picks up a buoy of smuggled cigarettes for her brother, the struggling businessman Aidan (Kerr Logan).

That all changes, however, when one morning, joined by a mysterious new crew member, she discovers that the bags are not filled with cigarettes, but methamphetamine. In a fit of rage, Ciara throws a bag overboard, which in turn leads to a bloody accident on deck. All of which is not well received by the ruthless Nordic cartel that the drugs belong to.

The first two episodes, which air on BBC Four tonight, suggest a drama that is handsomely shot and tightly plotted, even if storylines such as Aidan and his wife’s quest to adopt a child can prove tedious. Instead, North Sea Connection is at its best when it is pulpy and playful, and not taking itself too seriously. Take the scene in which Ciara is caught in a Mexican standoff, and must describe it to a drug lord over the phone.

“Oh,” he says, “sounds like a great bit of craic.” Stephen Kelly