Motorway Cops: Catching Britain's Speeders

The episode is a slice of classic British road‑police drama, starring Jamie Leslie and Jan Simsela as two no‑nonsense constables on a routine patrol. It’s essentially a stand‑alone instalment from the early‑2000s “Roadwatch” series, first shown on terrestrial TV back in ’02. The two leads are the sort of proper, down‑to‑earth cops you’d expect from a “The Bill”‑style show, and the opening scene drops them onto a lorry where the driver cheerfully admits he’s been drinking. From there the plot rolls into a cat‑and‑mouse chase. After the drunken lorry is dealt with, Jamie and Jan spot a motorist tearing up the road on the wrong side, speeding like a lunatic. The chase snakes through a sleepy market town, with a few near‑misses, a couple of tense radio exchanges, and a surprise twist when the driver turns out to be a local who knows the backstreets like the back of his hand. It’s all very procedural, with the usual mix of paperwork, road‑side checks and a dash of adrenaline. Honestly, it’s not groundbreaking – the pacing drags a bit in the middle, and the car‑stunts look a tad ropy by today’s standards. Still, the banter between Jamie and Jan is surprisingly good, and the episode captures that early‑2000s vibe that fans of “Line of Duty” might find oddly comforting. If you’re after a gritty, low‑budget chase rather than glossy CGI, it’s worth a watch; otherwise, it can feel a little dated. Rated 12, with content warnings for drinking and driving, reckless speeding and a brief scene of a crash that could be unsettling for younger viewers. It’s a proper, one‑off story that fits neatly into the “Roadwatch” catalogue – a decent pick for a rainy evening when you fancy a bit of British police grit.