DI Ray release date: Cast, trailer and latest news for Jed Mercurio police drama
Bend It like Beckham star Parminder Nagra plays a police detective in relentless pursuit of the truth.
The brand-new crime drama DI Ray starts tonight (Monday, 2nd May) on ITV, and it stars Bend It like Beckham's Parminder Nagra as the titular, Birmingham-based police detective.
The series also has some serious pedigree behind the camera, as it was created by Maya Sondhi – who starred in Line of Duty as Maneet Bindra – while the king of crime dramas Jed Mercurio serves as an executive producer.
The series follows Rachita Ray, a Leicester-born police officer who, according to the series synopsis, "takes on a case that forces her to confront a lifelong personal conflict between her British identity and her South Asian heritage".
Sondhi recently spoke with RadioTimes.com for a Big RT interview, and explained how the series will approach this personal conflict and the many microaggressions and every day assumptions Ray faces because of her race and her gender.
Sondhi said: "You don't want to bash people over the head when you talk about race and identity. You just want to gently explore things, to see how other people respond to stuff and how other people are feeling.
"Also, all of these things are very real to me… If you ask anybody, any person of colour, [the question they have] probably been asked more times than they can count on their fingers is, 'Where are you from?.. No, I mean, where are you from-from?'"
Read on for everything you need to know about DI Ray.
When will DI Ray be released?
DI Ray will premiere on ITV at 9pm on Monday 2nd May 2022.
Creator Maya Sondi has already promised some Jed Mercurio-inspired plot twists in DI Ray, revealing she took inspiration from the Line of Duty and Bodyguard creator.
"My strength is dialogue, but I’m not really too good with story, whereas he's so good at plotting things, and at twists," she explained.
"I could just write two people talking in a room for hours, but I've learned so much from Jed about how to hook in audiences and keep them watching.
"There are probably a few ‘Jed-influenced’ plot twists in there – not red herrings, or 'Jed herrings' as we call them, but hopefully a few surprises," she added.
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Who is in the DI Ray cast?
Bend It like Beckham star Parminder Nagra plays the title role, alongside Gemma Whelan (Game of Thrones, Killing Eve), Jamie Bamber (Battlestar Galactica, Law & Order: UK), and Maanuv Thiara (Landscapers).
Learn more abut the DI Ray cast.
Is there a trailer for DI Ray?
Yes, you watch the trailer for DI Ray below.
- DI Ray episode 1 recap: Line of Duty creator's new thriller ends on cliffhanger
- DI Ray ending explained: What happened to the lead detective?
DI Ray will debut on ITV on Monday 2nd May 2022. For more to watch, check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight.
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