The Brief

The second episode of Jonathan Brief - sorry, The Brief, starring Alan Davies as barrister Henry Farmer - features the case of a backpacker found dead in Indonesia, seemingly the victim of date rape.

This is a well-crafted plot - not really a surprise, considering the team behind this show also gave us Kavanagh QC - with enough tension and unreliable witnesses to hold our attention for 90 minutes.

But where this series still lacks a certain credibility is Davies himself. He's a decent actor, but although we know Henry is supposed to be a maverick - with his dodgy contacts, illicit affairs and bets on the 4.30 at Kempton Park - Davies's portrayal is a bit, well... student-y.

Or, rather, with his believe-nothing, question-everything delivery, a bit like Jonathan Creek. The character seems to cry out for someone a little more suave; maybe Clive Owen, Nigel Havers, or the late racing driver James Hunt. (Well, of course, it would be tricky casting Hunt - and besides, if ITV found a way of bringing people back from the grave, John Thaw would have a new series every week.)