DCI Banks

10 Best Episodes of DCI Banks

A thrilling drama based on the novels by Peter Robinson. Stephen Tompkinson and Andrea Lowe star as the tenacious and stubborn Chief Inspector Alan Banks and the feisty and headstrong Detective Sergeant Annie Cabbot.

Written by Sophie and last updated on nov 24, 2022.

PS: The following content contains spoilers!

PPS: I will admit that parts of this page was written with the help of AI - it makes my work so much easier to not start from a blank page!

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DCI Banks - S2E2

#15 - Strange Affair (2) (Season 2 - Episode 2)

Banks visits his childhood home to break the news of Roy's death, and his parents plead with him to find out what happened. Defying Morton, he returns to the station in an attempt to lead the investigation into the murders of his brother and Jennifer Lewis, and both officers are convinced the key to cracking the cases lies with a woman being treated at a clinic.

The episode was rated 7.76 from 123 votes.

DCI Banks - S4E2

#14 - What Will Survive (2) (Season 4 - Episode 2)

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The officers are dismayed to learn the arson attack on the Osgoods' house has injured Michael and killed his son Robbie, and local bully Gary McCready is soon questioned. As the investigation into Katrin's murder continues, the body of an older man who died of natural causes is found buried near her grave, and when Banks suspects Jason McCready abducted missing Annika, he uncovers a shocking secret. Meanwhile, the detective gives a moving speech at his mother's funeral, and the ceremony brings him closer to his father.

The episode was rated 7.78 from 130 votes.

DCI Banks - S5E4

#13 - A Little Bit of Heart (2) (Season 5 - Episode 4)

Following the murder of a recently rescued hostage, Banks and his team must untangle secrets and lies from the closed world of the Chinese community.

The episode was rated 7.80 from 211 votes.

DCI Banks - S4E4

#12 - Buried (2) (Season 4 - Episode 4)

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Geoff has become a marked man and Banks decides to put both him and his daughter Evie under watch at an anonymous hotel whilst he increases the search for Mullen.

The episode was rated 7.81 from 115 votes.

DCI Banks - S1E6

#11 - Cold is the Grave (2) (Season 1 - Episode 6)

Emily Rydell has apparently been brutally beaten to death and DCI Banks quickly ends up being in the middle of a murder investigation with many suspects. After a surveillance operation establishes a link between the murder of Charles McKay and Brian Clough, Banks and Annie soon work out that the two cases have to be connected.

The episode was rated 7.82 from 92 votes.

DCI Banks - S3E3

#10 - Piece of my Heart (1) (Season 3 - Episode 3)

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Matt Barber, whose father Jack is a respected high ranking policeman, and is now a London-based journalist is found murdered in a holiday chalet, owned by Liz Forbes. Liz was the singer with a 1980s band the Crystal Kiss, along with Martin Soames, who is the chalets' caretaker. Matt was seemingly investigating the death of another band member John Gaunt, over thirty years earlier, which, at the time appeared to have been an accident. The remaining band member Ian Basset had returned to England from abroad just before Matt died. He approaches Liz and Martin with the idea of reforming the group - a suggestion made to him by Matt, of whose death he is seemingly unaware. At the same time Martin's lawyer David Hornby is discovered to have been paid by Matt and his finger prints are found at the chalet. He is also the father of Annie's baby.

The episode was rated 7.82 from 136 votes.

DCI Banks - S3E5

#9 - Bad Boy (1) (Season 3 - Episode 5)

Club DJ Richard Martin is run off the road and subsequently shot in the head, leaving the perpetrators to dispose of his body and his car, as well as the gun used in the shooting. When the gun turns up in the bedroom of Erin Doyle, the daughter of Banks' long-term neighbours, Banks decides to act quietly to remove the gun without fuss. However, DI Morton overrules him, forcing him to follow procedure, organizing a full-blown raid which results in Erin's father, Peter Doyle, being tasered resulting in a heart attack. As Banks, Blackstone and Lang investigate Martin's death, Annie is forced to conduct an official investigation into Helen's actions, an investigation which threatens to destroy Banks' team. As the team identify Jaff Kitson as the possible murderer, Erin reveals that Jaff's new girlfriend is none other than Banks' daughter, Tracy. Banks has to decide between his family loyalties, his moral actions and the hope of a relationship with Annie in order to secure the safety of his daughter. But which will he choose?

The episode was rated 7.82 from 136 votes.

DCI Banks - S5E5

#8 - Undertow (1) (Season 5 - Episode 5)

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Banks and the team begin the painful job of finding out exactly who was responsible for Annie's death, an incident that has affected all their lives.

The episode was rated 7.84 from 232 votes.

DCI Banks - S2E5

#7 - Innocent Graves (1) (Season 2 - Episode 5)

Frustrated that a number of cases have been knocked back by the Crown Prosecution Service, Banks and the team are called on to investigate the murder of teenager Ellie Clayton, daughter of a high-profile internet entrepreneur. The victim's background, together with the suggestion she may have been raped, means the incident is soon the subject of much media speculation, and strong evidence implicates a theatre director who ran a drama workshop the girl attended on the night she died. The detective believes he has found his man, but Morton fears her colleague isn't seeing the bigger picture.

The episode was rated 7.87 from 104 votes.

DCI Banks - S4E6

#6 - Ghosts (2) (Season 4 - Episode 6)

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Helen is determined to try and win back Banks's approval as they attempt to discover the true identity of student Josh's murderer and stop his father from seeking a revenge of his own.

The episode was rated 7.88 from 130 votes.

DCI Banks - S3E6

#5 - Bad Boy (2) (Season 3 - Episode 6)

Following the disastrous raid Helen is suspended but she tells Banks that her colleague Trethowan reentered the house after the event, leading them both to surmise, correctly, that he was covering up for his girlfriend, the policewoman who Tasered Peter Doyle and Helen is exonerated. Meanwhile Kitson takes Tracy to Jenkins' house, where he intends to hold her as a hostage in return for the gun. However Jenkins ultimately admits to Banks that he is terminally ill and the reappearance of his long-lost illegitimate son, by whom he wanted to do right before dying, angered Kitson to the point of murder . Tracy is ultimately returned to her father.

The episode was rated 7.88 from 112 votes.

DCI Banks - S5E6

#4 - Undertow (2) (Season 5 - Episode 6)

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Banks' mission to solve Annie's murder is made all the harder by the fact he has been taken off the case and sent on gardening leave - but that won't stop him.

The episode was rated 7.90 from 218 votes.

DCI Banks - S4E5

#3 - Ghosts (1) (Season 4 - Episode 5)

After the body of a university undergraduate is discovered dumped in a ravine the investigation into hismurder reveals he was not a model student. Helen's professional relationship with Banks comes under threat when somebody from her past shows up she has has found hard to forget.

The episode was rated 7.92 from 143 votes.

DCI Banks - S3E4

#2 - Piece of my Heart (2) (Season 3 - Episode 4)

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Banks learns that Jack Barber arrested Martin for John Gaunt's manslaughter when he was a constable but Jack denies forcing a confession. However he visits Martin to demand the hand-over of a tape the group buried. With Annie off the case for personal reasons Banks and Helen visit the band, who are planning to reform and hear that Ian Bassett was due to give Matt an interview before he was murdered. Banks finds that both Jack and the band members close ranks when he mentions the tape, especially after Martin kills himself having given the tape to David Hornby, The police discover that the Crystal Kiss's moment has gone and that the killer was desperate to make money for a very dubious reunion, something which also involved Jack Barber. At the same time Banks' private life suffers upheaval when his daughter Tracy turns up unannounced, having dropped out of college.

The episode was rated 8.06 from 109 votes.

DCI Banks - S2E4

#1 - Dry Bones That Dream (2) (Season 2 - Episode 4)

With Pamela Jefferies in a coma following her vicious attack, Banks becomes more determined to find Rothwell's killer. Convinced a vital clue is staring him in the face, he resolves to learn more about Keith Rothwell and, against orders, questions MP Martin Fleming, putting him on a collision course with rival DCI Burgess. Meanwhile, the return of Tom Rothwell to the UK presents Helen with another suspect and an opportunity to put pressure on his family.

The episode was rated 8.08 from 95 votes.

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