Scott & Bailey

10 Worst Episodes of Scott & Bailey

D.C. Rachel Bailey and D.C. Janet Scott have a robust and engaging friendship which enables them to draw upon each other’s strengths and investigate murders for the Manchester Metropolitan Police.

Written by Sophie and last updated on jan 10, 2023.

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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Scott & Bailey - S2E2

#10 - Secrets (Season 2 - Episode 2)

Part two of two. Despite arresting four people, the detectives face a wall of silence in their investigation into the grisly murders - but they eventually make a breakthrough, which doesn't quite give them the answers they were expecting. On the domestic front, Rachel wakes up in bed with charismatic colleague Sean - a mistake she is keen never to repeat - and Janet wants to keep her newly single status a secret. So the last thing she needs is daughter Taisie telling Andy about her dad moving out.

The episode was rated 7.50 from 107 votes.

Scott & Bailey - S4E3

#9 - Damaged (Season 4 - Episode 3)

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After promising that the chaos of her personal life was behind her, Rachel is torn when she discovers that her mother's new boyfriend is a violent domestic abuser. Janet goes on her first date, but gets cold feet at the last minute when the idea of having to sell herself to a stranger makes her heart sink. The murder of a gay man has all the markings of a hate crime, but why is his friend struggling to answer some simple questions?

The episode was rated 7.50 from 132 votes.

Scott & Bailey - S1E4

#8 - Execution (Season 1 - Episode 4)

Adult movie star Vicky Birkinshaw finds herself being arrested on suspicion of her murdering her husband three weeks after she reported him as having disappeared. Rachel has to go through the woman's home-made pornography collection to look for clues. The case ends up taking a dark twist after Vicky's daughter turns up with an older boyfriend.

The episode was rated 7.50 from 108 votes.

Scott & Bailey - S2E6

#7 - Mould (Season 2 - Episode 6)

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Rachel discovers Dom drinking a can of beer with Sean. She takes the can away from him and warns Sean that Dom has a drink problem. Sean wants Rachel to meet his son from his defunct marriage, if she’s going to be his ‘other mummy’. Sean continues to act like they’re getting married, whilst Rachel insists they’re not. Andy wants Janet to join him for a drink as he wants to talk but she turns down his offer. Gill is forced to leave a briefing on a mercy dash for Sammy because Dave’s drunk. Gill wants Janet's help get Dave round to his mother’s. A woman with a green face and head, and dressed in a sexy policewoman’s outfit, is discovered dead in a field at Dob Cross. Gill thinks that the killer is a lover.

The episode was rated 7.49 from 98 votes.

Scott & Bailey - S3E2

#6 - Things We Do For Love (Season 3 - Episode 2)

After businessman Adam Armitage pushes a homeless man, he doesn’t know that he’s killed him, so what is the reason why is he running away? Rachel gets married to a happy Sean and Janet admits her marriage is over.

The episode was rated 7.49 from 109 votes.

Scott & Bailey - S3E6

#5 - Undermined (Season 3 - Episode 6)

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The team investigate the suspicious death of care home resident Gerald French after his daughter Catherine raises some concerns about the level of care her father had been receiving. Shy trainee, Rosie is seen slapping a resident and she is upset to discover that her mentor doesn’t have her best interests at heart.

The episode was rated 7.47 from 99 votes.

Scott & Bailey - S4E4

#4 - A Matter of Rank (Season 4 - Episode 4)

Gill introduces her new sergeant to Will Pemberton, an ambitious detective superintendent on his way to the top. However, Rachel and Will have been enjoying a passionate yet discreet affair for the past few months. Will wants to go public but Rachel would prefer to keep it quiet, worried about how others might judge her. Inspired by Eleanor's happy home life, Janet determines to persevere with the dating game. But a speed dating evening proves a disaster when she realises she is unable to step out of character, and has been interviewing every man there as if he was a suspect. The case of the week involves the murder of a woman in a Manchester hotel. With only a necklace and the name Lola to go on, Syndicate 9 try to piece together her last known movements. When a witness comes forward to report a troubling sexual encounter, it seems that a hook-up site could hold the answers.

The episode was rated 7.39 from 142 votes.

Scott & Bailey - S3E3

#3 - Thin Ice (Season 3 - Episode 3)

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The detectives investigate the murder of a wealthy man whose double life left him vulnerable to exploitation. Away from work, Rachel's recent moment of indiscretion threatens to come back to haunt her when a confused Sean takes a phone call from her one-night stand, and after Ade is pushed into living with his girlfriend on a permanent basis, Janet asks her mother to move in.

The episode was rated 7.38 from 104 votes.

Scott & Bailey - S1E1

#2 - Congratulations (Season 1 - Episode 1)

DC Rachel Bailey, DC Janet Scott and the team take on a new case - a young Turkish woman has been killed, and her murder made to look like suicide. Rachel finds out that the woman's husband was having an affair, and takes a risk when it comes to interviewing the man's mistress. Will her high-stakes approach get results? She also uses her police privileges to carry out an investigation into her own ex - and is horrified to discover that he is married with two children. Meanwhile, Janet agrees to take another look at the case of an old school friend, Veronica, who was abducted and murdered when they were children.

The episode was rated 7.35 from 158 votes.

Scott & Bailey - S2E7

#1 - Sidelines (Season 2 - Episode 7)

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The syndicate deals with a shooting, and discovers that the victim has been sexually mutilated. Andy seems determined to freeze Janet out of the investigation. Sean tries to engineer a reconciliation between Rachel and her mother, and Rachel warms to the idea of marriage.

The episode was rated 7.33 from 96 votes.

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