DI Ray | Preview (ITV)
Fresh, relevant and thought-provoking, DI Ray is a four-part drama written by Line of Duty actress and screenwriter Maya Sondhi (Mount Pleasant, The Kumars, Ackley Bridge, EastEnders) and produced by Jed Mercurio’s HTM Television (Bloodlands).
Jed Mercurio (Line of Duty, Bodyguard) executive produced the series, alongside Madonna Baptiste (The Stranger, Black Mirror, Stephen). It was directed by Audrey Cooke and Alex Pillai and produced by Charlotte Surtees (Code 404, Two Weeks to Live, Dave Allen At Peace).
Set in Birmingham, DI Ray introduces us to Leicester-born Rachita Ray, a police officer who takes on a case that forces her to confront a lifelong personal conflict between her British identity and her South Asian heritage. Rachita achieves the promotion she’s been waiting for when she’s asked to join a homicide investigation.
However, on her first day she’s told the murder to which she’s been assigned is a ‘Culturally Specific Homicide.’ Rachita’s heart sinks – she suspects she’s a ‘token appointment’, chosen for her ethnicity rather than her ability.
Never one to shy away from a challenge, Rachita sticks to the case, determined to both find the killer and call out the obvious biases her colleagues are bringing to the investigation. And it’s far from easy.
The case isn’t a run-of-the-mill murder; it involves delving deep into the dangerous world of organised crime. Rachita is more than up for the task, but what she didn’t count on is what this case stirs up inside her; the realisation that she’s been burying a personal identity crisis her whole life.
Screenwriter Maya Sondhi commented: “This is a project which is deeply personal for me as a British Asian Brummie woman. It’s only in the past 10 years or so I’ve really been able to truly embrace my heritage. So much of this show is my story and in telling it honestly, I hope others from all different backgrounds will relate.”
DI Ray is a gripping four-part series that tracks a compelling murder investigation whilst exploring the emotive subject of racism in the workplace. It asks difficult questions about what it’s like to be British but feel ‘other’. And it does so whilst sending viewers on a thrilling ride through the murky underworld of Birmingham and beyond.
DI Ray begins Saturday 2nd May at 9pm on ITV.