Granite Harbour: Filming starts on new Aberdeen-set police drama

Aberdeen is to get its own crime drama after BBC Scotland revealed plans for a new series focusing on a former soldier who arrives in the city to train as a detective.

The first series of Granite Harbour will focus an investigation into the murder of a senior oil industry executive in the city and the resulting “corporate battle between old and new energy”.

Knots and Crosses and Small Axe star Romario Simpson and Shetland and Annika star Hannah Donaldson, who recently starred in the National Theatre of Scotland play The Enemy, have been cast in the two lead roles.

Lance Corporal Davis Lindo and his new mentor, Detective chief inspector “Tara Bart” Bartlett, forge an alliance after his dreams of becoming a New Scotland Yard detective are dashed when he is despatched to Aberdeen.

The cast of the show, which will be premiere on the BBC Scotland channel before being shown on BBC One, also includes Orphans, Billy Elliot and Vigil star Gary Lewis, Dawn Steele, who is best known for River City, Monarch of the Glen and Holby City, and Shetland star Fiona Bell.

Filming is already underway on the three-part series, which is being made throughout Aberdeenshire, and in Glasgow, by Liverpool-based LA Productions.

Its previous shows include the Jimmy McGovern dramas Moving On, Common, Reg and Care, which have featured the likes of Tim Roth, Adrian Dunbar, Sean Bean, Anna Friel, Sheridan Smith and Alison Steadman.

An official announcement by BBC Scotland on Granite Harbour states: “Having completed his final tour with the Royal Military Police, Lance Corporal Davis Lindo dreams of being a detective at New Scotland Yard.

Hannah Donaldson will play the lead role of Detective Chief Inspector Tara ‘Bart’ Bartlett in the new BBC Scotland drama Granite Harbour.

"However, he finds himself being sent to train as a Detective Constable in the north-east of Scotland. He must quickly adapt to his new life in Aberdeen, a world away from anything this soldier has known before.

“Lindo finds an ally in his mentor, DCI Tara ‘Bart’ Bartlett, a razor-sharp, street-wise Aberdonian who is used to going solo.

"Together, this unlikely partnership must navigate the choppy waters of their first case – the murder of one of Aberdeen’s most recognisable faces from the oil industry. Suddenly, Lindo and Bartlett find themselves thrust into a corporate battle between old and new energy.”

Granite Harbour is the second new drama to be commissioned for BBC Scotland’s channel. The first, Neil Forsyth’s dark comic thriller Guilt, has just had a third and final series ordered.

New BBC Scotland drama Granite Harbour will be set in Aberdeen. Picture: Andy Buchanan/AFP

Louise Thornton, head of commissioning at BBC Scotland, said: “We’re thrilled to have commissioned this new drama for the BBC Scotland channel and BBC One.

"Audiences will be treated to an intriguing and captivating story with strong characters that will play out against the dramatic cityscape of Aberdeen and the north-east.”

Gaynor Holmes, executive producer at BBC Drama, said: “We’re delighted to be working with LA Productions on this exciting new show.

"I can’t wait to see the story brought to life in its stunning Aberdeen setting by this brilliantly talented cast and crew.”

Romario Simpson will play the lead role of Lance Corporal Davis Lindo in the new BBC Scotland series Granite Harbour.

LA Productions founder Colin McKeown, one of the creators of the iconic Channel 4 soap opera Brookside, said: “As LA Productions is based in Liverpool, we relish the opportunity of working in both Aberdeen and Glasgow as we feel it's such a cultural match for us as a regional company.”