City of SECRETS

YASEMIN KAY ALLEN on a crime thriller set in modern-day Istanbul

THE TURKISH DETECTIVE

NEW SUNDAY & MONDAY, 9PM, BBC2 DRAMA (BOX SET, BBC IPLAYER)

The exotic city of Istanbul takes centre stage in BBC2's new drama The Turkish Detective, as a murky mystery takes us on a journey through vibrant souks and glamorous hotels to a dangerous underbelly of crime.

Based on the bestselling Inspector Ikmen novels by Barbara Nadel, the eight-part series stars Haluk Bilginer best known in the UK for playing Mehmet Osman in BBC1 soap EastEnders during the late 80s -as eccentric cop Çetin Ikmen.

The drama opens with the murder of a 19-year-old student who has links to Istanbul's wealthy elite. But as Çetin and his sidekicks Mehmet Süleyman (Emmerdale's Ethan Kai) and Ayşe Farsakoğlu (Strike Back's Yasemin Kay Allen) investigate, they soon unearth some of the city's most dangerous secrets.

TV Times called Yasemin - who turns 35 on 10 July and who was born in London and raised in Istanbul - to get her case notes...

What sets this show apart from other detective dramas?

Aside from the fact that it's set in Istanbul, there's a real warmth.