A Touch of Cloth
ParodyA sustained send-up of other genres or works.This show: 10/10Dry humorDeadpan, understated wit.This show: 8/10AbsurdistSurreal, logic-bending comedy.This show: 8/10British TVThe British television sensibility: tone, restraint and format traditions.This show: 8/10Ironic & metaSelf-aware humor that knows it's a TV show.This show: 7/10Fast-pacedRelentless forward momentum that rarely stops to idle.This show: 7/10Witty banterRapid-fire verbal sparring.This show: 7/10Detective mysteryCrime-solving from the investigator's side of the table.This show: 7/10
Rate this series
Starring
John HannahSuranne JonesNavin ChowdhryAdrian BowerJulian Rhind-TuttDaisy Beaumont
Starring
John HannahSuranne JonesNavin ChowdhryAdrian BowerJulian Rhind-TuttDaisy Beaumont
Ratings per Episode
Votes per Episode
A Touch of Cloth Episode Ratings Heatmap
| Avg | E1 | E2 | E3 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S1 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | ||
| S2 | 7.6 | 7.6 | 7.6 | 7.1 | |
| S3 | 7.9 | 7.9 | 7.9 |
Download Infographic
About
"Crime drama cliches gleefully dismantled joke by joke"
A parody of gritty British detective dramas, following a jaded cop and his new partner as they investigate absurdly convoluted murders while every visual and verbal cliche of the genre gets mercilessly skewered. It's rapid-fire, dense with visual gags and daft wordplay, closer to Airplane! or Naked Gun than to any straight crime show. The plots barely matter; they're just scaffolding for jokes that come at a relentless pace. Watching it feels like a comedy sketch show wearing a procedural's clothing, held together by deadpan performances that never wink at the audience.
Watch it for
the sheer density of visual and verbal gags packed into every scene.
Maybe skip if
you need a real mystery to follow rather than a wall-to-wall joke delivery system.
Written by our AI editor to help you decide, spoiler-free by design.
All Seasons
▶
Season 12012
8.04722
An all-encompassing parody of every police procedural ever written, DCI Jack Cloth - a maverick, heavy drinking loner who has thrown himself into his work following the mysterious death of his wife. The damaged, haunted Cloth is teamed with plucky no-nonsense sidekick DC Anne Oldman,
Together the pair investigate a series of increasingly grisy murders and find themselves on the trail of a devious killer. As you do, If you're a detective. The case leads Cloth and Oldman from leafy forests to sinister lock-up, from the luxury home of an arrogant TV chef to the cold dissection rooms of a vampish forensic pathologist.
▶
Season 22013
7.632731h 28m
The City of Town is being menaced by a vicious gang of armed robbers. After one brutal robbery in which Todd Carty is savagely murdered. Cloth assumes the identity of a hardened criminal to gain access to the gang and its twisted leader MacRatty. Meanwhile Oldman is being wooed by Hope Goodgirl, a charismatic and openly bisexual politician hoping to be elected Mayor of Town.
In a thrill-packed finale, will Cloth and Oldman defy Goodgirl's homicidal tendencies by defusing the bomb and bringing the evil-doers to book? Or will Cloth end up falling abruptly and bizarrely in love with his wife's murderer, Tom Boss and walking of with him, hand-in-hand, into the sunset? Or both?
▶
Season 32014
7.928321h 28m
A sexy female rookie, Newblood, has joined Cloth's team. At her first crime scene the team discover the body of Cloth's Brother, Terry Cloth, Cloth traces Terry's past back to a remote therapy centre, "The Healery", but Cloth belives this is a cult and suspects Vull, the sinister leader, of murdering his brother.
Whilst Vull is being questioned down the station, another shooting occurs in the City of Town. And a case that was already uncomfortably personal for Cloth becomes personaler as he discovers the next victim is an ex-girlfriend. There is a serial killer hunting down people who have a personal connection to Cloth meaning Oldman's life is in danger. Can Cloth save Oldman? Can Cloth save himself?
Full Cast & Crew
Cast
John Hannah DI Jack Cloth, Self, Terry Cloth
Suranne Jones DI Anne Oldman, DC Anne Oldman, Self
Navin Chowdhry DC Asap Qureshi
Adrian Bower DC Des Hairihan
Julian Rhind-Tutt ACC Tom Boss
Daisy Beaumont Dr. Natasha Sachet
Todd Carty Self, Todd Carty
Karen Gillan Kerry Newblood
Tony Pitts Bullock
Montserrat Lombard Blue
Similar Series
Popular picks Shows that people who know this one usually know too. From our AI taste analysis.
Our recommendations Specific picks with the reason, including shows you may not have heard of. From our AI taste analysis.
Murder in Successville
2K 18 2015–2017
British improvised crime-drama parody with celebrity suspects
Angie Tribeca
10K 40 2016–2018
deadpan American cop-show spoof with rapid-fire gags
The Detectives
2K 31 1993–1997
British sitcom send-up of buddy-cop procedurals
Danger 5
5K 14 2011–2015
absurdist pastiche of pulpy 60s action serials
The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret
7K 21 2009–2016
Brooker-adjacent cringe comedy with escalating farce
Toast of London
12K 24 2012–2020
surreal British comedy with deadpan overacting energy
Man Down
6K 26 2013–2017
British sitcom sharing cast and dry Brooker-era humor
People Just Do Nothing
9K 27 2014–2018
mockumentary deadpan tone beloved by same UK comedy fans
Close in taste Nearest neighbors in our taste profile comparison: shared tone, themes and style.