Martin Shaw (George Gently)stars as Alan Cade, the compassionate and resolutely reformist chief constable of Eastland, a fictional East Anglian force; a distinguished guest cast includes Philip Glenister, Andy Serkis, John Shrapnel, Peter Egan and Nickolas Grace.While this fourth series continues to show the many challenges facing Cade and his frontline team, from drug crime to terrorist bombings, witness intimidation and the exploitation of migrant workers, the focus remains on the politics of modern policing. The former Met commissioners radical approach still antagonises his superiors at the Home Office, and he is now witnessing the gradual centralisation and unaccountability of the government agencies that are taking over different police roles.