Need something seriously gripping to sink your teeth into this weekend? Allow us to remind you of a brilliant British crime drama starring Stephen Graham and Suranne Jones.

Save Me first landed on Sky back in 2018, but with a cast this stacked and just six episodes in its first season, it remains exactly the kind of twisty mystery you can accidentally polish off in a weekend.

Created and written by Line of Duty star Lennie James, the drama follows Nelson “Nelly” Rowe (James), a charismatic but complicated South Londoner whose life is turned upside down when police arrive at his door.

The reason? His estranged 13-year-old daughter Jody has disappeared, and Nelly is accused of abducting her.

There’s just one fairly major problem: he hasn’t seen her in a decade.

What is Save Me about?

After convincing police he isn’t responsible for Jody’s disappearance, Nelly becomes increasingly frustrated with the investigation and decides to start searching for her himself.

What follows is much more than your standard missing-person mystery. Nelly’s search takes him into some seriously dark places, while also forcing him to confront his own past and the relationships he’s neglected along the way.

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Who stars in Save Me?

Lennie James leads the series as Nelly and, considering he also created and wrote the drama, this is very much his show.

But the supporting cast is frankly ridiculous.

Suranne Jones stars as Claire, Jody’s mother, who built a very different life for herself after her relationship with Nelly ended.

Meanwhile Stephen Graham plays Fabio “Melon” Melonzola, one of Nelly’s closest friends and a character who becomes increasingly important as the search for Jody takes a darker turn.

They’re joined by…

• Jason Flemyng
• Kerry Godliman
• Susan Lynch
• Camilla Beeput

Basically, somebody looked at British television’s contact book and started making calls.

What did critics say about Save Me?

Pretty great things, actually.

Reviews at the time praised both its central mystery and performances. The Guardian called the cast “excellent” and the mystery “strong”, while The Times praised its authenticity and dialogue.

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ScreenUK praised the drama for avoiding the usual missing-child clichés, instead delivering “heartbreaking drama” and “tour-de-force performances”.

And if the combination of James, Jones and Graham wasn’t already enough to sell you, the series comes from World Productions, the company behind Line of Duty.

Where can I watch Save Me and is there more?

Both seasons are currently available to stream on NOW and Sky.

There are two six-part seasons to get through, with the second returning under the title Save Me Too (and also starring Lesley Manville).

The story continues 17 months after the events of the first series, as Nelly remains determined to discover what happened to Jody – and his search begins to have increasingly serious consequences.

Save Me is available to watch on NOW and Sky