Ten years on... Still the best British mini-series ever produced

In 2003, State of Play first aired. It was during the early days of the Iraq War and the controversy surrounding it. Media spin and dodgy politicians were all brought into question as well as the oil industry's accountability.

This series was timely, daring and hit the nail on the head. Multiple times.

British television tends to vary in quality sometimes. But when we pull out the stops, we really pull out the stops.

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
Edge of Darkness
House of Cards
Sherlock
Black Mirror
Red Riding Trilogy
The Shadow Line
Luther

All shows I'd recommend as being some of the finest dramas I've ever seen from the UK, and perhaps even of all time.

Red Riding Trilogy, Edge of Darkness and The Shadow Line in particular.

But upon returning to State of Play, ten years on, it is still miraculously one of the most well made BBC productions I've ever seen.

The crisp and ingenious narrative by Paul Abbott crackles along at a fast pace with so much political intrigue and subtle social commentary, you can't separate the conspiracy thriller elements from the socio-political context.

It's a tour de force piece of writing that never flags on plot or character. If anything, this is real character-driven drama. Completely owned by its stellar cast. David Morrissey is a stand-out for me, but everyone is equally as convincing.

When British drama gets it right, no matter how implausible some of it may be, it just feels real in a way most American dramas fail to capture.

It hasn't aged badly at all and still feels just as fresh, punchy and gripping as it did the first time it aired.

Neither before nor after State of Play has there been a mini-series I have been so enchanted by. This is the pinnacle of British storytelling as far as I'm concerned. And still remains to this day the high watermark in which I measure every other show.

If you haven't seen it... watch it.

And when you're done, get your hands on the aforementioned titles. Especially the Red Riding Trilogy and The Shadow Line. The only two shows since that have come anywhere close to matching State of Play's energy, intelligence and masterful grasp of storytelling.