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The Best Episodes of DCI Banks

Every episode of DCI Banks ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of DCI Banks!

Binge this in 22h 30m•Peaking at 7.9/10

A thrilling drama based on the novels by Peter Robinson. Stephen Tompkinson and Andrea Lowe star as the tenacious and stubborn Chief Inspector Alan Banks and the feisty and headstrong Detective Sergeant Annie Cabbot.

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
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    DCI Banks Season 1 Episode 6 - Cold is the Grave: Part 2
    7.9/10(413 votes)

    #1 - Cold is the Grave: Part 2

    S1:E6

    Emily Rydell has apparently been brutally beaten to death and DCI Banks quickly ends up being in the middle of a murder investigation with many suspects. After a surveillance operation establishes a link between the murder of Charles McKay and Brian Clough, Banks and Annie soon work out that the two cases have to be connected.

    Director:Marek Losey
    Writer:Robert Murphy

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  2. DCI Banks Season 5 Episode 6 - Undertow: Part 2
    7.9/10(309 votes)

    #2 - Undertow: Part 2

    S5:E6

    Banks' mission to solve Annie's murder is made all the harder by the fact he has been taken off the case and sent on gardening leave - but that won't stop him.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  3. DCI Banks Season 2 Episode 2 - Strange Affair: Part 2
    7.8/10(385 votes)

    #3 - Strange Affair: Part 2

    S2:E2

    When a body found at Halton quarry turns out to be his missing brother, Banks must return to his childhood home to inform his parents of the terrible news.

    Director:Tim Fywell
    Writer:Robert Murphy

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  4. DCI Banks Season 4 Episode 6 - Ghosts: Part 2
    7.8/10(305 votes)

    #4 - Ghosts: Part 2

    S4:E6

    Helen works hard to win back Alan's approval as they try to find the killer and prevent Josh's father from seeking a revenge of his own.

    Director:Kenneth Glenaan
    Writer:Paul Logue

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  5. DCI Banks Season 1 Episode 5 - Cold is the Grave: Part 1
    7.7/10(431 votes)

    #5 - Cold is the Grave: Part 1

    S1:E5

    An armed robbery ends up taking a much darker twist after the culprit is brutally murdered in his own home. Before DCI Banks can start to unravel the case, Chief Superintendent Gerry Rydell, makes a personal plea for Banks to look for his missing teenage daughter. Some naked photographs found on the Internet by Rydell’s wife, Rosalind, makes it look like that she could be in London. Banks reluctantly agrees to help and manages to track Emily down to the home of a drug dealer. Emily refuses to come back home with him but changes her mind. Annie, who has been leading the investigation into the robber’s murder whilst Banks has been away, thinks that the robbery could have been staged, but the victim’s accomplice refuses to talk. After Emily contacts Banks and suggests that she has seen one of Clough’s associates in Leeds, Banks wants her to tell him everything she knows about Clough. Emily refuses to tell Banks anything though. After a battered body is found in an Eastvale nightclub, Banks is shocked to discover that the victim has been identified as Ruth Walker, somebody Emily knew whilst in London. After the true identity of the victim is revealed though, both Banks and Annie find themselves involved in a conspiracy which has changed both investigations hugely.

    Director:Marek Losey
    Writer:Robert Murphy

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  6. DCI Banks Season 2 Episode 1 - Strange Affair: Part 1
    7.7/10(416 votes)

    #6 - Strange Affair: Part 1

    S2:E1

    A mysterious phone message leads Banks to Harrogate to search for his estranged younger brother, while the team investigate the murder of a young woman.

    Director:Tim Fywell
    Writer:Robert Murphy

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    The 20 WORST Episodes of DCI Banks

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  7. DCI Banks Season 2 Episode 6 - Innocent Graves: Part 2
    7.7/10(353 votes)

    #7 - Innocent Graves: Part 2

    S2:E6

    In spite of the trial of Owen Pierce collapsing, Banks still believes that he is the murderer. But Morton tries to persuade him to keep an open mind.

    Director:Mat King
    Writers:Andrew Payne, Rob Williams

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  8. DCI Banks Season 3 Episode 2 - Wednesday's Child: Part 2
    7.7/10(326 votes)

    #8 - Wednesday's Child: Part 2

    S3:E2

    An 11-year old's body is found and Banks wonders if there is a connection between his death and Kyle's disappearance.

    Director:Bill Eagles
    Writer:Robert Murphy

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  9. DCI Banks Season 3 Episode 6 - Bad Boy: Part 2
    7.7/10(336 votes)

    #9 - Bad Boy: Part 2

    S3:E6

    While Helen's career hangs in the balance, Banks risks everything to rescue his daughter who has been taken hostage by Jaff Kitson.

    Director:Stephen Woolfenden
    Writer:Catherine Tregenna

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  10. DCI Banks Season 5 Episode 2 - To Burn in Every Drop of Blood: Part 2
    7.7/10(293 votes)

    #10 - To Burn in Every Drop of Blood: Part 2

    S5:E2

    The apparent suicide of a young girl drags Banks deeper into the dark world of 'untouchable' criminal Steve Richards.

    Director:Robert Quinn
    Writer:Nicholas Hicks-Beach

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  11. DCI Banks Season 5 Episode 4 - A Little Bit of Heart: Part 2
    7.7/10(280 votes)

    #11 - A Little Bit of Heart: Part 2

    S5:E4

    Following the murder of a recently rescued hostage, Banks and his team must untangle secrets and lies from the closed world of the Chinese community.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  12. DCI Banks Season 5 Episode 5 - Undertow: Part 1
    7.7/10(289 votes)

    #12 - Undertow: Part 1

    S5:E5

    Banks and the team begin the painful job of finding out exactly who was responsible for Annie's death, an incident that has affected all their lives.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  13. DCI Banks Season 2 Episode 3 - Dry Bones That Dream: Part 1
    7.6/10(375 votes)

    #13 - Dry Bones That Dream: Part 1

    S2:E3

    When a hitman bursts into the luxury home of Keith Rothwell and shoots him dead in cold blood, Banks is struck by the strange reactions of his family.

    Director:Jim Loach
    Writer:Rob Williams

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  14. DCI Banks Season 2 Episode 4 - Dry Bones That Dream: Part 2
    7.6/10(351 votes)

    #14 - Dry Bones That Dream: Part 2

    S2:E4

    With Pamela Jeffries in a coma, Banks is even more determined to find Rothwell's killer. And against orders he decides to question MP Martin Fleming.

    Director:Jim Loach
    Writer:Rob Williams

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  15. DCI Banks Season 2 Episode 5 - Innocent Graves: Part 1
    7.6/10(358 votes)

    #15 - Innocent Graves: Part 1

    S2:E5

    Banks and his team investigate the murder of the daughter of an internet entrepreneur. The prime suspect is quickly identified, but Morton is not so sure.

    Director:Mat King
    Writers:Andrew Payne, Rob Williams

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  16. DCI Banks Season 3 Episode 1 - Wednesday's Child: Part 1
    7.6/10(373 votes)

    #16 - Wednesday's Child: Part 1

    S3:E1

    When two bogus social workers come to Katy Heath's house and take her son away, Banks is drawn into a massive search for the boy - but is Katy telling the truth?

    Director:Bill Eagles
    Writer:Robert Murphy

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  17. DCI Banks Season 4 Episode 2 - What Will Survive: Part 2
    7.6/10(313 votes)

    #17 - What Will Survive: Part 2

    S4:E2

    The team are dismayed to discover that an arson attack at the Osgood's house has injured Michael and killed his autistic son Robbie.

    Director:David Richards
    Writer:Nicholas Hicks-Beach

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  18. DCI Banks Season 4 Episode 4 - Buried: Part 2
    7.6/10(313 votes)

    #18 - Buried: Part 2

    S4:E4

    Geoff has become a marked man and Banks decides to put both him and his daughter Evie under watch at an anonymous hotel whilst he increases the search for Mullen.

    Director:Craig Pickles
    Writer:Nicholas Hicks-Beach

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  19. DCI Banks Season 4 Episode 5 - Ghosts: Part 1
    7.6/10(315 votes)

    #19 - Ghosts: Part 1

    S4:E5

    When the body of an undergraduate is found dumped in a ravine, the investigation into his stabbing reveals he was far from being a model student.

    Director:Kenneth Glenaan
    Writer:Paul Logue

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  20. DCI Banks Season 5 Episode 1 - To Burn in Every Drop of Blood: Part 1
    7.6/10(321 votes)

    #20 - To Burn in Every Drop of Blood: Part 1

    S5:E1

    When a young man is found brutally murdered, Banks' instinct drags his team into a world of organised crime.

    Director:Robert Quinn
    Writer:Nicholas Hicks-Beach

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  21. DCI Banks Season 5 Episode 3 - A Little Bit of Heart: Part 1
    7.6/10(285 votes)

    #21 - A Little Bit of Heart: Part 1

    S5:E3

    When a devoted husband and father goes missing, a ransom demand takes Banks and his team on a journey into the Chinese community.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  22. DCI Banks Season 1 Episode 1 - Playing with Fire: Part 1
    7.5/10(623 votes)

    #22 - Playing with Fire: Part 1

    S1:E1

    In the first episode, DCI Alan Banks is taken to a canal where there has been a fatal fire. The crime is far from straightforward, and as another body is discovered the motive, as well as the intended victim, become increasingly unclear. However, the discovery of what appears to be a Turner landscape suggests that at least one of the victims was involved in an art forgery scam.

    Director:Paul Whittington
    Writer:Robert Murphy

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  23. DCI Banks Season 1 Episode 2 - Playing with Fire: Part 2
    7.5/10(525 votes)

    #23 - Playing with Fire: Part 2

    S1:E2

    After Tom McMahon becomes the third victim following some suspicious fires, Alan realises that he is now attempting to catch a serial killer. His superiors warn him to keep his distance from the Aspern family who are trying to lodge an official complaint against him. Banks is determined to locate the ringleader of the art forgery scam which links two of the victims. Annie continues to see Mark Keane, despite Banks’ warnings. After Banks finally discovers the true identity of ‘Morrison’, he quickly realises that Annie could be in real danger.

    Director:Paul Whittington
    Writer:Robert Murphy

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  24. DCI Banks Season 3 Episode 3 - Piece of My Heart: Part 1
    7.5/10(343 votes)

    #24 - Piece of My Heart: Part 1

    S3:E3

    When a journalist is found dead in a remote village, Banks notices a connection between the case and a mysterious death in the 1980s.

    Director:Edward Bazalgette
    Writer:Robert Murphy

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  25. DCI Banks Season 3 Episode 4 - Piece of My Heart: Part 2
    7.5/10(330 votes)

    #25 - Piece of My Heart: Part 2

    S3:E4

    Banks races to locate a mysterious recording that appears to connect Jack Barber and the members of The Crystal Kiss together.

    Director:Edward Bazalgette
    Writer:Robert Murphy

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Best Episodes Summary

"Cold is the Grave: Part 2" is the best rated episode of "DCI Banks". It scored 7.9/10 based on 413 votes. Directed by Marek Losey and written by Robert Murphy, it aired on 10/21/2011. This episode scored 0.0 points higher than the second highest rated, "Undertow: Part 2".