http://www.teletext.co.uk/tvplus/tvreviews/default.aspxen-gbFri, 17 Jul 2009 07:30:09 GMThttp://www.teletext.co.uk/images/Logo64x64.gifhttp://www.teletext.co.ukBy Rachael Popow - The end of the last run of Ashes to Ashes may have left fans wondering what would happen if Gene Hunt was in the 21st century.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/entertainment/tv-plus/tvreviews/~4/5kHUumljAtA" height="1" width="1"/>
Viewers probably think they have an inkling - a bit like New Tricks, with more swearing and no jaunty theme tune.

The saga of three ageing coppers dragged out of retirement and asked to get to grips with concepts like DNA and political correctness is popular.

The last series topped the ratings - and the first episode in the new run does not mess with a winning formula.

The plot proves that young, glamorous detectives don't have the monopoly on being hard-living mavericks.

Brian Lane (Alun Armstrong) was admitted to a rehab clinic run by monks, at the insistence of his heroically long-suffering wife Esther (Susan Jameson).

Even when cut off from the outside world, he couldn't conquer an addiction to sleuthing. When one of the staff let slip about a death at the centre nine years earlier, he called in UCOS.

Sandra Pullman (Amanda Redman) decided it would harm his treatment to let him take on the case himself.

She apparently couldn't see any problem in letting Gerry (Dennis Waterman) go undercover as a sex addict.

That wasn't the only implausibility - the whole case hinged on the huge coincidence of a patient identifying one of the monks as a war criminal.

New Tricks relies on a cracking cast, who were all on top form - even if guest stars Fay Ripley and Richard Wilson were a little under-used - and a skilful mix of drama and comedy.

They may not learn new tricks, but it's good to have the old dogs back. 4/5

]]>6f26491ad59578c8f90c3f6f5280fca4http://feeds.teletext.co.uk/~r/entertainment/tv-plus/tvreviews/~3/5kHUumljAtA/New+Tricks+returns+with+style.aspxhttp://www.teletext.co.uk/tvplus/tvreviews/6f26491ad59578c8f90c3f6f5280fca4/New+Tricks+returns+with+style.aspxhttp://www.teletext.co.uk/tvplus/tvreviews/6f26491ad59578c8f90c3f6f5280fca4/New+Tricks+returns+with+style.aspxWhat did YOU think of New Tricks? Were you convinced the storyline was plausible? Did you work out who the murderer was?<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/entertainment/tv-plus/tvreviews/~4/hLEVUNDYxmo" height="1" width="1"/>
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Next review: Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11 aired on Mon 20 at 10.30pm.

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