The Capture season 3 review: The best thriller on TV returns to provide Holliday Grainger's finest hour

When I was watching the first three episodes of The Capture season 3 that have thus far been provided for press, I started worrying about the then-upcoming release of the show's trailer.

A strange thing to worry about, I know, but so genuinely shocking, gripping and explosive were the twists and turns across the season's first three hours, that I grew concerned that the marketing would have to spoil them, ridding viewers of the glee I got out of witnessing them completely fresh.

Thankfully, having now seen the trailer for season 3, I feel reassured that fans can enter the new episodes spoiler-free – and boy will they want to.

Because the best thriller on TV is back, back with a bang as it goes more ridiculous, but also more propulsive and mind-bending than ever before.

Given my aforementioned fear of spoiling things, I will be brief in describing the plot. All I will say is what the BBC has also said – that the season starts one year on from the end of season 2 and finds Holliday Grainger's Rachel Carey now as the acting commander of Counter Terrorism Command.

In her new role, Carey is behind a new programme called Operation Veritas, a system of cameras designed to detect deepfakes and correction as it happens in real time.

However, she soon finds herself drawn into a conspiracy when an exceptionally well-coordinated act of terror is executed and leaves behind just one witness.

Now, I have to confess something up top – I have something of a bias towards The Capture, or at least, I appear to.

That is not to say I have some sort of connection to the production, the cast or the crew which makes my opinion invalid. I just appear to be captivated by it more than the average viewer.

Coming away from both the first and second seasons, I have felt the urge to shout from the rooftops how incredible this show is, how eerily prescient and accurate its exploration of tech is and how propulsive its thriller elements are.

In response, there are plenty who also love the show, but also plenty more who simply like it. They think it's good TV, but don't seem to have the same reverence for it or hold it on the same level of esteem.

Therefore, for any readers who liked but didn't love the first two seasons of The Capture, I will tell you now that I doubt there will be much difference in your response this time around.

This season hews closely to what made the first two runs successful, and does so brilliantly. It still has that real sense of pace that was palpable in the first two seasons.

When a mystery comes up, it will either be solved fairly quickly, or a new spanner will be quickly thrown into the works to complicate things. It's something a lot of thrillers could learn from, all those shows which pad out their runtime with so little resolution or forward momentum.

Beyond that aspect though, The Capture still has a number of other aces up its sleeve which make it exceptional TV, particularly this time around.

It still has a real urgency and a contemporary feel to it that so many other shows strive for and fail to reach. One might have thought that the topic of deepfakes may have become stale, irrelevant or over-explored, but it has only become more relevant as time has gone on, and the tech itself become more disturbingly powerful. That means the show is able to push the boundaries even further, in truly unexpected directions.

It also touches on other areas of contemporary life, some of which viewers might have thought the series wouldn't dare to tread. In doing so, it continues to prove that it's a series not resting on its laurels, but one that is continuing to explore new avenues and is always trying to surprise audiences and best itself.

Now, the secrecy around this season is so tight that we actually don't even know who the majority of the new stars this season are playing, with the characters remaining under wraps.

Therefore, all I will say at this juncture is that they are all putting in terrific performances, particularly Killian Scott.

However, more important to recognise is the performance that Holliday Grainger is giving here. She has been in this role since the very start of the series back in 2019, and has been doing terrific work throughout.

This, though, is her finest hour. The story this time around puts her right at the centre of things in a way she has always been due, meaning that even while other returnees such as Paapa Essiedu, Indira Varma and Ron Perlman are continuing to shine, she is clearly the actor asked the most of in her role this time around, and she delivers.

Things get truly personal for her in this season, and she has to run the gamut of emotions – at once being both terrified, yet also terrifying, and the real force that the character has always been when pushed into a corner.

There will be a lot more to say about all of this once the first few episodes have been released. It is a relief to see that the BBC has gone for a weekly release schedule rather than a binge drop – this is a season which will inspire a ton of weekly speculation, in the way some of the best thrillers and mystery shows of the past have, but which few rarely get the chance to do now.

Of course, as has already been noted, I have only seen the first three episodes at this point. Given that the series hinges on mysteries, which of course rely upon successful resolutions, my feelings towards the season could be turned completely upside down if the landing isn't stuck come episode 6.

This is especially true given that creator Ben Chanan has teased that this could well be The Capture's final outing – a disappointing yet unsurprising decision, and perhaps the best thing lest the series run out of creative road.

Still, at this point it is firing on all cylinders and operating in the way all the best thrillers do. The plot is absolutely preposterous, but in a way which makes you startled by the show's audacity, rather than questioning its believability.

The action is once again thrilling, the visuals are stunningly realised and that absolute bop of a theme tune remains one of the best around right now.

I, personally, will be fascinated to see the wider reaction to this season – from fans, casual viewers and those who have never seen the series before, alike.

Here's hoping a few more may convert to my way of thinking. I'll personally be desperate to see the remaining episodes all the same.

The Capture season 3 will begin on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Sunday 8 March 2026.

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