TV review: Legends is a bit clunky, but it's brilliant casting and story had me engrossed

It's easy to get engrossed with the story, thanks to some brilliant casting

The best thing about Legends is that it only cares about characters and plot. Picture: Netflix/Sally Mais

I really like Legends (Netflix). Based on actual events, this six-part drama has Steve Coogan as Don, a former undercover agent, now heading up a small team of recruits from UK customs tasked with infiltrating heroin smugglers in 1990s Britain. The first 30 minutes is the recruitment process as a group of customs officials that responded to a poster saying ‘Could You Give More’ are bussed to a run-down mansion in Yorkshire. Anyone who asks about overtime or seems inclined to follow official procedure is sent home.

The chosen few, three agents, are split between London and Liverpool, the sum total of the government’s much touted war on heroin. (We even see real footage of Maggie Thatcher promising to spend big to defeat the dealers.)