David Cameron referred to the term "Broken Britain" during his time as leader of the Conservative Party and the run up to the 2010 general election. In the last decade or so, a lot of British movies set in London tower blocks have made reference to feral gangs, an underclass beyond the reach of the law. Just look at movies like Harry Brown from 2009.
This episode written by the creator of The Bill, Geoff McQueen shows that Broken Britain existed right in the middle of the much vaunted Thatcherism decade.
A teenage lad drops his girlfriend off in a tower block and is attacked by a gang who demand payment. They superglue him inside a lift. When the lad's brother finds out, he goes to take revenge on the gang.
When Carver and Ackland try to restrain the brother, Ackland's clothes are torn off.
At least Carver wants to do something about the aimless kids in the estate. He wants to restart a youth club hta existed. The man who used to run it though seems to be nervous around the police.
Galloway and Roach are investigating a series of child attacks. That leads Roach back to the same estate.
A gritty and unnerving episode. There is a terrific fight sequence featuring the actor Bruce Payne. You can also spot June Brown as an unhinged mother.