Lynda La Plante finds shows such as 'Line of Duty' and 'Unforgotten' "preposterous".
Lynda La Plante
The 78-year-old author and screenwriter created the 'Prime Suspect' TV series but revealed that she is not a fan of police drama series and prefers to indulge in true crime.
Asked if she is a fan of either of the programmes, Lynda told The Independent newspaper: “No.
"I find the dramatic licence preposterous. So I’m not interested. I watch a lot of true crime because for me that is far more informative."
The writer admits that she dislikes the violence and finds the youthful ages of some of the officers to be unrealistic.
She explained: "You think – how can you be a DCI at your age? They are far too young. It’s a very high rank. You need a lot of experience."
Lynda explained that she wanted Dame Helen Mirren to be cast as Detective Chief Inspector Jane Tennison in 'Prime Suspect' - which ran between 1991 and 2006 - because she was the appropriate age for the role.
She said: "The whole point of it was to get somebody the right age. Helen [Mirren] was in her 40s. You can’t get to be a detective chief inspector in plain clothes at 22 and 23."
Lynda recently suggested that she hoped Helen would be prepared to reprise the role of Tennison one last time for a revival of 'Prime Suspect'.
She said:"I'm working on it. I'd love it for the screen. I'd love to meet Helen and say, 'Come back now. One more time, Helen.'
"She's so hugely successful, and such a big movie star now. I keep in touch with her, but mostly on a 'congratulatory' basis."