Criminal Record star Cush Jumbo has opened up about receiving “amazing” feedback from serving police detectives for the gritty Apple TV crime drama.
The actor plays DS June Lenker in the hit series, co-starring opposite Doctor Who alum Peter Capaldi as seasoned veteran DCI Daniel Hegarty. The pair work on highly sensitive and urgent cases, the latest of which concerns a far-right extremist group.
Speaking to Radio Times at an Apple TV event ahead of the BAFTA TV Awards 2026, Jumbo revealed that she “loves” getting stuck into June’s action sequences – but beyond the thrills, she argues it’s an important step for portraying the character.
“I think it helps you to understand that there are real people out there doing these jobs, so you have to physically understand it before you can play it,” she explained.
The actor, also known for Vera and The Good Fight, revealed that she’d received positive feedback from real detectives regarding the authenticity of her portrayal.
“The main thing to remember about this job is that most of them go home and are not allowed to talk about it to their partners, to their families,” continued Jumbo.
“If you are working in police situations where you’re dealing with very sensitive cases, you have no one to share it with apart from your team members – and some of those team members work alone, like June does.”
She added: “It’s been nice to hear from people being like, ‘You’re literally reflecting my experience and I don’t even get to talk to anybody about it’.”
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Criminal Record is currently ranking among the most popular shows on Apple TV in the UK, with Jumbo admitting her own mother was ecstatic to see the show beating stiff competition from the likes of Jon Hamm’s Your Friends & Neighbours.
Nevertheless, there has been no confirmation of a third season just yet. So what did Jumbo have to say on that front? “We would love it, but it’s not up to us!”
Criminal Record season 2 is airing weekly on Apple TV, up until the season finale on Wednesday 10 June. Dustin Demri-Burns (Slow Horses), Luca Pasqualino (Rivals) and Luther Ford (Black Doves) also feature in the Criminal Record cast.
Criminal Record is available to stream on Apple TV. Season 2 episodes drop weekly. Start your seven day free Apple TV trial at Apple.
Check out more of our Comedy coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
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Authors
David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.
