Series synopsis
Traffic Cops is a British documentary television series that premiered on 5 on November 14, 2016. It stars Jamie Theakston.
An action-packed documentary series following Yorkshire-based law enforcers. Originally shown by the BBC (2003-2016), this is the new reboot format of the show and was titled "All New Traffic Cops" for two series. It was renamed again in 2018 as "Traffic Cops: On the Edge" and then as "Traffic Cops".
Premise
An action-packed documentary series following Yorkshire-based law enforcers. Originally shown by the BBC (2003-2016), this is the new reboot format of the show and was titled "All New Traffic Cops" for two series. It was renamed again in 2018 as "Traffic Cops: On the Edge" and then as "Traffic Cops".
Cast and characters
Leading cast
- Jamie Theakston as Presenter
Episodes
This series spans 20 seasons with 270 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 0 | 1 | December 1, 2025 | December 1, 2025 |
| Season 1 | 7 | November 14, 2016 | January 30, 2017 |
| Season 2 | 4 | January 21, 2016 | December 7, 2017 |
| Season 3 | 7 | November 14, 2016 | January 30, 2017 |
| Season 4 | 21 | March 20, 2017 | December 7, 2017 |
| Season 5 | 6 | May 29, 2018 | March 2, 2020 |
| Season 6 | 15 | August 6, 2018 | November 12, 2018 |
| Season 7 | 7 | July 15, 2020 | July 15, 2020 |
| Season 8 | 13 | September 2, 2019 | July 26, 2021 |
| Season 9 | 23 | July 15, 2020 | July 26, 2021 |
| Season 10 | 12 | November 22, 2021 | February 7, 2022 |
| Season 11 | 11 | February 14, 2022 | May 8, 2023 |
| Season 12 | 20 | January 2, 2023 | March 31, 2025 |
| Season 13 | 33 | December 11, 2023 | March 31, 2025 |
| Season 14 | 16 | October 6, 2025 | June 5, 2026 |
| Season 15 | 7 | November 14, 2016 | January 30, 2017 |
| Season 16 | 21 | March 20, 2017 | December 7, 2017 |
| Season 17 | 6 | May 29, 2018 | July 24, 2018 |
| Season 18 | 16 | August 6, 2018 | March 20, 2019 |
| Season 19 | 24 | July 29, 2019 | March 9, 2020 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Traffic Cops: Over the Limit Cops clamp down on young drivers and repeat offenders losing control while drink driving, putting lives in danger, including a suspected drink driver speeding at 100mph. |
December 1, 2025 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Episode 1 A convicted drug dealer leads the team on a 140mph chase. |
November 14, 2016 |
| 2 |
Episode 2 A teenage driver leads the cops on a high-speed chase. |
November 21, 2016 |
| 3 |
Episode 3 A driver leads the cops on a 35-minute tarmac odyssey. |
November 28, 2016 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Deals on Wheels | January 21, 2016 |
| 2 | Drivers Behaving Badly | January 28, 2016 |
| 3 | The Ripple Effect | February 4, 2016 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Episode 1 | November 14, 2016 |
| 2 | Episode 2 | November 21, 2016 |
| 3 | Episode 3 | November 28, 2016 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Episode 1: Under Attack Can the cops stop a nighttime riot from breaking out in Bradford? |
March 20, 2017 |
| 2 |
Episode 2: Under Attack In Bradford there's a high-octane chase through a housing estate. |
March 27, 2017 |
| 3 |
Episode 3: Under Attack A driver causes carnage to make sure his takeaway stays hot. |
April 3, 2017 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Drug Busts Special | May 29, 2018 |
| 2 | Episode 2 | June 5, 2018 |
| 3 | Episode 3 | June 12, 2018 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Episode 1 | August 6, 2018 |
| 2 | Episode 2 | August 13, 2018 |
| 3 | Episode 3 | August 20, 2018 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Episode 1 Alex and Jason chase down a gang of teenage suspects on foot through a housing estate. |
July 15, 2020 |
| 2 |
Episode 2 Derbyshire's finest crack down on lawbreakers under the age of 25, including a 21-year-old three times over the limit and a 17-year-old who nicked his mother's car. |
July 29, 2019 |
| 3 |
Episode 3 A gang operating across the midlands are thought to have raided more than twenty three cash machines, netting one and a half million pounds. |
August 5, 2019 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Episode 1 In 2017-18, there were 27 fatal police-related road traffic incidents, resulting in 29 fatalities. Last year nearly 500 police vehicles were destroyed in crashes. |
September 2, 2019 |
| 2 |
Episode 2 Action-packed observational documentary series with Jamie Theakston. Jason stops a drugged-up driver who does 70 mph in a 30 zone to try and evade capture. |
September 9, 2019 |
| 3 |
Episode 3 Derbyshire's Road Crime Unit uses intelligence and surveillance tactics to crack down on suspected drug dealers. The team receives some intelligence about a man suspected of ferrying drugs into the county using a relative's car. After boxing the car to a stop, a struggle breaks out between the driver and road crime cop Nick Lovatt, and the suspect is forcibly cuffed and detained. |
March 8, 2021 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Episode 1 The return of the programme offering an insight into the work of officers patrolling the roads of Derbyshire. PC Chris Ryan follows a car that triggered an alert on the police's ANPR system as it was linked to a spate of catalytic converter thefts, while Sgt Steve Hughes is working with HMRC to track down and stop a vehicle that is suspected of carrying illicit cash. |
July 15, 2020 |
| 2 |
Episode 2 Matt joins a high-speed pursuit of a wanted man across two counties. Andy receives some intel on a car linked to a wanted suspect, which leads to the arrest of its four occupants. |
July 22, 2020 |
| 3 |
Episode 3 Dave McAllister is one of a team of officers on the M1 pursuing a stolen HGV, but only after its tyres are punctured with a stinger does the lorry come to a halt. A call comes into Derbyshire police HQ about a stolen motorhome. and Its owner has a live tracker on the vehicle and is giving constant updates to the control room of its position. |
July 29, 2020 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Worse For Wear The return of the programme offering an insight into the work of officers patrolling the roads of Derbyshire. PC Chris Ryan follows a car that triggered an alert on the police's ANPR system as it was linked to a spate of catalytic converter thefts, while Sgt Steve Hughes is working with HMRC to track down and stop a vehicle that is suspected of carrying illicit cash |
November 22, 2021 |
| 2 |
Episode 2 PC Karl Jackson is called to an accident in which two people have died, and his priority is to cordon off the area, collect early witness statements and begin the sad task of trying to identify the victims so their relatives can be informed. PC Paul Barker attends an incident in which a car has spun and crashed and finds an empty can of beer on the floor of the car involved |
November 29, 2021 |
| 3 |
Episode 3 Dave McAllister is one of a team of officers on the M1 pursuing a stolen HGV, but only after its tyres are punctured with a stinger does the lorry come to a halt. A call comes into Derbyshire police HQ about a stolen motorhome. and Its owner has a live tracker on the vehicle and is giving constant updates to the control room of its position |
December 13, 2021 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Episode 1 On the edge of the Peak District a violent attack on a tradesman is captured on CCTV. On the M1, a gang of young men seen on CCTV breaking into the heavy good vehicles are arrested for going equipped to steal. |
February 14, 2022 |
| 2 |
Episode 2 Cops are on the hunt for stolen cars, and a traffic cop ends up on a 100-mile chase down the M1. Officers pursue a stolen car being driven by a wanted prolific criminal, police in Yorkshire spot a stolen van. |
February 21, 2022 |
| 3 |
Episode 3 During a busy spring bank holiday, the traffic cops deal with the effects of drink and drugs. A dangerous drunk driver leads traffic cops on a 20 minute chase through busy areas; a drunk driving dangerously weaves down a busy dual carriageway. |
February 28, 2022 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Episode 1 The traffic cops clamp down on young drivers causing danger on North Yorkshire's roads. In the Yorkshire Dales, the traffic cops hunt down a young man believed to be drug driving and who's failed to stop in a suspected stolen car. |
January 2, 2023 |
| 2 |
Episode 2 In North Yorkshire, a tip-off leads to a major drugs bust for the traffic cops. Plus, the traffic cops race to intercept a wanted man linked to an alleged assault on a woman. |
January 9, 2023 |
| 3 | Episode 3 | January 17, 2023 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Episode 1 Ten police units from two forces pursuing a gang of car thieves, plus a helicopter joins another suspect hunt. |
December 11, 2023 |
| 2 |
Episode 2 Police endeavours to tackle drunk or drug drivers. |
December 18, 2023 |
| 3 |
Episode 3 Following police facing the daily challenge of catching car thieves. |
December 27, 2023 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Episode 1 Drivers under 25 are four times more likely to be seriously injured or killed in a crash. In this episode, Derbyshire traffic cops deal with young and dangerous motorists putting lives at risk. |
October 6, 2025 |
| 2 |
Episode 2 With reoffending rates on the rise in the UK, Traffic Cops are increasingly faced with seasoned criminals, experienced at evading the law, including a suspected cloned car. |
October 15, 2025 |
| 3 |
Episode 3 Officers go on the lookout for a suspected stolen van, driven by an unlicensed and uninsured driver. As several units, including firearms officers, hunt for the van, it races past, leading them on a high-speed pursuit along narrow country lanes. |
October 22, 2025 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Episode 1 A convicted drug dealer leads the team on a 140mph chase. |
November 14, 2016 |
| 2 |
Episode 2 The traffic cops of West Yorkshire take action against a teenage driver after he leads them on a high-speed chase across Leeds' Roundhay Park. And when they're not chasing down teenage tearaways the traffic cops face a battle to keep up with uninsured drivers. |
November 21, 2016 |
| 3 |
Episode 3 One uninsured driver leads the cops on a 35-minute tarmac odyssey, and another flees the scene of a rush hour smash, earning a full-scale investigation for his trouble. |
November 28, 2016 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Episode 1 The criminal underworld come to life at nighttime, as a high-speed pursuit in Bradford shows. Can the cops stop a riot from breaking out? An apparent routine stop ends up requiring specialist firearms support. |
March 20, 2017 |
| 2 |
Episode 2 In Bradford there's a high-octane chase through a housing estate, a cocky petrol thief tries every trick in the book to wiggle free and Yorkshire's back roads have their peace disturbed by two cars carrying gun-toting drug dealers. |
March 27, 2017 |
| 3 |
Episode 3 A driver nearly causes carnage to make sure his takeaway stays hot, a large cannabis stash is found at the scene of a crash, and a drunk driver gets caught short. |
April 3, 2017 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Drugs Bust Special Sgt Mick Roffe leads a raid on a club to catch some drug dealers, traffic cops pursue a car in Harrogate they believe is being used by suppliers of class A's, and a suspect tries to ditch some evidence on the A1. |
May 29, 2018 |
| 2 |
Episode 2 A silver Astra leads Dan on a 100mph chase down the A1M before U-turning into oncoming traffic. An unlicensed teen tries to deny being the driver of a racing BMW, but Rich is not fooled. |
June 4, 2018 |
| 3 |
Episode 3 Focusing on shoplifters, Julian pursues the users of a getaway car that crashed, James arrests the same man twice, and Lauren pulls over an organised gang of thieves only for one of them to collapse of a heroin overdose. |
June 25, 2018 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Episode 1 Following the work of the North Yorkshire Police as they take on the big city drug gangs invading their patch from Leeds, Liverpool and Manchester. On the outskirts of York, officers pull over a car that has made a 150-mile round trip into North Yorkshire from Leeds, with four suspects taken into custody after cannabis is found in the car. Read less |
August 6, 2018 |
| 2 |
Episode 2 This edition focuses on North Yorkshire Police targeting crossborder criminals, with a fifth of theft and drug dealing committed by crooks from outside the area. Sergeant Paul is on high alert after a stolen car linked to a recent suspected firearms incident is spotted on his patch, while in Scarborough PC Dan is on the hunt for criminals in a 4x4 who have allegedly been stealing vans - and it is not long before he becomes embroiled in an off-road pursuit. |
August 13, 2018 |
| 3 |
Episode 3 This edition focuses on officers cracking down on abuse, trafficking and exploitation. In York, Sgt Mick leads early morning raids on two men suspected of exploiting and intimidating young teenage girls through the production of explicit images and videos, while Sgt Julian discovers seven illegal immigrants in the back of a lorry at Wetherby services recently arrived from the continent. |
August 27, 2018 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Episode 1 Jamie Theakston returns with the programme offering insight into the life of officers patrolling the nation's roads, this time following officers from Derbyshire, with this edition focusing on lawbreakers under the age of 25. Near Ripley, an uninsured van fails to stop, forcing officers into a dangerous off-road pursuit, while Nick and Ant lead their team on a mission to catch a suspected drug dealer. |
July 29, 2019 |
| 2 |
Episode 2 Derbyshire officers target violent gangs ram-raiding cash machines, with criminals using hydraulic power cutters and saws to cut the ATMs out, gas pumped into the cash slots to blow them up, or heavy construction vehicles to smash them out of the walls. Meanwhile, Sgt Adrian is called to a report of an attempted burglary and Vicky is alerted to a suspected stolen car with fake plates on the M1. |
August 5, 2019 |
| 3 |
Episode 3 Sgt Matt heads a team in pursuit of a teenage driver transporting stolen goods in a 7.5-ton truck, with the desperate youth ramming three police cars, almost running over an officer, and driving the wrong way up a dual carriageway before abandoning the vehicle and running off. |
August 12, 2019 |
Production
Release
| Original network/platform | 5 |
|---|---|
| First aired | November 14, 2016 |
| Last aired | May 1, 2026 |
| Runtime | 45 minutes |
| Status | continue |
| Schedule | Friday at 20:00:00 |