Another offering from the great All 4 service Walter Presents, this Swiss drama is all about a high stakes poker game that takes place on New Year’s Eve; it is soon revealed that surveillance is taking place and that a USB stick containing important information will be traded at some point during the game. Through flashbacks, we get to learn more about each player and of course, nothing is as it first seemed.

What’s great about this series is that there is plenty of mystery/intrigue and through its leisurely pace and carefully thought out camerawork, we are constantly interested in what is happening on screen, always waiting for the next development. The flashbacks are also successful in gradually providing more pieces of the puzzle; every episode we learn a little bit more and over its 10 episode run, we eventually see the bigger picture.

The story is certainly interesting and develops nicely through the episodes. In virtually every instalment, there is a dramatic twist or turn and the endings almost always left me wanting more, greatly helped by a very brief “next time . . .” after the closing credits.

The series is also very stylish and those scenes at the poker table are always appealing to look at. The opening theme tune is also excellent and perfectly sets up the cool, stylish atmosphere of the series, I loved it from the very first listen.

However, the final episode seemed like a bit of a damp squib, since there was no incredibly exciting conclusion and it all pretty much ends on a cliffhanger, setting up another series, of which there probably won’t be since this was a 2010 series and that implies that they won’t be doing a follow-up any time soon. This would probably be for the best, since I don’t think that the series could work outside the poker suite.

As a side note, I’m fascinated by all the different countries that are represented by Walter Presents; the programmes that I’ve seen have come from Germany (Deutchland 83), France (Spin), Denmark (Heartless), Sweden (Blue Eyes), Switzerland (10) and Spain (Locked Up) – plus Argentina for Pure Evil, but I gave up on that series! There is actually a Polish series starting this week – maybe I’ll add that to my list!

Anyway, back to 10 . . .

Stylish, tense and compelling, 10 is an intelligent, expertly crafted drama. It slowly adds pieces to the puzzle and is constantly intriguing.

★ ★ ★ ★