Scott & Bailey is an ITV crime drama. The series debuted on 29 May 2011, and stars Suranne Jones, Lesley Sharp, Amelia Bullmore, Danny Miller, Nicholas Gleaves, and Pippa Haywood. Main cast and characters Overview Rachel Bailey Rachel Bailey (Suranne Jones) is an Acting Detective Inspector (A/DI) and the ranking officer within the Syndicate 9 Major Incident Team. A career woman, Rachel was aged 32 during series two. Since joining the Manchester Metropolitan Police in 2001, Rachel has earned the nickname "Sherlock" for her deductive and investigative skills. It was these skills that led to Rachel joining MIT in 2010, and her subsequent swift promotion from Detective Constable during the show's fourth series. Her personal life, however, is fraught with self-destructive (even childish) behaviour and strained family relationships that tend to adversely affect her work. In Series 3 she marries former flame PC Sean McCartney, but soon realises it was a mistake and has a fling with DC Kevin Lumb, which causes tension with Janet. After a rocky start, she started to take her new role as Sergeant in her stride with Gill telling her she was proud of her. During the fifth series, Rachel will return to Syndicate 9 following a Vice secondment in London. In this capacity, Rachel is promoted to Acting Detective Inspector. Janet Scott Janet Scott (Lesley Sharp) is Rachel Bailey's working partner and close friend. She is a quick-witted, friendly and long-standing member of the team. Janet was 46 at the start of the series and attended Bruche alongside Andy Roper in 1982. She is more logical, and finds satisfaction in her job, and refusing repeated offers for promotion. Lesley Sharp describes her as "a woman who is at the top of her game in a job but who has deliberately chosen to stay in what appears to be one of the lower ranks" instead of progressing to a more senior position. Her marriage to Adrian disintegrates as the series progresses, which leads to an impulsive affair with DS Andy Roper before she breaks it off. She was inspired to join the police after the unsolved murder of her childhood friend Veronica Hastings, which she finally solves near the end of series one. In series three, Janet is promoted to Acting Detective Sergeant. In series four, she is once again given the opportunity for promotion, but declines. Janet joined MIT in 2009, after a career