I certainly wouldn't mess with Hannah Waddingham, would you? She is tough enough as the Richmond AFC owner in Ted Lasso but that's nothing compared to her character in Ride Or Die. Before the opening credits have even rolled in Prime Video's new high-voltage comedy thriller she has stabbed someone, escaped via a Bond-style ski chase and shagged someone. 

 

Waddingham plays Judith aka Whiptail, a deadly veteran assassin who pretends to be a forensic accountant, not that we ever see her sitting behind a desk adding up columns of figures. Instead she's very much a full-on globetrotting action woman with a fast car and a suitcase full of Day of the Jackal-esque fake IDs.

 

Her best friend, meanwhile, is Debbie, played by Octavia Spencer, who does not quite have the same superhero qualities, although she does park her car very impressively when we first see her, exiting via the passenger window. Spencer's husband David (Jamie Parker) is a fast-rising MP and she is the power behind the throne (keep an eye out for comedian Adam Riches as a fellow politician).

 

Maybe I missed something but despite being long-time best friends, Debbie doesn't seem to know about Whiptail's other life. Or at least she doesn't at the start. Debbie does have her own issues though. Having helped her husband rise through the Westminster ranks he announces that he wants a divorce. Where will this leave Debbie?

 

While the two female leads have great chemistry Waddingham is easily the stand out star. The opening episode sometimes feels more like an extended audition for James Bond than a thriller in its own right. She can get out of any scrape, always gets the job done and, of course, never has a hair out of place. She is perma-glamorous and funny too. 

 

The only trouble is that she is a bit of a maverick and her boss Sam (Calam Lynch) thinks it might be time for her to hang up her holster. Whiptail of course is having none of it, as we soon see. The show might have its corny, derivative moments, but it will also have you hooked. And with Waddingham in the saddle Ride or Die is a hell of a ride.