BBC2 to show drugs crime drama "The Wire"

LONDON (Reuters) - The critically-acclaimed American crime drama "The Wire" is to be shown in full on BBC2, the publicly-funded broadcaster said on Thursday.

It will be the first time the hard-hitting Baltimore-set series has been shown on terrestrial television in Britain, although it has been broadcast to satellite subscribers.

The 60 episodes, starring British actor Dominic West as police officer James McNulty, will be shown on consecutive evenings across the week, with transmission dates to be announced soon.

The Guardian has described the hit HBO series as "the best thing on TV," while the Washington Post said it was "not just good, it's passionately good."

The series was created by former police reporter David Simon and includes collaborations from best-selling novelists George Pelecanos, Richard Price and Dennis Lehane.

The violent and obscenity-laden plot revolves around police investigations into drugs, murder and political corruption.

"The Wire is dystopic because it is about the part of America that got left behind," Simon told The Times last year. "We are a society with some dramatic schisms and it is a drama wholly set in a part of the country that has been economically, socially and politically isolated for generations now."

(Reporting by Tim Castle)