The headlines announcing BBC1's new drama say it all. 'The nick of time' and 'Holby's arresting arrival'. For those who don't get the joke, they're referring to television's latest police show.

"Oh no, not another cop drama," I hear you shout. Or even, "Oh no, not another spin-off from Casualty".

The BBC is allowing creator and producer Tony Jordan, a veteran EastEnders scriptwriter, to use the name of its popular Holby brand in his cop show.

It began with Casualty, and then moved from A&E onto the wards for Holby City. Holby Blue - the clue is in the title - goes on the beat with the police team based at Holby South.

All the talk about Holby Blue being tougher and grittier than its hospital-set TV bedmates is somewhat undermined by the casting. You could be forgiven for looking at them and thinking that it's the same familiar faces, with a mix of veteran actors, ex-soap stars and people you vaguely know from something you've seen on the box.

EastEnders' Little Mo Slater (Kacey Ainsworth) is now an ambitious inspector and Footballers' Wives bitch Tanya Turner (or Zoe Lucker if you want her proper name) is a civilian member of staff whose marriage to the resident maverick cop at Holby South is on the rocks.

He has problems on the job too, with newcomer sidekick Luke French, who's out for promotion when he's not at home trying to start a family. And from Jewel In The Crown, there's Tim Pigott-Smith as the old school DCI ruling the roost.

All the signs scream "soap", but Jordan is keen to say otherwise. As one of the people behind two other BBC hit series, Hustle and Life On Mars, he's at pains to point out that Holby Blue is not just another police series.

The Holby label may be misleading. "It's a tough brief as I certainly don't want to alienate the core audience who are used to Holby City and Casualty," he says. "And I don't think we will, even though this is a bit tougher and sexier than they might be used to.

"This is the first precinct cop series in the UK to be launched post 9/11, and the world is now a very different place from when The Bill was invented 20 or so years ago. Holby Blue is set very much right here, right now."

The pre-watershed 8pm time slot scheduled by the BBC1 makes you wonder exactly how tough and gritty it can be. But we're promised "it's the police show for this generation".

The BBC has put the first episode of the new show into Holby City's Tuesday slot. ITV1 has countered by scheduling a new episode of its very popular detective series Midsomer Murders against it.

Despite the Holby name, there will be minimal crossover with the other BBC series, although a trip to Holby General's A&E department - that's casualty with a big C - in the first episode means that Charlie Fairhead is able to make a brief appearance.

But the aim is for Holby Blue to stand alone. Those who don't follow Casualty or Holby City will still be able to understand what's going on.

The style of the newcomer is more NYPD Blue than The Bill, presumably taking the plod out of PC Plod. One director is quoted as saying: "We've pushed things in terms of sex, blood and the whole style." Not too far, I hope, remember it's before the watershed.

Despite the Holby connection, all three series are made in different parts of the country. Casualty is shot in Bristol and Holby City at Elstree studios, near London. Those looking for Holby South police station will have to go to Surrey where a former Ministry of Defence complex has been turned into a police station, with everything from cells to locker room.

The exterior of Holby police station is actually part of Brunel University. Even the fact that the set has been built in the Surrey countryside has had to be disguised as Holby South is an inner city station - so fake brick walls have been constructed to block out the hills around the set.

Holby Blue begins on BBC1 on Tuesday at 8pm.