If TV ratings bore any relation to the critical plaudits a show has received, then The Wire would be the most-watched programme in the world by a country mile (instead, mystifyingly, that title is currentlyheld by CSI).

The ornate, intricately interwoven Baltimore-set drama has been described as “the best TV show since the invention of radio” (The Guardian), “the closest that moving pictures have come so far to the depth and nuance of the novel” (New York Times) and “the best series on TV, period” (Entertainment Weekly), and yet, criminally, it remains one of TV’s best-kept secrets, a hidden treasure watched and revered by a tiny but devoted audience.

The fifth and final series begins on FX at 10pm next Monday, 21 July, and, starting today, we’re going to be posting throughout the week, looking back at some of the best moments from the previous four series and previewing the new run.

Who knows? Maybe we’ll be able to persuade some of you who have yet to fall under its spell to give it a go. One thing’s for certain: if you do, you certainly won’t be disappointed.

Anyway, I shan’t blather on any more. To get us started, let’s take a quick trip down memory lane with these snappy one-minute video recaps of the first four series…

Series 1

Series 2

Series 3

Series 4

• Click here to read all our Countdown to series 5 of The Wire posts