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Evenin' All - Page 2

© Allan Lee

'The Sweeney' began in 1975, taking its title from cockney rhyming slang for the Flying Squad - Sweeney Todd - which was shot on film for as little as possible. The documentary quality of the footage made it look very realistic, and the complex characters of the two heroes were superbly portrayed by John Thaw and Dennis Waterman. The show had sex, violence and language which would curl the wallpaper, and was the subject of continuing attacks from moral guardians. Which only made the series more successful, and laid the groundwork for "The Bill", also made by Thames, and also purporting to be the most realistic depiction yet of life on the beat.

'The Bill' started in 1984, and attracted instant antagonism from the authorities. Police officers who saw the previews refused to attend the launch party, and Scotland Yard complained that policemen were shown as racist, liars, cheats and bullies. And sometimes all at once. The problem of a series that runs twice a week in prime time with a constantly changing cast is that eventually, you run out of actors. One friend of mine - who now works as a radio presenter in New Zealand - appeared in the show no less than four times, as four completely different people.

Surely the pinnacle of all British TV cop shows is Inspector Morse. John Thaw played the title role, his trusty assistant was Kevin Whateley, and the two actors brought life and intelligence to the deftly written tales of Colin Dexter. Set in Oxford, the series was made originally by Zenith for Central TV, who passed the torch to Carlton TV for the final films in the series. Barrington Pheloung's haunting theme music - which spells out Morse's name in Morse code - is particularly memorable. The 33rd - and last - film in the series, "The Remorseful Day" ends with the death of Morse.

What makes British cop shows different to ones that originate elsewhere? That's not an easy question to answer. There are obvious differences - for instance, there is more of an emphasis on routine, day-to-day work in programmes like "The Bill" or "Z-Cars" than there is in "Miami Vice". Can you imagine Crocker and Tubbs taking time out from the latest drugs raid to check up on a shoplifting case at the local corner shop? There is more emphasis on characterisation and motivation as well. The complex characters of Inspector Morse or Charlie Barlow would sit uncomfortably in an all-action episode of "Starsky and Hutch". It's interesting that modern US cop shows - "CSI" and "Special Victims Unit" have complex, densely written scripts that delve deep into the characters of the heroes - have followed a similar route. In the end, I suspect the difference is that British TV still relies on good writing, whatever the genre, because it cannot afford the gloss that disguises a shoddy script in some Hollywood efforts. At the same time, it cannot afford the sheer production quality that drips from every frame of series like "Colombo" or "Hill Street Blues" because that kind of money is simply not available.

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