When Elvis Costello penned his song ‘Watching the Detectives’, I wonder if he had an individual in mind or was exploring a facet of the British people. Our television screens have been home to Police dramas since the early 1960’s and the Inspector (technically a Detective Inspector) has often been one of the key roles within each successive series. Certainly the British public’s taste for crime drama seems to be second to none and if no new series is available, a rerun of old episodes will still attract large audiences – I wonder how many times now Inspector Morse has solved the mystery of the Dead of Jericho?
One of the earliest police dramas that I can recall watching was Z-Cars in the early 1960’s (although I did see some Dixon of Dock Green as well). A BBC series, it produced the excellent Inspector Barlow played by Stratford Johns alongside Sergeant John Watt (Frank Windsor). Both would gain promotion for the spin off series Softly Softly. Z-Cars and Softly Softly were both perhaps a little stilted in their portrayal of police operations, often showing the police in a manner that was too good to be true for many members of the public whilst some police officers apparently felt that the series were unsympathetic to them in their characterisations.
If the police were unhappy with Z-Cars, I wonder what they made of The Sweeney when it came out. This was a portrayal of a very different area of policing – The Flying Squad – and it brought adrenaline powered violence and law-bending to the tv copper. The lead was Inspector Regan (John Thaw) with Sergeant George Carter (Dennis Waterman). The banter combined with car chases and fights with villains made for a series that really had a buzz – a series that is still showing repeats on daytime tv 40 years later. Perhaps that is the measure of how far ahead of its time the series was in the degree of realism (and sometimes exaggeration) it brought to the small screen. The cars may have changed but the themes are as relevant now as they were then.
So, the role of the TV inspector has moved from the rumbustuous Barlow through the violent Regan to the deep thinking Morse; to the very human Lewis and Gently. But the fans have stayed with the plot throughout – picking up and watching each series that is offered. That so many of these series’ are repeated time after time is a testimony to the acting and production effort put into them. But it also tells you how much us Brit’s love a murder mystery, especially if it is convoluted and the lead Inspector is a character in their own right. Manchester United v Liverpool on a Sunday afternoon vs a Morse Re-run? No contest – Morse every time!
I will mention one non-British ‘Inspector’ – in truth a Lieutenant – Colombo… Ever popular over here and still re-running episodes 🙂
2e0mca.uk 
Leave a reply to 2e0mca Cancel reply