Softly, Softly: Taskforce

Softly, Softly (a spin off from Z-Cars) the popular BBC television police drama series, was revamped in 1969, partly to coincide with the coming of colour broadcasting to BBC 1. The main characters, Detective Chief Inspector Barlow (Stratford Johns) and Detective Inspector Watt (Frank Windsor) were promoted to control of 'taskforces', a new (at the time) development in regional police divisions wherein expertise and manpower could be drawn together when needed for special operations. Joining them from Softly, Softly would be DS Harry Hawkins (Norman Bowler), also on promotion. The stories were set in the fictional south-eastern English borough of Thamesford (played by the City of Rochester and the Medway area), where the team were under the baleful eye of Chief Constable Cullen (Walter Gotell).

The programme was due to be called Taskforce, but the BBC were reluctant to sacrifice a much-loved brand and so a compromise was reached; it became Softly, Softly: Taskforce.

The continuing storyline of the series saw Barlow widowed in 1972, after which he was head-hunted by the home office to work on special cases (this became the series Barlow at Large). This left the way clear for Watt to come out of Barlow's shadow and take command in his own right, with the reliable assistance of Hawkins.

Regulars included Terence Rigby as PC Snow (the dog handler, with his dogs Inky and Radar), David Lloyd Meredith (Sgt Evans) and Walter Gotell (Chief Con. Cullen). Notable guest actors appearing throughout the years included Windsor Davies, Kenneth Cranham, Tom Baker, Stephen Rea, Jack Shepherd, Michael Goodliffe, Jess Conrad, Geoffrey Palmer, John Woodvine, Denis Quilley, Peter Sallis, Patrick Troughton, Billy Murray, Lynne Frederick, James Grout, Calvin Lockhart, Edward Petherbridge, Michael Gambon, Richard Vernon, Bob Hoskins, Alun Armstrong, James Faulkner, John Duttine, Anne Stallybrass, Vivien Merchant, Mike Pratt, Diane Keen, Lesley Manville, George Sewell, Alan Lake, Charles Gray, Jill Gascoine, Martin Jarvis, Patricia Hayes, Thora Hird, Bill Nighy, Ralph Bates, George Baker, Robert Stephens, Nyree Dawn Porter and Nigel Stock.

By the mid-70s the show was beginning to look rather dated and drab alongside the new dynamic series appearing on the rival commercial channel (notably The Sweeney). With its increasing reliance on police procedural issues and squeaky-clean officers (with the odd 'rotten apple' for them to condemn), it began to look as stiff as Dixon of Dock Green had when its fore-runner Z-Cars had appeared to blow away the cobwebs. The final episode in 1976 ends with a sing-along around a piano - a far cry from the dynamic and edgy team of professionals we met in the first Softly, Softly ten years' earlier.

Barlow & Watt would still have one more spin-off outing, in Second Verdict, where they re-investigated historic cases. This was itself a spin-off from a 6-part series in 1973 which saw Barlow & Watt re-appraising the Jack the Ripper murders. Watt's final solo appearance was in the last ever Z-Cars in September 1978.

Series Run Down

• 1/ 20 Nov 1969 - 12 Mar 1970, 16 50min Colour episodes
• 2/ 16 Sept 1970 - 10 Mar 1971, 26 50min Colour episodes
• 3/ 6 Oct 1971 - 29 Mar 1972, 26 50min Colour episodes
• 4/ 13 Sept 1972 - 31 Jan 1973, 20 50min Colour episodes
• 5/ 12 Sept 1973 - 16 Jan 1974, 18 50min Colour episodes
• 6/ 4 Sept - 27 Nov 1974, 13 50min Colour episodes
• 7/ 27 Aug - 3 Dec 1975, 15 50min Colour episodes
• 8/ 8 Sept - 15 Dec 1976, 15 50min Colour episodes

Cast

• Stratford Johns — DCS Charlie Barlow (1969-1972 / Series 1-4 / 56 episodes)
• Frank Windsor — D Sup./DCS John Watt (1969-1976 / Series 1-8 / 123 episodes)
• Norman Bowler — Insp./DI/CI/DCI Harry Hawkins (1969-1976 / Series 1-8 / 113 episodes)
• Walter Gotell — Chief Con. Arthur Cullen (1969-1975 / Series 1-7 / 55 episodes)
• David Lloyd Meredith — Sgt./DS/DI Bob Evans (1969-1976 / Series 1-8 / 106 episodes)
• David Allister — Sgt./Insp Richard Jackson (1969-1971 / Series 1-2 / 22 episodes)
• Susan Tebbs — P/W DC Betty Donald (1969-1971 / Series 1-2 / 26 episodes)
• Terence Rigby — PC Henry Snow (1969-1976 / Series 1-8 / 83 episodes)
• Inky — Inky (1969-70 / Series 1)
• Gay Hamilton - Dr. Jean Morrow/Watt (1970-1974 / Series 1-4, 6 / 12 episodes)
• Radar — Radar (1970-72 / Series 2-3)
• Brian Hall — PC Ted Drake (1971-1972 / Series 3 / 16 episodes)
• Martin C. Thurley — PC Knowles * (1972-1974 / Series 4-5 / 23 episodes)
• Grahame Mallard — PC Terry Nesbitt (1972-1974 / Series 4-6 / 29 episodes)
• Nigel Humphreys — PC Pete Dodds (1974-1975 / Series 6-7 / 20 episodes)
• Malcolm Rennie — PC Ted Perry (1975 / Series 7 / 12 episodes)
• Philippa Howell — WPC Betty Arthur (1975-1976 / Series 7-8 / 12 episodes)
• Peter Clough — PC Joe Lincoln (1975-1976 / Series 7-8 / 17 episodes)
• Peter Childs — DS Donald Grant (1976 / Series 8 / 15 episodes)
• John Flanagan — PC Will Pearson (1976 / Series 8 / 15 episodes)

Others -

• Terrence Hardiman - Insp. Thomas Armstrong (1971 / Series 2 / 7 episodes)
• Julie Hallam - P/W DC Maggie Forest (1971-1972 / Series 3 / 9 episodes)
• Heather Stoney - P/W DS Mary Green (1971-1973 / Series 3-4 / 9 episodes)
• Jenny Hanley - Sara Jameison/Hawkins (1972-1975 / Series 4-7 / 8 episodes)
• John Franklyn-Robbins - CI/D Sup. Bill Adler (1972-1973 / Series 4 / 9 episodes)
• Warren Clarke - DS Jack Stirling (1973 / Series 5 / 4 episodes)

* PC Knowles is never given a Christian name on-screen.