| The Thin Blue Line | |
|---|---|
Series 1 title card |
|
| Format | Sitcom |
| Starring | Rowan Atkinson James Dreyfus Mina Anwar Rudolph Walker Serena Evans David Haig Kevin Allen (series 1) Mark Addy (series 2) Lucy Robinson (series 2) Joy Brook (series 1) |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| No. of series | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 14 (List of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | BBC |
| Original run | 13 November 1995 – 23 December 1996 |
The Thin Blue Line is a British sitcom starring Rowan Atkinson set in a police station that ran for two series on the BBC from 1995 to 1996. It was written by Ben Elton.
Contents |
Many notable actors made guest appearances, and these include the writer Ben Elton, Stephen Fry, Stephen Moore, Melvyn Hayes, Trevor Peacock, Colin McFarlane, Alexander Armstrong, Nicola Stapleton, Perry Fenwick and Rupert Vansittart.
The Thin Blue Line was set in the police station of the fictional English town of Gasforth. One of the main themes was the rivalry between the uniformed squad led by Inspector Fowler (a sort of protagonist figure) and the CID led by Detective Inspector Grim (often Fowler's antagonist, though they were on the same side of the law). Episodes frequently saw the uniformed branch and CID locking horns over similar, or in some cases the same, issues while having conflicting views or methods of operation. Generally the uniformed section triumphed over the detectives, although not without their own foibles. DI Grim provided much of the humour through his misuse of the English language.
The other comedic plotlines centred around the characters below and their peculiarities, although other PCs and staff were usually visible in the background and at meetings. (The ancillary staff are more visible in the first series. In both series they generally have no speaking parts).
Inspector Raymond C. Fowler is an old-fashioned policeman, whose lack of interest in sex annoys his live-in girlfriend of ten years Sergeant Dawkins. He was previously married, and his college-age son Bill appeared in one episode. His former wife Susan is alluded to but never featured. Inspector Fowler has a strong devotion to duty and takes his job seriously, sometimes showing a lack of contemporary social awareness that amuses Habib and annoys Grim. He occasionally (usually unwittingly) performs very courageous acts in the line of duty. Among the cast, he most closely characterises the "stiff upper lip" English official, at least while on duty. He is a member of the local drama society and fancies himself an actor. His hobbies include reading Biggles and building miniature models. He is patriotic and occasionally makes disparaging remarks about other nationalities. Despite his strong faith in the law, he is willing to bend the rules in an unjust situation, exemplified when he blackmails a skinhead's mother into dropping charges against Constable Goody and later Inspector Grim into dropping charges against Habib for withholding drug evidence. In the second series, Fowler breaks the fourth wall by addressing the audience directly for a moment at the beginning of each episode.
Sergeant Patricia Dawkins is Inspector Fowler's domestic partner of 10 years. She is forever on a quest for more sexual attention from Fowler, who is usually reluctant to oblige. Despite her frustration and anger, she loves Fowler devotedly and has but one dream – to marry him and have their child. Dawkins gets extremely jealous if Fowler talks alone with other women and often jumps to conclusions as a result. This occasionally places her at odds with the younger WPC Maggie Habib, but the two always resume their friendship. She is also concerned about her health and appearance, perhaps as a result of Fowler's lukewarm sexual attentions. At the police station she is most often shown as the desk sergeant.
Detective Inspector Derek Grim is the head of the CID unit at Gasforth Police Station. His attitude is that CID are superior to the uniformed Police and proclaims that the uniformed officers are "extinct...like the 'doo-doo' ". Grim harbours a poorly contained desire to be promoted, preferably away from unexciting Gasforth. Sometimes oblivious to subtleties, Grim is far more ignorant than he is willing to admit, which he regularly displays through his butchery of English phraseology (e.g. "You seem to forget, Kray, it's my arse on the line – so you'd better pull your finger out!") and his ill-conceived ideas. He is buffoonish and insecure in his own professional status and social standing. He has been married for 20 years to Tina (unseen) with whom he shares an intense love-hate relationship, as he often complains about their marriage, but he occasionally reveals that he does indeed love his wife. His son, Darren, was arrested by Goody in one episode. His rants (often against "fannying about", which he himself plainly does) are the source of numerous comedic lines. Despite his flaws, at least one episode reveals that Grim is fundamentally a good man, as he was greatly conflicted by D.C. Boyle's plan of planting evidence on the drug-dealer Harry the Spike.
Constable Kevin Goody is perhaps the least complex of the show's characters. Unintelligent and oblivious to the obvious, he has very little idea of what being a Police Officer entails, and admitted that "wearing a nice uniform" was one reason he joined the Force. Easily confused, his ineptitude amazes Fowler, who once exclaimed "your head is just something you keep your hat on, isn't it?". Goody is always on an unsuccessful quest to win the heart of WPC Habib despite his obvious camp behaviour. He lives with his mother, of whom he is terrified ("...she'll come down here, and do her raving Nah-Nah...") and Habib has learned to threaten to inform her when he becomes too annoying. He once struck a prisoner out of pure rage when the young thug made a racist remark against Habib, for which he was nearly charged by Fowler. Almost every episode shows Goody trying to impress Habib.
Constable Maggie Habib is a female Officer of presumably South Asian descent and is generally the "straight man" in Fowler's uniformed branch. Highly intelligent, she often approached issues with a wise and methodical train of thought. Fowler has commented that she is his finest Officer and that she has a good career ahead of her. She always tries to deflect the attentions of Goody, but deep down she is sympathetic to him and argued against Goody being charged when he punched a skinhead who verbally abused her. Habib is a feminist and vocally progressive in her socio-political views. She has a study-freak turned drug-addict sister named Nazia, whom she protects by withholding evidence during a vice operation in one episode. She was nearly charged by Grim until Fowler blackmailed him by threatening criminal charges for a minor "crime" that Grim himself had committed. She was also citizen arrested by local villain "Terry the Tank" after Grim tried to use her as a "honey-trap".
Constable Frank Gladstone is an older PC presumably near retirement who was born in Trinidad. He has been a PC all his life (as was his father) and is enjoying his career winding down. He often contributes to situations by making irrelevant tangential comments; usually silly and sometimes sexist in nature. This sexism provides an amusing foil (opposite) to Constable Goody's overt camp behaviour. He is fond of Gloria Hunniford. With the possible exception of Goody, Gladstone is the most out-of-touch-with-reality of the characters. He once claimed to have had an interesting case in which a woman complained that her neighbour had trimmed his hedge into the shape of a bottom. His character has been criticised as a token ethnic minority one, despite Habib's importance to the series. PC Gladstone nevertheless provides support to a number of funny scenes in the series.
Detective Constable Robert Kray is an officer in Grim's CID unit for the entire of Series 1. Presumably having been promoted beyond the regular uniformed service, he is a very 'laddish' Cop. Intelligent, cynical and pragmatic, his motivation for joining the Force was the 'perks of the job' such as pushing to the front of queues, and sometimes using his police status to his own ends. He is frequently eating or ordering food via telephone whilst on duty. Despite being at Grim's beck and call, he has little respect for his superior and often chuckles at his misfortunes. He provides a comic supporting role similar to PC Gladstone, although his interjections are usually brief "one-liner" stabs. He is paired with female DC Crockett in several scenes (she eventually disappears from the series). Kray is replaced in Series 2 by DC Gary Boyle. Both Kray and Boyle served as intelligent "straight man" characters to the bumbling Grim, not unlike PC Habib's relationship with Fowler.
Detective Constable Gary Boyle is Kray's replacement in Series 2. He too is very 'laddish' and likes being a Police Officer for the associated perks. Like Kray, he is intelligent, cynical and pragmatic. He sees no reason why Police Officers should not take liberties such as staging pub lock-ins, using the car siren when late for lunch, or even planting evidence on clever criminals if that's what it takes to get a conviction. Arguably more aggressive than Kray, Boyle sometimes covers up for Grim's mistakes or steers him in the right direction, all the while being generally unimpressed with his superior. The second series is a bit more serious in this regard and shows CID as more involved than the first series. Boyle has several spots in this and as such, his character is more developed than Kray's but perhaps proportionally less comical.
Dame Christabel Wickham QC is a local barrister and Gasforth's Mayoress who appears in 3 episodes of Series 2. A powerful and overbearing woman, she keeps Fowler on a leash due to his overwhelming sense of duty to authority figures. He is aware that she has enough influence to assist his career and possibly even arrange an MBE. It is revealed that Fowler had a crush on her in grammar school, and apparently still does. Dawkins dislikes Wickham intensely, and compares her to a dog in one scene. Fowler aggravates the situation with comments like "she has a fine mind and superb calf muscles".
Detective Constable Crockett is Kray's CID partner in Series 1; she appears in every episode, but speaks only in The Queen's Birthday Present, Rag Week, Fire and Terror, and Yuletide Spirit in minor supporting situations.
The writer Ben Elton is a self-confessed fan of Dad's Army, and as such many of the characters were copied from those of Dad's Army. Fowler's relationship with Grim is very similar to that of Captain Mainwaring to Warden Hodges, in that they are both on the same side yet enemies. Also, Constable Goody is rather like Private Pike in being a 'stupid boy' that irritates Fowler. Constable Gladstone's habit of interrupting a briefing with a story about life in Trinidad is similar to Lance Corporal Jones' penchant for reminiscing about when he was in the Sudan during one of Captain Mainwaring's speeches. Similar comparisons can be drawn from many of the minor characters. In the episode Rag Week, Fowler is briefly seen walking out of a shop called "Mainwaring's". Stephen Fry's character, Brigadier Blaster-Sump, also had a similarity to Melchett from Blackadder (also played by Fry). In the first series the "WANTED" poster behind Fowler's desk in the briefing room is an E-FIT of Ben Elton.
The following is a summary of episodes for the British sit-com The Thin Blue Line, which first aired on 13 November 1995 and ended on 23 December 1996. It has broadcast two series with seven episodes each, including a Christmas special at the end of series 1 on 26 December 1995.
| Series | Episodes | Originally Broadcast | Complete Series DVD Release Date | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 4 | ||||
| Series 1 | 7 | 13 November 1995 – 26 December 1995 | 15 June 2004 | 17 September 2001 | 7 November 2002 | |
| Series 2 | 7 | 14 November 1996 – 23 December 1996 | ||||
The show ranked 34th in the BBC's Britain's Best Sitcom poll in 2004. Despite its popularity with viewers, the show suffered in critical reviews due to inconsistent character development and an overly broad plotline.
Both series have been released on DVD in the UK (Region 2) by Vision Video Ltd. Episodes in the first series were not in broadcast order on the DVD. The Thin Blue Line is available in Region 1 (North America), having been released by BBC Warner.