The Chinese Detective

The Chinese Detective
Genre	Police procedural
Created by	Ian Kennedy Martin
Written by	Ian Kennedy Martin Edward Boyd
Starring	David Yip Derek Martin Arthur Kelly Larrington Walker Robert Lee Allan Surtees John Bott Richard Rees
Composer(s)	Harry South
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language(s)	English
No. of series	2
No. of episodes	14 (list of episodes)
Production
Producer(s)	Terence Williams
Cinematography	Peter Chapman
Editor(s)	Bill Wright
Running time	60 minutes
Production company(s)	BBC Studios
Release
Original network	BBC One
Picture format	4:3
Audio format	Mono
Original release	30 April 1981 – 5 November 1982

The Chinese Detective is a British television police procedural drama series, first transmitted by the BBC between 1981 and 1982. The series was created by Ian Kennedy Martin, who had previously devised The Sweeney and Juliet Bravo. The series starred British Chinese actor David Yip as Detective Sergeant John Ho, the first Chinese lead actor in a British television drama series.^[1] The series offered traditional police procedural storylines in a setting of occasional prejudice and distrust within the police force, and the prejudice displayed by those Ho encounters whilst doing his job. Like many other television detectives of the time, Ho was something of a maverick, often using unorthodox methods to solve crimes. The series was set in and around London's docklands, before redevelopment began in the 1980s.^[2]

His immediate superior in the force, Detective Chief Inspector Berwick (Derek Martin), often provided him a source of stress, often reprimanding him for his approach towards the cases he was investigating. Ho is also often seen visiting his father, Joe (Robert Lee), at his restaurant for advice. Like many other television detectives of the era, Ho drove a 'classic' car. In this case, Ho's vehicle of choice was a Morris Minor Traveller.^[3]

DVD Release

Both series were released on DVD in the UK in a complete box set on April 14, 2008.^[4]

Cast

• David Yip — Detective Sergeant John Ho
• Derek Martin — Detective Chief Inspector Berwick
• Arthur Kelly — Detective Sergeant Donald Chegwyn
• Larrington Walker — Ezra (Series 1—2)
• Robert Lee — Joe Ho (Series 1)
• Allan Surtees — Ex-Detective Chief Inspector Marley-Harris (Series 1)
• John Bott — Detective Chief Superintendent Halsey (Series 1—2)
• Richard Rees — Dr. David Li (Series 2)

Episodes

Series 1 (1981)

Series 2 (1982)

References

External links

• The Chinese Detective on IMDb