# British constable TV shows **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 24, 2014, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-constable-tv-shows/679650 "2014-01-24T22:59:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2014, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-constable-tv-shows/679650/1 "2014-01-24T22:59:48Z")
I’d like to watch some TV shows/mysteries about the English constabulary, available here in the USA on DVD. Any suggestions? ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2014, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-constable-tv-shows/679650/2 "2014-01-24T23:09:10Z")
Inspector Lewis - watch online for free [here](http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/programs/inspector-lewis/) ---
**Author:** ![mortal\_wombat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc348/32.png) [@mortal\_wombat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mortal_wombat)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2014, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-constable-tv-shows/679650/3 "2014-01-24T23:14:44Z")
If you love B/C/Z list British actors, you’ll love The Bill. Russell Brand was in one episode. You can get it on youtube and other streaming services. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2014, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-constable-tv-shows/679650/4 "2014-01-24T23:45:59Z")
[The Thin Blue Line](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112194/) ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2014, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-constable-tv-shows/679650/5 "2014-01-24T23:48:29Z")
I really liked the first three seasons of A Touch of Frost. Frost is the detective’s name. I also like Scott & Bailey. It’s running on PBS now, at least in my area. Two female detectives and their female supervisor, nice blend of stuff from their personal lives and casework. ---
**Author:** ![Asympotically\_fat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e47c2d/32.png) [@Asympotically\_fat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asympotically_fat)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2014, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-constable-tv-shows/679650/6 "2014-01-25T00:14:41Z")
_The Bill_ which is somewhere between in between a procedural drama and a soap opera and ran from 1984-2010 _Thin Blue Line_ which is a mid-nineties Rowan Atkinson-vehicle sitcom _Dixon of Dock Green_ of which ran from the mid-fifties to mid-seventies and was a long-running drama synonymous with a rosey nostalgic view of the police. It’s probably to the police what _Rumpole of the Bailey_ is to lawyers _Heartbeat_ which ran from 1992-2010 is a drama in a similar vein to _Dixon of Dock Green_ portraying police offices in rural 1950s England. _Hamish MacBeth_ is a drama which ran in the mid-nineties and launched the career of Robert Carlyle who played the title portrays a police officer in the highlands of Scotland. Whilst hardly gritty, it is less sentimental than the previous two. _Cops_, which ran from 1998-2000 I don’t know, but is meant to be an ultrarealstic and fairly gritty portrayal of modern policing in the UK That tbh is probably almost a complete list, generally most UK police dramas tend to be detective dramas rather than about the constabulary. Out of all of those I think _Hamish MacBeth_ may be the one most worth a look at (though I can barely remember it myself). ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2014, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-constable-tv-shows/679650/7 "2014-01-25T00:16:25Z")
Definitely the Inspector Morse/Inspector Lewis series. Midsommer Murders is good. Prime Suspect is really good with Helen Mirren. I quite liked Blue Murder with Caroline Quentin. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2014, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-constable-tv-shows/679650/8 "2014-01-25T00:37:12Z")
> [@Asympotically\_fat](#): > > That tbh is probably almost a complete list, generally most UK police dramas tend to be detective dramas rather than about the constabulary. Detectives are constables too, so on that basis I recommend _Prime Suspect_, which was truly excellent at the time. _Cracker_ also comes highly recommended, albeit the constabulary are but very, very strong supporting characters. ---
**Author:** ![Asympotically\_fat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e47c2d/32.png) [@Asympotically\_fat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asympotically_fat)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2014, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-constable-tv-shows/679650/9 "2014-01-25T00:51:20Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > Detectives are constables too, so on that basis I recommend _Prime Suspect_, which was truly excellent at the time. > > _Cracker_ also comes highly recommended, albeit the constabulary are but very, very strong supporting characters. That’s true, but I tend to think of the constabulary being colloquially used to refer to Uniformed officers. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2014, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-constable-tv-shows/679650/10 "2014-01-25T06:15:32Z")
Yes, I meant the entire range of British Police, including Scotland yard, Inspectors, etc. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2014, 9:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-constable-tv-shows/679650/11 "2014-01-25T09:23:46Z")
There’s also _The Sweeney_, also with John Thaw. And _Ashes to Ashes_ and _Life on Mars_. ---
**Author:** ![Meurglys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@Meurglys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meurglys)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2014, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-constable-tv-shows/679650/12 "2014-01-25T10:57:37Z")
For Scottish based crime drama, there’s the already mentioned fairly cozy **Hamish McBeth** , set in a small village on the west of Scotland and based on books by M. C. Beaton. Edinburgh has **Rebus** , based on the Ian Rankin detective novels and Glasgow has the long-running **Taggart** , created for tv. It started in 1983 and the actor playing DCI Taggart died in 1994, although this didn’t stop the series continuing until 2010! There are dvds of all of these available in the US. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2014, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-constable-tv-shows/679650/13 "2014-01-25T12:10:39Z")
Americans wishing to watch _Taggart_ should ensure that subtitles are available. ---
**Author:** ![Tinkertoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f19dbf/32.png) [@Tinkertoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tinkertoy)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2014, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-constable-tv-shows/679650/14 "2014-01-25T13:04:42Z")
**Midsomer murders** wonderful series I own and have watched them at least 4 times through, but stop at movie 81 the main character leaves and it goes down hill fast after. ---
**Author:** ![Skara\_Brae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@Skara\_Brae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skara_Brae)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2014, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-constable-tv-shows/679650/15 "2014-01-25T13:25:04Z")
I just recently discovered the [Inspector George Gently](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1430509/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1) series on Netflix. Its set in the Newcastle area during the 1960’s. It’s very good, and just listening to the accents are a treat. (I have no idea how accurate they are.) ---
**Author:** ![BrokenBriton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@BrokenBriton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrokenBriton)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2014, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-constable-tv-shows/679650/16 "2014-01-25T15:31:28Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Yes, I meant the entire range of British Police, including Scotland yard, Inspectors, etc. > > Thanks. Is that all. > **[Category:British crime television series](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:British_crime_television_series)** > > This category has the following 13 subcategories, out of 13 total. > The following 64 pages are in this category, out of 64 total. This list may not reflect recent changes. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2014, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-constable-tv-shows/679650/17 "2014-01-25T16:05:07Z")
[_Foyle’s War_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foyle's_War) ---
**Author:** ![Musky\_Moon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90db22/32.png) [@Musky\_Moon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musky_Moon)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2014, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-constable-tv-shows/679650/18 "2014-01-25T19:59:37Z")
_Above Suspicion_ with Ciaran Hines. Didn’t much like the last series, but the first three were great. _Broadchurch_ with the Tenth Doctor…superb. _Luther_ with Idris Elba. I love love love this show. _Endeavour_ is about a young Inspector Morse. I feel it’s actually superior to Morse in every way. ---
**Author:** ![araminty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5e925/32.png) [@araminty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/araminty)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2014, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-constable-tv-shows/679650/19 "2014-01-25T22:24:28Z")
Mid 90’s Bill is the best Bill, e.g., [this arc](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1N800J-bho&list=PL2B311B4391C06E78). ---
**Author:** ![mortal\_wombat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc348/32.png) [@mortal\_wombat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mortal_wombat)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2014, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-constable-tv-shows/679650/20 "2014-01-26T10:19:16Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > Americans wishing to watch _Taggart_ should ensure that subtitles are available. Totally agree. Although I’m sure everyone can work out what he’s on about when he says “There’s bin a mudder!” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-constable-tv-shows/679650.md?page=2)