Operation Good Guys
Encyclopedia
Operation Good Guys is a British mockumentary
, a fly-on-the-wall documentary series about an elite police unit's bid to snare one of Britain's most powerful crime lords. It was first screened on BBC Two
from 1997 - 2000. Blurring the line between fact and fiction, it witnesses, on camera, the total breakdown, professionally and personally, of the Operation Good Guys team. Throughout the operation, The 'Good Guys' have an unfortunate habit of embroiling into their calamitous world some of the country's best-known celebrities, from actors and footballers, to TV presenters and even the odd ex-convict.
It was created by Ray Burdis
and co written by Ray Burdis, Hugo Blick
and Dominic Anciano
, although much of the dialogue was improvised by the actors.
The series utilised the concept of a mock documentary capturing the truths of a workplace four years before the notion reached fame in The Office
. However, this mockumentary style was watered down slightly when a laugh track
was added for the second and third series.
The series was awarded the Silver Rose for Best Sitcom and the Prix de la Presse, voted for by the International Press, at the Montreux Golden Rose Festival
.
There were three series produced, which featured guest stars including David Seaman
, Jude Law
, Sean Pertwee
, Jonny Lee Miller
, gangster "Mad Frankie" Fraser
, ex Spandau Ballet
star Martin Kemp, Denise van Outen
and Donna Air
.
Mockumentary
A mockumentary , is a type of film or television show in which fictitious events are presented in documentary format. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on current events and issues by using a fictitious setting, or to parody the documentary form itself...
, a fly-on-the-wall documentary series about an elite police unit's bid to snare one of Britain's most powerful crime lords. It was first screened on BBC Two
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
from 1997 - 2000. Blurring the line between fact and fiction, it witnesses, on camera, the total breakdown, professionally and personally, of the Operation Good Guys team. Throughout the operation, The 'Good Guys' have an unfortunate habit of embroiling into their calamitous world some of the country's best-known celebrities, from actors and footballers, to TV presenters and even the odd ex-convict.
It was created by Ray Burdis
Ray Burdis
Ray Burdis is an English actor, screenwriter, director and film producer.Burdis started acting at eleven years old when he trained at the Anna Scher Theatre in Islington...
and co written by Ray Burdis, Hugo Blick
Hugo Blick
Hugo Blick is an English writer, producer, director and occasional actor. As a writer he co-created, produced and directed the TV comedies Marion and Geoff with Rob Brydon, Operation Good Guys in which he also appeared as 'Smiler' McCarthy and wrote and created the noir thriller The Shadow Line...
and Dominic Anciano
Dominic Anciano
Dominic Anciano is an English producer, actor, director, writer and comedian best known for his role as Sgt. Dominic de Sade in the British comedy television series Operation Good Guys....
, although much of the dialogue was improvised by the actors.
The series utilised the concept of a mock documentary capturing the truths of a workplace four years before the notion reached fame in The Office
The Office (UK TV series)
The Office is a British sitcom television series that was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC Two on 9 July 2001. Created, written, and directed by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, the programme is about the day-to-day lives of office employees in the Slough branch of the fictitious...
. However, this mockumentary style was watered down slightly when a laugh track
Laugh track
A laugh track is a separate soundtrack invented by Charles "Charley" Douglass, with the artificial sound of audience laughter, made to be inserted into television programming of comedy shows and sitcoms.The term "laugh track" does not apply to the genuine audience laughter on shows that shoot in...
was added for the second and third series.
The series was awarded the Silver Rose for Best Sitcom and the Prix de la Presse, voted for by the International Press, at the Montreux Golden Rose Festival
Rose d'Or
The Rose d’Or is one of the most important international festivals in entertainment television. It was founded in Montreux in 1961 and has taken place in Lucerne since 2004. Producers, executives from independent and public service broadcasters and heads of production companies from over 40...
.
Cast
The actors involved include:- D.I. Beach David Gillespie
- D.S. Raymond Ash (Ray BurdisRay BurdisRay Burdis is an English actor, screenwriter, director and film producer.Burdis started acting at eleven years old when he trained at the Anna Scher Theatre in Islington...
) - Sgt Dominic de Sade (Dominic AncianoDominic AncianoDominic Anciano is an English producer, actor, director, writer and comedian best known for his role as Sgt. Dominic de Sade in the British comedy television series Operation Good Guys....
) - Kim Finch, alias "Boo Boo" (Kim TaylforthKim TaylforthKim Taylforth is an English actress. She is the sister of actress Gillian Taylforth.Her earliest TV appearance was in the scrapyard sitcom, Steptoe and Son, when she was 15 years old. Aged 19, she starred as 'Janet' in the 1979 TV film The Knowledge about a group of aspiring Londoners learning...
; series 1 only) - "Bones" (Perry BensonPerry BensonPerry Benson is an English character actor best known for his regular roles in British television sitcoms You Rang, M'Lord? , Oh, Doctor Beeching! and Operation Good Guys .-Movie career:...
) - Gary Barwick (Gary BeadleGary BeadleGary Beadle is an English actor, best known for playing Paul Trueman in EastEnders and Gary Barwick in Operation Good Guys....
; series 1 and episodes 1 and 4 of series 2 only) - "Strings" (John Beckett)
- Mark Kemp (Mark BurdisMark BurdisMark Burdis is a prolific English actor who started his career at the age of six in 1974 in the Plague Of London .-Early career:...
) - accountant Roy Leyton (Roy SmilesRoy SmilesRoy Smiles is an English playwright and singer-songwriter from West London, also occasional actor.-Career:Roy Smiles is the author of twenty three produced stage plays...
; series 1 and episode 5 of series 2) - Bill Zeebub (William ScullyWilliam ScullyWilliam Scully may refer to:*William Scully Ltd. , Canadian Regimental Outfitter *William Scully , Australian politician and farmer*William Scully , American filmmaker and director...
, QGMQueen's Gallantry MedalThe Queen's Gallantry Medal is the third level civil decoration of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth.It was instituted on 20 June 1974 to replace the Order of the British Empire for Gallantry, the British Empire Medal for Gallantry, and the Colonial Police Medal for Gallantry...
, present in the first series as a background character; brought to the fore more in series two and three), - Hugo BlickHugo BlickHugo Blick is an English writer, producer, director and occasional actor. As a writer he co-created, produced and directed the TV comedies Marion and Geoff with Rob Brydon, Operation Good Guys in which he also appeared as 'Smiler' McCarthy and wrote and created the noir thriller The Shadow Line...
(Smiler McCarthy (series 1) & Narrator (series two and three)).
There were three series produced, which featured guest stars including David Seaman
David Seaman
David Andrew Seaman MBE is a former English football goalkeeper who played for several clubs, most notably Arsenal. He retired from the game on 13 January 2004, following a recurring shoulder injury...
, Jude Law
Jude Law
David Jude Heyworth Law , known professionally as Jude Law, is an English actor, film producer and director.He began acting with the National Youth Music Theatre in 1987, and had his first television role in 1989...
, Sean Pertwee
Sean Pertwee
Sean Pertwee is an English actor known for his television, film and voice-over work.-Career:In the early 80s, he auditioned for a place at the Surrey County Youth Theatre where he was cast as Captain Fitzpatrick in the play Tom Jones, based on the novel by Henry Fielding...
, Jonny Lee Miller
Jonny Lee Miller
Jonathan "Jonny" Lee Miller is an English actor. During the initial days he was best known for his roles in the 1996 films Trainspotting and Hackers...
, gangster "Mad Frankie" Fraser
Frankie Fraser
Francis Davidson Fraser is a former British criminal and gang member who spent 42 years in prison for numerous violent offences.-Early life:...
, ex Spandau Ballet
Spandau Ballet
Spandau Ballet are a British band formed in London in the late 1970s. Initially inspired by, and an integral part of, the New Romantic fashion, their music has featured a mixture of funk, jazz, soul and synthpop. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s, achieving ten Top Ten singles...
star Martin Kemp, Denise van Outen
Denise van Outen
Denise van Outen is an English actress, singer and television presenter. Her most notable roles to date are as a presenter on The Big Breakfast, and as Roxie Hart in the musical Chicago on both the West End and on Broadway.- Early life :Born Denise Kathleen Outen in Basildon, Essex, she is the...
and Donna Air
Donna Air
Donna Air is an English television presenter, singer and actress.-Early life:As a former student of Gosforth High School, Donna attended the Drama School at First Act in Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne, where she was a pupil alongside Jill Halfpenny, Ant & Dec and Dale Meeks.-Television:She became...
.
Releases
The three series were released on VHS in the early 2000s. In 2005, the three series of OGG were released on DVD format. In addition to the original episodes, the three disc DVD boxset includes some extras including a brand new episode, 'Where Are They Now?'. This new material addresses the subject of what happened to the team after they were sacked from the police force at the end of series three.Episode list
- Pilot - not broadcast, this is a less obviously humorous approach to the format, with the same characters. The overall feel here is more reminiscent of the US show COPSCOPS (TV series)Cops is an American documentary/reality television series that follows police officers, constables, and sheriff's deputies during patrols and other police activities...
.
Series 1
- The Informant: The Good Guys latest informant turns out to be a punk hairdresserHairdresserHairdresser is a term referring to anyone whose occupation is to cut or style hair in order to change or maintain a person's image. This is achieved using a combination of hair coloring, haircutting, and hair texturing techniques...
. - Radio Silence: The team starts to get into money problems whilst trying to foil Smiler McCarthy's drugs ring.
- Frisk 'Em: An American cop comes to lend a hand.
- Holiday: Beach gives the Good Guys a day off to recoup.
- Safe as Houses: A key witness is taken to Kim's house for his own protection.
- Open Day: An open day at the station leads to problems when the Commissioner's dog dies.
- Sylvia La Plage: The funds are gone, as are the Good Guys, and so has Roy.
Series 2
- Back to School: The Good Guys undergo retraining, and power goes to Mark's head.
- Star Dust: Jude LawJude LawDavid Jude Heyworth Law , known professionally as Jude Law, is an English actor, film producer and director.He began acting with the National Youth Music Theatre in 1987, and had his first television role in 1989...
and Jonny Lee MillerJonny Lee MillerJonathan "Jonny" Lee Miller is an English actor. During the initial days he was best known for his roles in the 1996 films Trainspotting and Hackers...
visit the station, in order to prepare for their new film roles as policemen. - Forensics: Beach is determined to find a criminal with a head cut, and also holds a special Sherlock HolmesSherlock HolmesSherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
weekend. - I Will Survive: On a survival course, Gary worries about their survival expert's interest in HitlerAdolf HitlerAdolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
. - Viva Espana: The Good Guys travel to SpainSpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
for their next operation, which involves Ray wearing a wig. - Operation Zorro: Beach gets sunburnSunburnA sunburn is a burn to living tissue, such as skin, which is produced by overexposure to ultraviolet radiation, commonly from the sun's rays. Usual mild symptoms in humans and other animals include red or reddish skin that is hot to the touch, general fatigue, and mild dizziness. An excess of UV...
and the BBC worry about how low-key the Good Guys part in operation is.
Series 3
- That's Entertainment: Whilst De Sade and the others worry about a drugs bust, Beach panics more about a special Christmas episode of the documentary.
- Castaway: The Good Guys are sent to a desert islandDesert islandA desert island or uninhabited island is an island that has yet to be populated by humans. Uninhabited islands are often used in movies or stories about shipwrecked people, and are also used as stereotypes for the idea of "paradise". Some uninhabited islands are protected as nature reserves and...
, but Beach refuses to let the Good Guys go on a survival course. - Raging Pig: Beach goes into boxingBoxingBoxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
in order to stamp out corruption in the game. - The Leader: Beach gets sucked into a weird cult.
- Jubilee: The Good Guys get a visit from the most powerful and influential family in Britain.
- Operation Snowdrop: Beach tries to improve the men's tolerance of minority groups, with the help of Assistant Commissioner Terra BlancheEugène Terre'BlancheEugène Ney Terre'Blanche was a former member of South Africa's Herstigte Nasionale Party who founded the Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging during the apartheid era...
.
External links
Comedy Guide- Operation Good Guys at British TV Comedy
- Operation Good Guys at British Sitcom Guide