The Gentle Touch
Encyclopedia
The Gentle Touch is a British
police drama television series made by London Weekend Television
for ITV
which ran from 1980-1984. Commencing transmission on 11 April 1980, the series is notable for being the first British series to feature a female police detective as its leading character, ahead of the similarly themed BBC
series Juliet Bravo
by four months.
as Detective Inspector Maggie Forbes, who has worked her way up through the ranks of the police force and is based at the Seven Dials police station in London
. Maggie's husband, a police constable, is murdered during the first episode, leaving her to juggle her career with single parenthood, raising her teenage son.
The Gentle Touch largely dealt with routine police procedures and offered a frank depiction of relevant social issues (including racism, sexism, homosexuality, mental health and euthanasia). It was low on action and violence in comparison to previous crime series such as The Sweeney
, opting for a more realistic and character-driven approach. Although the series mostly focused on Maggie's professional life in a male-dominated field, it also showed her home life with her son Steve, as well as her occasional romantic involvements which sometimes clashed with her job. In real life Jill Gascoine could not drive so when Maggie had to be seen driving the scenes would be shot using a car towed behind the camera truck.
The Gentle Touch was a huge ratings success in the UK, where it was screened on Friday nights in a 9.00pm slot (except for the final series which was shown on Saturday nights). The series made Gascoine a household name and lasted for five series, however the character of Maggie Forbes lasted longer and in 1985 she returned in the more action orientated spin-off series C.A.T.S. Eyes
(also created by Terence Feely) about a team of female detectives in Kent who covertly work for the Home Office
.
as Detective Inspector Maggie Forbes
William Marlowe
as Detective Chief Inspector Bill Russell
Brian Gwaspari
as Detective Inspector Bob Croft (1980–83)
Derek Thompson as Detective Sergeant Jimmy Fenton (1980–82)
Paul Moriarty as Detective Sergeant Jake Barrett
Nigel Rathbone as Steve Forbes
Kevin O'Shea as Detective Sergeant Peter Phillips (1982–84)
Bernard Holley
as Detective Inspector Mike Turnbull (1982–84)
James Ottaway as George Taylor
Michael Graham Cox
as Detective Inspector Jack Slater (1984)
(Region 2, UK) by DD Home Entertainment, but the company entered into administration as of 26 July 2007. The series rights were then passed to Network DVD
who re-released series 1 (with new artwork) in January 2008, and followed on with the re-release of series 2 (also with new artwork) in April 2008. The third series was released on 15 February 2010, and the fourth series was released on 12 April 2010, the day after the series' 30th anniversary.
The fifth and final series was released by Network DVD on 14 November 2011.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
police drama television series made by London Weekend Television
London Weekend Television
London Weekend Television was the name of the ITV network franchise holder for Greater London and the Home Counties including south Suffolk, middle and east Hampshire, Oxfordshire, south Bedfordshire, south Northamptonshire, parts of Herefordshire & Worcestershire, Warwickshire, east Dorset and...
for ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
which ran from 1980-1984. Commencing transmission on 11 April 1980, the series is notable for being the first British series to feature a female police detective as its leading character, ahead of the similarly themed BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
series Juliet Bravo
Juliet Bravo
Juliet Bravo is a British television series, which ran on BBC1 between 1980 and 1985. The theme of the series concerned a female police inspector who took over control of a police station in the fictional town of Hartley in Lancashire.-Programme name:...
by four months.
Series history
The series starred Jill GascoineJill Gascoine
Jill Gascoine is a British actress and novelist. She is most widely known for her role as Detective Inspector Maggie Forbes in the 1980s television series The Gentle Touch and its spin-off series C.A.T.S. Eyes...
as Detective Inspector Maggie Forbes, who has worked her way up through the ranks of the police force and is based at the Seven Dials police station in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Maggie's husband, a police constable, is murdered during the first episode, leaving her to juggle her career with single parenthood, raising her teenage son.
The Gentle Touch largely dealt with routine police procedures and offered a frank depiction of relevant social issues (including racism, sexism, homosexuality, mental health and euthanasia). It was low on action and violence in comparison to previous crime series such as The Sweeney
The Sweeney
The Sweeney is a 1970s British television police drama focusing on two members of the Flying Squad, a branch of the Metropolitan Police specialising in tackling armed robbery and violent crime in London...
, opting for a more realistic and character-driven approach. Although the series mostly focused on Maggie's professional life in a male-dominated field, it also showed her home life with her son Steve, as well as her occasional romantic involvements which sometimes clashed with her job. In real life Jill Gascoine could not drive so when Maggie had to be seen driving the scenes would be shot using a car towed behind the camera truck.
The Gentle Touch was a huge ratings success in the UK, where it was screened on Friday nights in a 9.00pm slot (except for the final series which was shown on Saturday nights). The series made Gascoine a household name and lasted for five series, however the character of Maggie Forbes lasted longer and in 1985 she returned in the more action orientated spin-off series C.A.T.S. Eyes
C.A.T.S. Eyes
C.A.T.S. Eyes is a British television series made by TVS for ITV between 1985 and 1987.-Premise:The series was a spin-off from The Gentle Touch and saw Jill Gascoine reprise her role as Det. Insp. Maggie Forbes, having left the police force to join a private detective agency called "Eyes" that is...
(also created by Terence Feely) about a team of female detectives in Kent who covertly work for the Home Office
Home Office
The Home Office is the United Kingdom government department responsible for immigration control, security, and order. As such it is responsible for the police, UK Border Agency, and the Security Service . It is also in charge of government policy on security-related issues such as drugs,...
.
Main cast
Jill GascoineJill Gascoine
Jill Gascoine is a British actress and novelist. She is most widely known for her role as Detective Inspector Maggie Forbes in the 1980s television series The Gentle Touch and its spin-off series C.A.T.S. Eyes...
as Detective Inspector Maggie Forbes
William Marlowe
William Marlowe
William Marlowe was a British theatre, television and film actor.He served in the Fleet Air Arm and hoped for a career as a writer before training as an actor at RADA. His most famous role was probably that of Chief Supt. Thomas in The Chief...
as Detective Chief Inspector Bill Russell
Brian Gwaspari
Brian Gwaspari
Brian Gwaspari is a British actor who made frequent guest star roles throughout the 1970s and 1980s.He also starred in two police drama series, Specials and The Gentle Touch and appeared in The Professionals and starred in the two-part series Trial And Retribution.- References :...
as Detective Inspector Bob Croft (1980–83)
Derek Thompson as Detective Sergeant Jimmy Fenton (1980–82)
Paul Moriarty as Detective Sergeant Jake Barrett
Nigel Rathbone as Steve Forbes
Kevin O'Shea as Detective Sergeant Peter Phillips (1982–84)
Bernard Holley
Bernard Holley
Bernard Holley is a British actor, whose career has spanned more than four decades.Holley attended the Rose Bruford Drama School and Kilburn Grammar School...
as Detective Inspector Mike Turnbull (1982–84)
James Ottaway as George Taylor
Michael Graham Cox
Michael Graham Cox
Michael Graham Cox was an English actor who voiced Boromir in the 1978 movie The Lord of the Rings, as well as voicing Boromir in the 1981 BBC radio series The Lord of the Rings. He also voiced Bigwig in the feature film Watership Down.Michael had a minor role in Richard Attenborough's A Bridge...
as Detective Inspector Jack Slater (1984)
DVD release
The first and second series of The Gentle Touch were originally released on DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
(Region 2, UK) by DD Home Entertainment, but the company entered into administration as of 26 July 2007. The series rights were then passed to Network DVD
Network DVD
Network DVD is a DVD publishing company that specialises in classic British television. In particular, it has the rights to a number of well-known ITV programmes...
who re-released series 1 (with new artwork) in January 2008, and followed on with the re-release of series 2 (also with new artwork) in April 2008. The third series was released on 15 February 2010, and the fourth series was released on 12 April 2010, the day after the series' 30th anniversary.
The fifth and final series was released by Network DVD on 14 November 2011.