The Thin Blue Line (TV series)
Encyclopedia
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
.
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
.
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.
, 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.
at the end of series 1 on 26 December 1995.
poll in 2004. Despite its popularity with viewers, the show suffered in critical reviews due to inconsistent character development and an overly broad plotline.
British sitcom
A British sitcom tends, as it does in most other countries, to be based on a family, workplace or other institution, where the same group of contrasting characters is brought together in each episode. Unlike American sitcoms, where twenty or more episodes in a season is the norm, British sitcoms...
starring Rowan Atkinson
Rowan Atkinson
Rowan Sebastian Atkinson is a British actor, comedian, and screenwriter. He is most famous for his work on the satirical sketch comedy show Not The Nine O'Clock News, and the sitcoms Blackadder, Mr. Bean and The Thin Blue Line...
set in a police station
Police station
A police station or station house is a building which serves to accommodate police officers and other members of staff. These buildings often contain offices and accommodation for personnel and vehicles, along with locker rooms, temporary holding cells and interview/interrogation rooms.- Facilities...
that ran for two series on the BBC from 1995 to 1996. It was written by Ben Elton
Ben Elton
Benjamin Charles "Ben" Elton is an English comedian, author, playwright and director. He was a leading figure in the British alternative comedy movement of the 1980s, as a writer on such cult series as The Young Ones and Blackadder, as well as also a successful stand-up comedian on stage and TV....
.
Cast
- Rowan AtkinsonRowan AtkinsonRowan Sebastian Atkinson is a British actor, comedian, and screenwriter. He is most famous for his work on the satirical sketch comedy show Not The Nine O'Clock News, and the sitcoms Blackadder, Mr. Bean and The Thin Blue Line...
– InspectorInspectorInspector is both a police rank and an administrative position, both used in a number of contexts. However, it is not an equivalent rank in each police force.- Australia :...
Raymond Fowler - James DreyfusJames Dreyfus- Early life and career :Born in London, Dreyfus was educated at Harrow School and then trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. His parents divorced when he was very young. He is openly gay....
– ConstableConstableA constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions.-Etymology:...
Kevin Goody - Mina AnwarMina AnwarMina Anwar is a British actress.-Early life:Anwar was educated at Accrington Moorhead Sports College, and gained an A level in Theatre in Performance at the Accrington and Rossendale College in 1988 before training at the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in London.-Acting career:She played Police...
– Constable Maggie Habib - Rudolph WalkerRudolph WalkerRudolph Walker, OBE is a British character actor. Born in Trinidad and Tobago, Walker came to the United Kingdom in 1960....
– Constable Frank Gladstone - Serena EvansSerena EvansSerena Evans is a British actress who is best known for playing Police Sergeant Patricia Dawkins in the sitcom The Thin Blue Line which was shown on BBC 2 from 1995 to 1996....
– Police Sergeant Patricia Dawkins - David HaigDavid HaigDavid Haig is an Olivier Award-winning English actor and FIPA Award-winning writer. He is known for his versatility, having played dramatic, serio-comic and comedic roles, playing characters of varied social classes...
– Detective Inspector Derek Grim - Kevin AllenKevin Allen (actor)Kevin Allen is a British screenwriter, film director, film producer and actor. He is best known for writing and directing the cult black comedy feature Twin Town set in Swansea . He also directed the films The Big Tease and Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London and hit UK TV series Benidorm...
– Detective Constable Robert Kray (series 1) - Mark AddyMark AddyMark Addy Johnson is an English actor, best known for his roles as Detective Constable Gary Boyle in the UK sitcom The Thin Blue Line, Dave in the British film The Full Monty, father Bill Miller in the U.S...
– Detective Constable Gary Boyle (series 2) - Joy BrookJoy BrookJoy Brook is an English actress who played DC Kerry Holmes in The Bill and Joanne Pearson in Peak Practice...
– Detective Constable Crockett (series 1) - Lucy RobinsonLucy Robinson (actress)Lucy Robinson is a British actress working mostly in television. She has had roles as Robyn Duff in the fifth series of Cold Feet, Mayoress Christabel Wickham in season two of The Thin Blue Line and Pam Draper in Suburban Shootout....
– DameDame (title)The title of Dame is the female equivalent of the honour of knighthood in the British honours system . It is also the equivalent form address to 'Sir' for a knight...
Christabel Wickham, Mayoress of Gasforth (series 2)
Many notable actors made guest appearances, and these include the writer Ben Elton
Ben Elton
Benjamin Charles "Ben" Elton is an English comedian, author, playwright and director. He was a leading figure in the British alternative comedy movement of the 1980s, as a writer on such cult series as The Young Ones and Blackadder, as well as also a successful stand-up comedian on stage and TV....
, Stephen Fry
Stephen Fry
Stephen John Fry is an English actor, screenwriter, author, playwright, journalist, poet, comedian, television presenter and film director, and a director of Norwich City Football Club. He first came to attention in the 1981 Cambridge Footlights Revue presentation "The Cellar Tapes", which also...
, Stephen Moore
Stephen Moore (actor)
Stephen Moore is an English actor, known for his work on British television since the 1980s. He is known for his appearances in Rock Follies and other TV series such as The Last Place on Earth, the children's series The Queen's Nose and the drama Mersey Beat and the British TV comedy series Solo,...
, Melvyn Hayes
Melvyn Hayes
Melvyn Hayes is an English actor probably best known for playing the effeminate Gunner "Gloria" Beaumont in the 1970s BBC sitcom It Ain't Half Hot Mum,-Early life and career:...
, Trevor Peacock
Trevor Peacock
Trevor Peacock is an English stage and television character actor. He was born in Tottenham, London, the son of Alexandria and Victor Edward Peacock.-Television and Film Career:...
, Colin McFarlane
Colin McFarlane
Colin McFarlane is an English actor and voice artist. He has appeared in several TV series, including The Fast Show, Judge John Deed, Jonathan Creek, Randall & Hopkirk , Jeeves and Wooster, Black Books and The Thin Blue Line. He is also known for portraying Police Commissioner Gillian B...
, Alexander Armstrong
Alexander Armstrong (comedian)
Alexander Henry Fenwick Armstrong is a British comedian, actor and television presenter.-Early life and career:Armstrong was born in Rothbury, Northumberland, the youngest of three children, to Henry Angus Armstrong and his wife Emma Virginia Peronnet Thompson-McCausland, daughter of Lucius...
, Nicola Stapleton
Nicola Stapleton
Nicola Kathleen Stapleton is an English actress. Stapleton began her career at an early age. She is most famous for her work on British television, in particular her roles as Mandy Salter in BBC's EastEnders and Janine Nebeski in ITV's Bad Girls.-Early life:Stapleton grew up off East Street, which...
, Perry Fenwick
Perry Fenwick
Perry Fenwick is an English film and television actor. He has one sister, Tracey, and two brothers, Faron and Lee. He is, also, the second cousin of Georgina Hagen, who played Lauren Waters in the series of Britannia High....
and Rupert Vansittart
Rupert Vansittart
Rupert Vansittart is an English character actor. He has appeared in a variety of roles in film, television, radio and on stage, often playing comic or serio-comic characters....
.
Plot and characters
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 CIDCriminal Investigation Department
The Crime Investigation Department is the branch of all Territorial police forces within the British Police and many other Commonwealth police forces, to which plain clothes detectives belong. It is thus distinct from the Uniformed Branch and the Special Branch.The Metropolitan Police Service 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
Biggles
"Biggles" , a pilot and adventurer, is the title character and main hero of the Biggles series of youth-oriented adventure books written by W. E. Johns....
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
Fourth wall
The fourth wall is the imaginary "wall" at the front of the stage in a traditional three-walled box set in a proscenium theatre, through which the audience sees the action in the world of the play...
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
Malapropism
A malapropism is an act of misusing or the habitual misuse of similar sounding words, especially with humorous results. An example is Yogi Berra's statement: "Texas has a lot of electrical votes," rather than "electoral votes".-Etymology:...
(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
Citizens Arrest
Citizens Arrest is a New York-based band that existed from 1989 to 1991 and reformed in 2010. The group often blended hardcore punk, Grindcore and Powerviolence styles. Their main inspiration in the early days of the band were from Boston area hardcore from the 1980s like DYS and SSD...
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
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
. 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
Gloria Hunniford
Gloria Hunniford is a Northern Irish TV and radio presenter, and formerly a singer.-Biography:...
. 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.
Ben Elton
The writer Ben Elton is a self-confessed fan of Dad's ArmyDad's Army
Dad's Army is a British sitcom about the Home Guard during the Second World War. It was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft and broadcast on BBC television between 1968 and 1977. The series ran for 9 series and 80 episodes in total, plus a radio series, a feature film and a stage show...
, 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
Captain George Mainwaring
Captain George Mainwaring is the bank manager and Home Guard platoon commander portrayed by Arthur Lowe on the BBC television sitcom Dad's Army, set in the fictional seaside town of Walmington-on-Sea during the Second World War...
to Warden Hodges, in that they are both on the same side yet enemies. Also, Constable Goody is rather like Private Pike
Private Frank Pike
Private Frank Pike is a fictional Home Guard platoon member and junior bank clerk portrayed by Ian Lavender in the BBC television sitcom Dad's Army. He is frequently referred to by Captain Mainwaring as "stupid boy".- Personality :...
in being a 'stupid boy' that irritates Fowler. Constable Gladstone's habit of interrupting a briefing with a story about life in Trinidad
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
is similar to Lance Corporal Jones' penchant for reminiscing about when he was in the Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
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
Melchett
Melchett is a family line of fictional characters appearing in the British television sitcom series Blackadder, played by Stephen Fry. There were two main Melchetts: Lord Melchett and General Melchett.- Blackadder II :...
from Blackadder
Blackadder
Blackadder is the name that encompassed four series of a BBC1 historical sitcom, along with several one-off instalments. All television programme episodes starred Rowan Atkinson as anti-hero Edmund Blackadder and Tony Robinson as Blackadder's dogsbody, Baldrick...
(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.
Episodes
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 specialTelevision special
A television special is a television program which interrupts or temporarily replaces programming normally scheduled for a given time slot. Sometimes, however, the term is given to a telecast of a theatrical film, such as The Wizard of Oz or The Ten Commandments, which is not part of a regular...
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 | ||||
Critical reception
The show ranked 34th in the BBC's Britain's Best SitcomBritain's Best Sitcom
Britain's Best Sitcom was a poll conducted in 2004 by the BBC, to identify the United Kingdom's best situation comedy. Viewers were asked to vote for their favourite by phone, text message and on the web. The top ten went forward to a final round of voting...
poll in 2004. Despite its popularity with viewers, the show suffered in critical reviews due to inconsistent character development and an overly broad plotline.