"The Last Detective" (2003)TV series 2003-????

Directors:

Moira Armstrong
Pip Broughton

Writer:

Michael Aitkens (writer)

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Release Date:

7 February 2003 (UK)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Drama | Mystery

Plot:

"Dangerous Davies is a decent man in an indecent world, a man out of his time, and hopefully a perfect antidote for the more gritty, violent detective series."

Plot Keywords:

Divorce | Remake | Ex Wife | Friend | Jealousy

Cast

Peter Davison	...	DC Davies / ... (17 episodes, 2003-2007)
Sean Hughes	...	Mod / ... (17 episodes, 2003-2007)
Rob Spendlove	...	DI Aspinall (17 episodes, 2003-2007)
Emma Amos	...	Julie Davies (17 episodes, 2003-2007)
Charles De'Ath	...	DS Pimlott (17 episodes, 2003-2007)
Billy Geraghty	...	DC Barrett / ... (17 episodes, 2003-2007)
Vineeta Rishi	...	WPC Kapoor (17 episodes, 2003-2007)
Elizabeth Bennett	...	Mrs. Dorothy Fulljames / ... (12 episodes, 2003-2007)
Michele Austin	...	WPC Cheryl (12 episodes, 2003-2005)
Colin MacLachlan	...	Sergeant Stone (12 episodes, 2003-2005)

Runtime:

UK:60 min (including commercials) (4 episodes) (season 1) | UK:90 min (including commercials) (4 episodes) (season 2) | UK:90 min (including commercials) (4 episodes) (season 3)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Australia:M

Company:

Meridian Broadcasting

Quotes:

Dangerous Davies: Fancy a pint?
Mod Lewis: Well, I've never seen an unattractive one.

Movie Connections:

Remake of Dangerous Davies: The Last Detective (1981) (TV)

One of the best shows on British TV at the moment

I'm currently watching the latest series on ITV1 in the UK. This show works for me because of its treatment of the 'everyman' character of Dangerous Davies.

This is a man who you'll usually find in every workplace: the chap who just doesn't fit in. But that doesn't mean that he's not good at his job, only that his colleagues assume that he can't be very good at it because he's not 'one of the lads' at work.

He doesn't have the 'nasty' qualities (nor the ambition) that would help him to rise above the rank of detective constable in the CID. And it's this niceness that seems to be the reason why his marriage has failed.

Peter Davison does a great job of showing that 'nice guys finish last' most of the time, but not all of the time. Meanwhile the script has an appropriate balance of humour and drama. Sean Hughes, as Mod, is also a good character, not only laying on the comedy, but also as a device that allows us to see a bit more of Dangerous's character through their conversations.

I plan to read the books (although they were published a long while back), and will have a look at the Bernard Cribbins film version from the early 80s. But please, please keep this version going for at least another series ITV!!