IMDb user comments for
"The Last Detective" (2003)

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8 comments in total

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21 out of 23 people found the following comment useful :-
No shouting, shooting or car chases. What a change...welcome mind., 7 March 2003
Author: rleather from Manchester, England, UK

I'm 32 years old and somehow this reminds me of what I imagine Dixon of Dock

Green was like.

Each story is layered out with care and attention, good humor and the sort of warmth that only Peter D. can put into a performance. See his previous work in 'A very peculiar practice' or 'Meet the Braithwaits' for examples of what I mean.

It will never be as successful as 'Inspector Morse' or as breathtakingly fresh as 'Spooks' but to count these as negatives would be a mistake. Its like watching a favorite uncle telling a familiar and yet fascinating story. You know your in good hands and its very safe, but you just can't help but love it.

Its the St. Bernard dog of detectives.

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19 out of 20 people found the following comment useful :-
One of the best shows on British TV at the moment, 14 June 2005
Author: karldinnel from London, England

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!!

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15 out of 18 people found the following comment useful :-
A TV crime series with a heart!, 8 May 2006

Author: cranston-3 (cranston@optonline.net) from United States

Ever since his "Dr. Who," ALL THINGS GREAT AND SMALL, his appearances on Diana Rigg's MRS. BRADLEY MYSTERIES series, as well as his engaging CAMPION, I've admired Peter Davison, as an apparently quite likable fellow off-camera and a warm, excellent actor in front of the lens. Now, a bit older, he's returned, in top form in "The Last Detective" series. Though at bottom in the gritty Brit Police Force pecking order, a pariah to his burnt-out colleagues, he still manages to solve crimes none of them thinks worth the time. It's good news that THE LAST DETECTIVE has run for three seasons. Let's hope that there'll be many more, and that Seasons 2 and 3 will also soon be made available on DVD. So that we Statesiders can enjoy it. For I have little hope that we'll ever see them on PBS, at least not soon. Good show, Peter!

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13 out of 16 people found the following comment useful :-
It's Shown On The Wrong Day, 2 April 2003
Author: Theo Robertson from Isle Of Bute , Scotland

When I say THE LAST DETECTIVE is a fairly lightweight show this is in no way meant as a criticism . It's the sort of hhhmmmm how can I put it ? not a comedy but neither is it a heavy serious detective drama like A TOUCH OF FROST or INSPECTOR MORSE . Starring the blandest Doctor Who ever Peter Davison ( Again by no means a criticism ) as DC Davies the episodes revolve more around the character's chaotic home life than the cases he solves . Sean Hughes steals the show as Mod Lewis a sort of Celtic huggy bear who walks dogs and gives Davies good advice .....

DAVIES : I think I'm being stalked

MOD : I knew a woman who wouldn't leave me alone . She'd follow me everywhere , buy me clothes and give me money

DAVIES : Did you go to the police ?

MOD : No . It'd be a cruel man who'd turn in his own mother

If you thought the above line was amusing you'll certainly like the show , but my major criticism is to do with the fact that it's shown on a peak time Friday night when much of the potential audience is down the pub . THE LAST DETECTIVE feels more like a show that would be far more successful shown on a late Sunday evening slot

Update: As of 2005 it's now shown on Sunday evenings . Thanks for listening ITV

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6 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :-
British crime drama with a difference, 5 October 2006

Author: Samuel Mason-Jones from Australia

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

I watched the first episode of this show and I was hooked. Since then, I've been careful to watch every episode they've broadcast. (They started showing it here in Australia more than 3 years after it was shown in Britain!) From the very start, I found myself really sympathising with PC "Dangerous" Davies (played brilliantly by Peter Davison). He is still a constable after who knows how many years, he is separated from his wife Julie, he lives in dives and is mocked by the other policemen. But in spite of this, he is an irrepressibly nice guy. This is a welcome change from the utterly unsympathetic detectives that frequently appear on television! There were two other characters who I really liked - the gruff alcoholic Detective Inspector Aspinall (Rob Spendlove), and Dangerous's friend Mod Lewis, a philosophical Irishman who seems to have a great deal of trouble finding decent work or a steady relationship.

The humour is clever but not self-indulgent, and this really appealed to me. This is added to by the tension between the characters, particularly between Dangerous and his colleagues Barrett and Pimnott (a pair of smart-mouthed cockney detectives). Dangerous's relationship with Mod is particularly good to watch, especially when Dangerous is forced to move in with him.

The character development and intriguing plots make the Last Detective a must-see, and Willesden North is a perfect low-key backdrop. I haven't read the books, but I now intend to.

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4 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
The best of the best, 1 July 2006

Author: John (opsbooks) from Blue Mountains, Australia

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

There are so many things happening in this episode that I re-watched it within a day and found more to check out on a third viewing. Dangerous's wife, or ex-wife, has complaints about the house maintenance, to-wit a side fence which the dog supposedly leaned against and caused to fall down. Nice guy that he is, Dangerous and pal work on it throughout the episode. And there's that landlady up to something, one's never quite sure what! This series is outstanding for its script, production values, acting, everything. You won't find another show like it. Read the episode synopsis which covers the main plot strands and you'll find still other little things happening not pick up by us.

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5 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :-
Davison is good in this, 15 May 2007

Author: pawebster from Europe

Peter Davison is just right for this role. He plays Dangerous as a real person, who is actually clever and strong at the same time as being a soft touch, basically because of sheer niceness. This could easily be cloying or sentimental, but Davison avoids this pitfall with seeming ease.

As with so many detective series, our hero (who solves every case, while his colleagues and superior are getting things wrong) is seriously undervalued by the police force, so much so that he is still a detective constable when he must be close the the police retiring age. This is as unbelievable here as it always is.

His friend, played by Sean Hughes, is a handicap to the series in my opinion. He is supposed to be there for quirky comic relief, but I just find him irritating.

On the other hand, Dangerous' bossy hot-and-cold wife is a definite asset.

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Comparison with Dixon of Dock Green, 20 July 2008
Author: bailey-486 from Canada

Like a previous poster, I too thought of Dixon of Dock Green (which I remember from about 1956 - it was on every Saturday night) as I first watched "The Last Detective", which I just recently discovered. However, as I watched more of the series I began to realize that it's really quite different.

Firstly, Dixon was respected by his colleagues and bosses, whereas Dangerous is definitely not. Secondly, he lived with his daughter's family (his son-in-law was a detective in the same police station) and had a comfortable home life with people who loved him...again, totally different from poor Dangerous. Thirdly, Dixon refused promotion because he just wanted to be "an ordinary copper". I'm sure Dangerous would be delighted to be promoted, but because no one really realizes what a good job he does, it will never happen!

"Dixon of Dock Green" was made and broadcast on the BBC in the 50s up to the 70s, and certainly the ones I remember (50s and early 60s) featured cozy stories with happy endings and nothing really nasty. There were sad things, of course (like when the young policeman was killed) but mostly everything was all right in the end. "The Last Detective", while not wallowing in the nasty stuff, could certainly not be described as "cozy". Dangerous (wonderfully played by Peter Davison, a favourite since his Tristan days) is a very nice man, if a bit too ready to take all the abuse his colleagues heap on him. I would like to see him stand up for himself a bit more!

I am enjoying "The Last Detective" every bit as much as I enjoyed "Dixon of Dock Green" all those years ago and can't wait to see Series 4 on DVD.

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