A great series. Warren Clarke is great as DS Andy Dalziel (literally DL);his character is tough, hard as nails, earthy, and brilliant. He is the show. Obviously a self-made detective who without an "education" has been promoted up the ranks to superintendent and somehow missed the refinements he might have been expected to pick up. He is paired with Colin Buchanan as DI Peter Pascoe, a well educated college man who I find a bit of a prat and a snob who believes he is better than his boss. He is paired with a wife, Susannah Corbett, who really dislikes Dalziel. To be honest, I hoped her character would be murdered at some point during the series as I find her totally obnoxious which might be a tribute to her acting. The stories are well written and you really have to be on form to get to the murderer before Dalziel does. It is a shame that at this time only the first three series are available on DVD.

It's impossible to recreate the blithely crude humor of Reginald Hill's Dalziel on television, but Warren Clarke (who played one of the "droogs" in A Clockwork Orange nearly 40 years ago) comes as close as possible, and the contrast with the educated, more by-the-book Pascoe is well played.I remembered this series from when it was broadcast on A&E ca. 2000-2001, and a year or two ago, I found an old VHS tape where I had recorded one of the programs for later viewing. It held up extremely well, and I was reminded what a fine series it was, featuring intriguing plots, witty dialogue, and interesting characters.I became interested in finding it among the dozens of BBC series that are sold in the U.S., but to no avail. It simply wasn't available, and even more surprisingly, it wasn't even out on DVD in the UK.By now, the first two series have been released on DVD in the UK and the third in continental Europe. In either case, you need a region-free DVD player, after which you can order from anywhere in the world.I'm not sure what's holding things up, seeing that practically every other TV series ever made has been released on DVD, but at least those of us who have region-free players and can order from Amazon UK are in good shape.

We are in the middle of season 7 at the moment in Sweden, and I've been watching it since season 4. And I must say that I've liked what I've seen so far. Every summer they show Midsomer Murders on Swedish television, and I USED to enjoy that show until I found this masterpiece. Here the characters and environments are more realistic, the plots are more complex and interesting, and the endings are not alway crystal clear, which, for the thriller-interested viewer, is quite satisfying. The ongoing Dalziel-Pascoe relationship is probably the best in its genre, and Dalziel's one-liners sometimes make you laugh your head off! I hope they will continue to show Dalziel and Pascoe in Sweden, although I don't think it's well known here. It's as good as Frost, and much better than the latest seasons of Midsomer Murders. UK can certainly make my evenings a lot more fun.

'Dalziel and Pascoe' is one of the greatest television programmes of all time. Based on the books by Reginald Hill, the show follows the work of Superintendent Andy Dalziel (Warren Clarke) and DI Peter Pascoe(Colin Buchanan), as they investigate and solve murders. Despite their obvious differences in personality and outlook, Dalziel and Pascoe soon become an effective partnership, and good friends. The show has certainly evolved over the many years it's been on our screens, with most of the early episodes being close adaptations of the books, whereas recently the writers have thought up original, and often superior story lines for the show. What really sets this series apart from other modern detective dramas is its gritty realism and complex plotting. With every episode of 'Dalziel and Pascoe' you are guaranteed an unpredictable and intelligent mystery, played out by excellent actors in atmospheric and realistic locations.