The UK TV industry pumps out an endless supply of police dramas, and The Last Detective is in my humble opinion one that didn't appear to get the recognition it deserves. It's quite atmospheric in capturing London (not the City of London Corporation London if you know what I mean). We see the cramped police office where DC "Dangerous' Davies works (Dangerous is an ironic nickname) who at first doesn't get much respect from DI Aspinall and DS Pimlott and DC Barrett. The three take the mickey out of him at first, but DI Aspinall develops a grudging respect for Dangerous, and they start to bond. WPC Kapoor provides support to Dangerous.A sub-plot is Dangerous's relationship with his estranged wife, Julie, and it's encouraging to see their marriage restored over the four seasons. Also Dangerous's friendship with Mod, an Irishman, provides thoughtful and light moments. Also the St Bernard is so cute.We also see the gray skies, the crowded street, the pubs (at least one pub scene per episode), the shoulder-to-shoulder accommodation, the run-down bedsits. It's London and great to see The Last Detective capture this.It's a shame The Last Detective ran for only four seasons. It deserved more, and who knows, maybe one day The Last Detective can be rebooted.

'The Last Detective' is again being shown on ABC1-TV in Australia late on a Saturday night. I reckon this is at least the third showing of some episodes, and I'm still watching them. So, what does this mean? If I can watch anything for the third time and still be entertained, then it's well written, well acted, and probably quite unique.Peter Davison is perhaps best well known as playing Dr Who in the first half of the 1980's. As 'dangerous' Davies, he walks a fine line between being a hero and being a loser. Mostly he manages to squeeze into the hero role, much to the derision of his work colleages, DC's Pimlott and Barrett. PC Davies is an old-fashioned copper who would like an old fashioned life, but between being given the soft cases by his boss, DI Aspinall, and being given the shove by his bitchy wife - well played by Emma Amos - his life is usually one long uphill climb. Peter Davison handles this role with the skill we have come to expect from him.Whist the scripts verge on the comedic, genuine light relief is provided by Sean Hughes as Mod, Davies' mate and confidant.Mod: What do you call a dozen rabbits walking backwards? Davies: What?Mod: A receding hairline. After which follows a discussion about whether a bunch of rabbits can be called 'hares', since hares are completely different from rabbits.Gentle, but addictive and entertaining.

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.

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!!