DVD
New Tricks
Series 1

Starring: Alun Armstrong, James Bolam, Amanda Redman and Dennis Waterman
BBC DVD
RRP: £19.99
BBCDVD1637
Certificate: 15
Available 14 March 2005


Superintendent Sandra Pullman, whose brilliant career is sidelined after a hostage rescue goes disastrously wrong, has been been put in charge of a new department - The Unsolved Crime and Open Case Squad (UCOS). However, she is soon dismayed to discover that her unit is to be manned by retired detectives. Pullman's recruits - grieving widower Jack Halford, once her mentor in the murder squad; the compulsive obsessive ex-Inspector Brian Lane and ex-Sergent Gerry Standing, who left the force amid rumours of corruption - might have years of experience, but they know little of modern police methods...

Episode one of New Tricks gets the series off on the right foot. It starts with Superintendent Sandra Pullman's (Amanda Redman) botched hostage rescue and then follows her as she is demoted and forced to choose three ex-detectives to work on The Unsolved Crime and Open Case Squad (UCOS). The three members are Jack Halford (James Bolam), Brian Lane (Alun Armstrong) and Gerry Standing (Dennis Waterman).

Each of these three retired detectives has something that they'd rather not share with the world - a problem they'd rather keep to themselves. Halford is a grieving widower who regularly talks through cases with his departed wife; Lane is a compulsive obsessive who has a fantastic memory for dates and events but is slightly unhinged; and Standing is a womaniser and a gambler. As this series progresses we get to see more of their backgrounds and why they are in the positions they are currently in.

The pilot episode sets everything up and charts the groups first murder investigation - the reopening of the murder of a cocktail waitress who was killed years before. At the time a known criminal was put away for her murder, but it soon becomes apparent that the wrong man may have been committed of the crime.

The rest of the episodes in this series revolve around old unsolved murders and, oddly enough, there is one that examines art fraud. Actually, this episode also examines why Standing was bunged off the force in the first place.

This series looks at the differences between police practices of 20+ years ago and today - how detectives could give suspects a bit of a scare, or secretly tape interviews without approval.

There are quite a few famous guest stars, including Anthony Stewart Head (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) Robert Bathurst (Cold Feet) and DI Greg Johnson (who fans of The Office will recognise for his role as Neil Godwin) who becomes a love interest for Pullman.

This collection could easily have been squeezed onto two discs but for some reason it has been spread over three. The first disc only includes the pilot episode and each of the other discs contain three episodes each.

This wonderfully reinvents the police drama genre. Not only that, but fans of Little Britain will be happy to hear that while Dennis Waterman doesn't actually write "da theme toon" he does sing "da theme toon".

There are no extras in this three disc collection, but that doesn't really matter - the episodes alone are good enough to warrant buying this without feeling short changed.

Darren Rea

Buy this item online
We compare prices online so you get the cheapest deal!
Click on the logo of the desired store below to purchase this item.


cover
£14.99 (Amazon.co.uk)
   
£16.99 (MVC.co.uk)
   
£13.99 (Powerplaydirect.com)

All prices correct at time of going to press.

 

+