New Tricks - Series 1 (DVD)

Author's product rating:   

Did you enjoy it?	Loved it
Story	Outstanding
Characters / Performances	Outstanding
Special Effects	Standard
How does it compare to similar films?	Outstanding

Advantages:	great entertaining police show .  .  .
Disadvantages:	Waterman singing the theme tune .  .  . again .  .  .

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Creators: Roy Mitchell and Nigel McCrery
Directors: (several, including…) Graham Theakston, Paul Seed, Julien Simpson and Rob Evens.
Writers: (several, including…)Roy Mitchell, Simon Block, Alison Hume and Nickolas Hopkins
Stars: Alun Armstrong, James Bolan, Amanda Redman and Dennis Waterman

The theme tune, 'It's alright' was composed by Mike Moran and sung by Dennis Waterman.

This crime drama cum comedy revolves around the members of UCOS… Unsolved Crime and Open Squad… started its life in March 2003, creating 39 hour long episodes splitting them into 5 series for the BBC
(Although I do believe a 6th series has been commissioned by the Beeb to be broadcast in 2009)

* MAIN CHARACTERS…

* Detective superintendent Sandra Pullman, (played by Amanda Redman), is the head of the four person team and the only 'official' serving police officer.
She is hot headed and likes to get her own way, even if it means shouting a lot, and with a love for her job she likes to get a result what ever the cost.

* John Halford…aka 'Jack', (played by James Bolan), is an Ex- Detective Chief Superintendent who retired form the force to look after his wife after she was involved in a hit and run accident. He comes across as a calm mannered person but underneath he does have a bit of a fiery temper.
Pullman does sometimes look upon him as a source of knowledge on some cases.

* Gerald Standing…aka Gerry, (played by Dennis Waterman) is an Ex- Detective Sergeant who seem to be a bit of a lovable rogue with his old style policing and humorous outlook on life. Leaving the force due to punching his superior officer whilst under investigation for corruption.
He is no stranger to women, but with 3 divorces under his belt he is no success with women either… although he does have a few kids which he tries his best to look after.

* Brian Lane, (played by Alun Armstrong) is an Ex detective Inspector and an ex alcoholic with the mind of a genius, being able to remember the smallest of detail from many years back, although suffering form OCD and slight paranoia.
He is married to Esther, (played by Susan Jameson), who is probably the most patient women in the world.
His career in the force ended due to a death in custody for which he was held responsible for… but he stands by the fact that he was set up… but his brilliant mind is not lost in UCOS.

* BRIEF IDEA…

UCOS is a small team of four who re-open long closed cases and re-investigate them… usually coming up with a result due to modern scientific breakthroughs.

Sandra is the 'boss', and only serving police officer, who is constantly battling to keep the team together… usually under the constant glare of the politically correct, and very arrogant, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Robert Strickland, (played by Anthony Calf).
So, with the help of her rather motley crew of ex-police officers she re-opens some unsolved cases, and many old wounds, to finally put ghosts to rest….
With each episode offering a new case for the four person team to crack…

* What the Series one DVD has to offer…

Pilot episode…

UCOS is founded with the intentions of investigating previously unsolved crimes…
With the introduction of the small team, headed by dog shooting Sandra Pullman, they begin to investigate their first case, trying to prove who actually murdered a nightclub hostess twenty years earlier, sending an innocent man to prison.

* SERIES ONE

Episodes

* 1... The team are asked to re-open the case of a murdered police woman after new evidence emerges from the bottom of a lake.

* 2... When UCOS begins to look into some strange happening involving the Queens art collection they soon find more than they bargained, including fraud and possibly murder.

* 3... A case from the early '80s , involving a nuclear power base, is re-opened but the team soon discover that the murder may be a cover up from a much higher power.

* 4... A childs murder from years ago is investigated, unfortunately the only suspect has committed suicide.

* 5... A case from Brian's past, involving the disappearance of a mother and child, needs re-investigating, especially when he discovers that there were other disappearances at the same time.

* 6... Jack gets mixed messages when he tries to contact his dead wife… re-opening the case of a girl who died trapped in a storage container in the early '80's.

* IN CONCLUSION…

Probably one of the best 'cop shows' in recent years… apart from Life on Mars maybe…??? (in my opinion of course)
Every episode is well written and shows some sensitivity about each individual case which is reinvestigated by the rather strange mixture of characters… and what a strange mixture they are….
It seems the casting crew had a brain wave when they decided to unite this magnificent foursome, giving each one a special kind of characteristic, bringing them together to create such a brilliantly comical, yet sometime serious police show.
Redman as the serious, yet somewhat sexy boss of UCOS who does sometimes have a few 'funny' moments…then with Waterman as Gerry, with his Jack the lad attitude and his constantly bad one liners, usually winding up the marvellous brain of Brain, (who Armstrong plays to perfection, with his close to insanity attitude), sometimes wondering how the reformed alcoholic stays on the wagon after a day working with Gerry… and finishing off the team is Bolan, with his calm character of John, the wiser one in the group, although he does have a sore spot which does appear its head during the later series.

In all it is a fine mixture of drama, comedy and a little suspense, which brings a great many hours of all round entertainment… but not for the younger people in the house as some episodes can give them a few nightmares…

You can get series one from www.Amazon.co.uk for around £12.00 and for this you get 3 DVDs with nearly 6 hours of brilliant entertainment including the pilot which kicks off the entire show.