The Thin Blue Line (TV series)
| The Thin Blue Line | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Created by | Ben Elton |
| Written by | Ben Elton |
| Directed by | John Birkin |
| Starring |
Rowan Atkinson James Dreyfus Mina Anwar Rudolph Walker Serena Evans David Haig Kevin Allen (series 1) Mark Addy (series 2) Lucy Robinson (series 2) Joy Brook (series 1) |
| Composer(s) | Howard Goodall |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 14 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Peter Bennett-Jones |
| Producer(s) |
Geoffrey Perkins Ben Elton |
| Editor(s) |
Graham Hutchings (Series 1) Steve Tempia (Series 2) Charlie Fawcett (Series 2) |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Tiger Aspect Productions |
| Distributor | Endemol UK |
| Release | |
| Original network | BBC1 |
| Original release | 13 November 1995 – 23 December 1996 |
| Website | |
The Thin Blue Line (a colloquial term for police forces) is a British sitcom starring Rowan Atkinson and written by Ben Elton. It aired on the BBC from 1995 to 1996.
The Thin Blue Line was set in the police station of the fictional English town of Gasforth near London, although Constable Goody wears a North Yorkshire Police helmet plate. One of the main themes was the rivalry between the uniformed squad led by Inspector Fowler and the CID led by Detective Inspector Grim (often Fowler's antagonist, though they were on the same side of the law). Episodes frequently saw the uniformed branch and CID locking horns over similar, or even the same, issues while having conflicting views or methods of operation. Generally the uniformed section triumphed over the detectives, although not without their own foibles.
The other comedic plotlines centred around the characters below and their peculiarities, although other PCs and staff were usually visible in the background and at meetings. (The ancillary staff are more visible in the first season. In both seasons, they generally have no speaking parts).
Inspector Raymond Fowler (Rowan Atkinson): Fowler is an old-fashioned policeman whose lack of interest in sex annoys his live-in girlfriend of 10 years, Sergeant Dawkins. He was previously married, and his college-age son Bill appears in one episode. His former wife Susan is alluded to but never featured. Inspector Fowler has a strong devotion to duty and takes his job seriously, sometimes showing a lack of contemporary social awareness that amuses Habib and annoys Grim. He occasionally (usually unwittingly) performs very courageous acts in the line of duty. Among the cast, he most closely characterises the "stiff upper lip" English official, at least while on duty. He is a member of the local drama society and fancies himself an actor. His hobbies include reading Biggles and building miniature models. He is patriotic and occasionally makes disparaging remarks about other nationalities but frequently demonstrates his support of ethnic minorities, chiefly through his enjoyment and preference for Indian food (although this is probably more to do with Dawkins' lack of cooking skills). Despite his strong faith in the law, he is willing to bend the rules in an unjust situation, such as blackmailing a skinhead's mother into dropping assault charges against Constable Goody, or blackmailing Inspector Grim into dropping charges against Constable Habib for concealing drug evidence. In the second series, Fowler breaks the fourth wall by beginning each episode by briefly addressing the audience directly, in the style of Jack Warner in Dixon of Dock Green. Fowler wears the ribbons of the Police Long Service and Good Conduct Medal and Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal.
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