New Scotland Yard (TV series)
Encyclopedia
New Scotland Yard was a police drama series produced by London Weekend Television
(LWT) of the ITV
network between 1972 and 1974. It featured the activities of two officers from the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) in the Metropolitan Police
force headquarters at New Scotland Yard, as they dealt with the assorted villains of the day.
The first three series ran from 1972 to 1973 and starred John Woodvine
as Det. Chief Supt. Kingdom and John Carlisle
as Det. Sgt. Ward. But the series, scheduled on a Saturday night, failed to match the ratings of its more glamorous midweek sister programme, Special Branch
.
The programme was resurrected for a fourth series in 1974, with an all-new cast headed by Michael Turner as Det. Chief Supt. Clay and Clive Francis
as Det. Sgt. Dexter
LWT were considered to have broken the rules of Saturday night broadcasting by showing a tough police drama in place of entertainment. The show is little remembered today but it was an inspiration for The Sweeney
.
Among the list of guest actors was Dennis Waterman
, who went on to play a lead role in The Sweeney.
There were several television series about Scotland Yard during the 1950s, the longest-running being Scotland Yard
on the American Broadcasting Company
from 1957-1958.
London Weekend Television
London Weekend Television was the name of the ITV network franchise holder for Greater London and the Home Counties including south Suffolk, middle and east Hampshire, Oxfordshire, south Bedfordshire, south Northamptonshire, parts of Herefordshire & Worcestershire, Warwickshire, east Dorset and...
(LWT) of the ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
network between 1972 and 1974. It featured the activities of two officers from the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) in the Metropolitan Police
Metropolitan police
Metropolitan Police is a generic title for the municipal police force for a major metropolitan area, and it may be part of the official title of the force...
force headquarters at New Scotland Yard, as they dealt with the assorted villains of the day.
The first three series ran from 1972 to 1973 and starred John Woodvine
John Woodvine
John Woodvine is an English stage and screen actor who has appeared in more than 70 theatre productions, as well as a similar number of television and film roles.-Early life:...
as Det. Chief Supt. Kingdom and John Carlisle
John Carlisle
John Carlisle may refer to:* John Carlisle , British television actor* John Carlisle , British Conservative Party Member of Parliament and member of the Conservative Monday Club...
as Det. Sgt. Ward. But the series, scheduled on a Saturday night, failed to match the ratings of its more glamorous midweek sister programme, Special Branch
Special Branch (TV series)
Special Branch is a British television series made by Thames Television for ITV and shown between 1969 and 1974. A police drama series, the action was centred on members of the Special Branch anti-espionage and anti-terrorist department of the London Metropolitan Police.The first two series were...
.
The programme was resurrected for a fourth series in 1974, with an all-new cast headed by Michael Turner as Det. Chief Supt. Clay and Clive Francis
Clive Francis
-Early life:He is the son of actors Raymond Francis and Margaret Towner. He was born in Eastbourne.His father played Detective Chief Superintendent Tom Lockhart in the 1960s series No Hiding Place and his mother still acts today - most recently she played Jira, Anakin Skywalker's friend, in Star...
as Det. Sgt. Dexter
LWT were considered to have broken the rules of Saturday night broadcasting by showing a tough police drama in place of entertainment. The show is little remembered today but it was an inspiration for The Sweeney
The Sweeney
The Sweeney is a 1970s British television police drama focusing on two members of the Flying Squad, a branch of the Metropolitan Police specialising in tackling armed robbery and violent crime in London...
.
Among the list of guest actors was Dennis Waterman
Dennis Waterman
Dennis Waterman is a British actor and singer, best known for his tough-guy roles in television series including The Sweeney, Minder and New Tricks.-Early life:...
, who went on to play a lead role in The Sweeney.
There were several television series about Scotland Yard during the 1950s, the longest-running being Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard (TV series)
Scotland Yard is a half-hour ABC crime/drama television series, which uses police files from the British Scotland Yard investigative force in the shaping of each episode. The series aired on Sunday evenings in the 1957-1958 season, having premiered on November 17, 1957, but the sixty-three episodes...
on the American Broadcasting Company
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
from 1957-1958.