Richard McCabe
Encyclopedia
Richard McCabe is a Scottish actor.
to a Scottish
father and French
mother (Richard is his Equity name). He studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
(RADA), where he won several awards. Following the early death of his father and his mother's re-marriage, he grew up in Sussex
where he still lives. His partner is costume designer, Fotini Dimou.
Although he has appeared in several high-profile films, McCabe is primarily a classical actor and has been an Associate Artist of the Royal Shakespeare Company
(RSC) since 1997. He is also an accomplished musician and composer and plays various keyboards including the piano
and the accordion
. He was a member of Ten Pole Tudor in the 1980s, before their chart topping success with 'Swords of a Thousand Men', and always intended to be a musician rather than an actor.
Following a national tour, he is currently playing Jim Hacker in "Yes, Prime Minister" in London's West End (at Gielguid since end of September. McCabe plays opposite Simon Williams
as Sir Humphrey. Commissioned by Chichester Festival Theatre
from Jonathan Lynn
and Antony Jay
to mark the 30th anniversary of the television series, the original production closed in January after a sell out season in London's West End. McCabe's strong stage presence, fine comic timing and expressive face means he is a fine successor to the late Paul Eddington
who created Hacker, and to David Haigh who played the role in Chichester.
This play will close in November and be re-cast for a second national tour. At this stage McCabe will be filming a new series of Wallender in Sweden, and in February 2012 will return to the Young Vic to repeat his role of Ben Jonson alongside Patrick Stewart
(as Shakespeare) in Edward Bond's Bingo.
In the summer of 2010, this was one of three roles McCabe memorably played at Chichester Festival in their Minerva (studio) theatre. Firstly in the spring, his Ben Jonson
was described as "memorably bilious" and a "self-mocking drunk who veers from cynicism to nihilism" by Benedict Nightingale in The Times
. Seeing him on stage alongside Stewart is one of theatre goer's dreams. From July he appeared in the double bill of Stoppard and Sheridan: in Tom Stoppard's "The Real Inspector Hound" he played Moon, the critic (given four stars by Libby Purves in The Times and described as "hunched, myopic and resentful" with "flat feet and bad hair") and in Richard Sheridan's "The Critic", he played the lead role of Puff resplendent in gold, green and pink, with an enormous powdered wig. Again Purves: "McCabe, abandoning his slump, demonstrates his comic versatility as a very camp Puff, waving a conductor's baton over the surly cast and ill-advised props" in Puff's heroic-patriotic drama about the Spanish Armada
. In The Sunday Times
McCabe was described by Robert Hewison as "glorious". These plays closed at the end of August. In his previous appearance at Chichester
, McCabe played the title role in Molière's Scapino, 2005.
His greatest successes have come from his regular performances in leading roles for the RSC
. One of his great strengths is an ability to play both comedy (many RSC roles) and tragedy (title role in Hamlet
and Flamineo in Webster's The White Devil
) with equal impact. In addition he has a fine speaking voice, wonderful diction and a strong stage presence. At the end of February 2010, he completed the role of Sir Toby Belch in RSC's Twelfth Night, directed by Gregory Doran. This was at the Duke of York's
in London
's West End
, following its run in Stratford
the previous autumn. He played alongside Nancy Carroll
as Viola, Alexandra Gilbreath
as Olivia (nominated for an Olivier Award), James Fleet
as Sir Andrew Aguecheek and Richard Wilson as Malvolio.
His more recent films include The Duchess
(2008) The Constant Gardener
(2005), Master and Commander
(2003), Notting Hill
(1999) and the BBC TV's Jane Eyre
(2007).
McCabe's most outstanding RSC performances include Iago in Othello, directed by Michael Attenborough
in 1999 opposite Ray Fearon
in the title role, and his King John for the 2006 production directed by Josie Rourke (part of the Complete Works Festival). His roles at the Royal National Theatre
have included Ford in the Merry Wives of Windsor (Olivier, directed by Terry Hands, 1995), Fainall in Congreve's The Way of the World (Lyttelton, Phyllida Lloyd, 1995), Michael Crowley in the rarely performed Absolute Hell by Rodney Ackland with Judi Dench
in the lead role (Lyttelton, Anthony Page, 1995) and Herald/Narrator in Marat/Sade (Olivier, Jeremy Sams, 1997).
His Hamlet for Birmingham Rep. (Bill Alexander, 1998) was revived for a national UK tour in 2000 and featured at the Elsinore
Hamlet Festival at Elsinore Castle in 2001.
In 2002 he was acclaimed as Mephistophiles in Marlowe's Doctor Faustus at the Young Vic with Jude Law
in the title role. His first great success with the RSC - which brought him to the notice of both the critics and the public - was as Puck in John Caird's anarchic Midsummer Night's Dream in 1989 (RST). He created the role of Christopher Marlowe
in Peter Whelan's School of Night (TOP, 1992). Other roles with the RSC include Autolycus in The Winter's Tale
(Adrian Noble, RST, 1992), nominated for an Olivier award as Best Supporting Actor in a Revival; Tranio in The Taming of the Shrew
(Bill Alexander, RST, 1992); Flamineo in Webster's The White Devil
(Deborah Warner, Swan, 1997); Thersites in Troilus and Cressida
(Ian Judge, RST, 1997) and Apemantus in "Timon of Athens
" (Gregory Doran, RST, 1999). McCabe has also performed classical roles in many of Great Britain's major playhouses such as the Sheffield Crucible, Bolton Octagon
, Plymouth Theatre Royal, Leeds Playhouse
, Birmingham Rep and Manchester's Royal Exchange Theatre
.
McCabe has played some distinguished roles in radio plays and also Caliban (The Tempest
) and Edgar (King Lear
) for Shakespeare audio tapes series, the latter with Paul Scofield
as Lear, recorded in 2001.
McCabe's recent TV roles include the major role of Nyberg the pathologist in BBC One's Wallander based on Henning Mankell
's bestselling detective novels. He played Eddington's best friend Frank Dyson in BBC One's award winning play Einstein and Eddington
starring David Tennant and Andy Serkis (2008). He has also appeared in BBC One's "Spooks" (November 2009); an episode of Midsomer Murders
entitled Four Funerals and a Wedding (2008) and Lewis, broadcast in March 2008. In the 1990s, he played in several TV dramas, such as "Killer Net" and "Trial and Retribution", and three episodes of "The Bill
".
Biography
Richard (Bill) McCabe was born in GlasgowGlasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
to a Scottish
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
father and French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
mother (Richard is his Equity name). He studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art is a drama school located in London, United Kingdom. It is generally regarded as one of the most renowned drama schools in the world, and is one of the oldest drama schools in the United Kingdom, having been founded in 1904.RADA is an affiliate school of the...
(RADA), where he won several awards. Following the early death of his father and his mother's re-marriage, he grew up in Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
where he still lives. His partner is costume designer, Fotini Dimou.
Although he has appeared in several high-profile films, McCabe is primarily a classical actor and has been an Associate Artist of the Royal Shakespeare Company
Royal Shakespeare Company
The Royal Shakespeare Company is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs 700 staff and produces around 20 productions a year from its home in Stratford-upon-Avon and plays regularly in London, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and on tour across...
(RSC) since 1997. He is also an accomplished musician and composer and plays various keyboards including the piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
and the accordion
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
. He was a member of Ten Pole Tudor in the 1980s, before their chart topping success with 'Swords of a Thousand Men', and always intended to be a musician rather than an actor.
Following a national tour, he is currently playing Jim Hacker in "Yes, Prime Minister" in London's West End (at Gielguid since end of September. McCabe plays opposite Simon Williams
Simon Williams (actor)
Simon Williams is an English actor known for playing James Bellamy in the period drama Upstairs, Downstairs. Frequently playing upper-class roles, he is also known for playing Dr...
as Sir Humphrey. Commissioned by Chichester Festival Theatre
Chichester Festival Theatre
Chichester Festival Theatre, located in Chichester, England, was designed by Philip Powell and Hidalgo Moya, and opened by its founder Leslie Evershed-Martin in 1962. Subsequently the smaller and more intimate Minerva Theatre was built nearby in 1989....
from Jonathan Lynn
Jonathan Lynn
Jonathan Lynn is an English actor, comedy writer and director. He is best known for being the co-writer of Yes Minister and Yes, Prime Minister.-Personal life:...
and Antony Jay
Antony Jay
Sir Antony Rupert Jay, CVO, is an English writer, broadcaster, director, and actor famous for the co-authorship, with Jonathan Lynn, of the successful British political comedies Yes Minister and Yes, Prime Minister...
to mark the 30th anniversary of the television series, the original production closed in January after a sell out season in London's West End. McCabe's strong stage presence, fine comic timing and expressive face means he is a fine successor to the late Paul Eddington
Paul Eddington
Paul Eddington CBE was an English actor best known for his appearances in popular television sitcoms of the 1970s and 80s: The Good Life, Yes Minister and Yes, Prime Minister.-Early life:...
who created Hacker, and to David Haigh who played the role in Chichester.
This play will close in November and be re-cast for a second national tour. At this stage McCabe will be filming a new series of Wallender in Sweden, and in February 2012 will return to the Young Vic to repeat his role of Ben Jonson alongside Patrick Stewart
Patrick Stewart
Sir Patrick Hewes Stewart, OBE is an English film, television and stage actor, who has had a distinguished career in theatre and television for around half a century...
(as Shakespeare) in Edward Bond's Bingo.
In the summer of 2010, this was one of three roles McCabe memorably played at Chichester Festival in their Minerva (studio) theatre. Firstly in the spring, his Ben Jonson
Ben Jonson
Benjamin Jonson was an English Renaissance dramatist, poet and actor. A contemporary of William Shakespeare, he is best known for his satirical plays, particularly Volpone, The Alchemist, and Bartholomew Fair, which are considered his best, and his lyric poems...
was described as "memorably bilious" and a "self-mocking drunk who veers from cynicism to nihilism" by Benedict Nightingale in The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
. Seeing him on stage alongside Stewart is one of theatre goer's dreams. From July he appeared in the double bill of Stoppard and Sheridan: in Tom Stoppard's "The Real Inspector Hound" he played Moon, the critic (given four stars by Libby Purves in The Times and described as "hunched, myopic and resentful" with "flat feet and bad hair") and in Richard Sheridan's "The Critic", he played the lead role of Puff resplendent in gold, green and pink, with an enormous powdered wig. Again Purves: "McCabe, abandoning his slump, demonstrates his comic versatility as a very camp Puff, waving a conductor's baton over the surly cast and ill-advised props" in Puff's heroic-patriotic drama about the Spanish Armada
Spanish Armada
This article refers to the Battle of Gravelines, for the modern navy of Spain, see Spanish NavyThe Spanish Armada was the Spanish fleet that sailed against England under the command of the Duke of Medina Sidonia in 1588, with the intention of overthrowing Elizabeth I of England to stop English...
. In The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
McCabe was described by Robert Hewison as "glorious". These plays closed at the end of August. In his previous appearance at Chichester
Chichester
Chichester is a cathedral city in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, South-East England. It has a long history as a settlement; its Roman past and its subsequent importance in Anglo-Saxon times are only its beginnings...
, McCabe played the title role in Molière's Scapino, 2005.
His greatest successes have come from his regular performances in leading roles for the RSC
Royal Shakespeare Company
The Royal Shakespeare Company is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs 700 staff and produces around 20 productions a year from its home in Stratford-upon-Avon and plays regularly in London, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and on tour across...
. One of his great strengths is an ability to play both comedy (many RSC roles) and tragedy (title role in Hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
and Flamineo in Webster's The White Devil
The White Devil
The White Devil is a revenge tragedy from 1612 by English playwright John Webster . A notorious failure when it premiered, Webster complained the play was acted in the dead of winter before an unreceptive audience. The play's complexity, sophistication and satire made it a poor fit with the...
) with equal impact. In addition he has a fine speaking voice, wonderful diction and a strong stage presence. At the end of February 2010, he completed the role of Sir Toby Belch in RSC's Twelfth Night, directed by Gregory Doran. This was at the Duke of York's
Duke of York's Theatre
The Duke of York's Theatre is a West End Theatre in St Martin's Lane, in the City of Westminster. It was built for Frank Wyatt and his wife, Violet Melnotte, who retained ownership of the theatre, until her death in 1935. It opened on 10 September 1892 as the Trafalgar Square Theatre, with Wedding...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
's West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
, following its run in Stratford
Stratford
Stratford is a place name found in many English-speaking countries. It derives from the Old English words stræt and ford...
the previous autumn. He played alongside Nancy Carroll
Nancy Carroll
Nancy Carroll was an American actress.-Career:She was christened Ann Veronica Lahiff in New York City. Of Irish parentage, she and her sister once performed a dancing act in a local contest of amateur talent. This led her to a stage career and then to the screen. She began her acting career in...
as Viola, Alexandra Gilbreath
Alexandra Gilbreath
Alexandra Gilbreath is an award-winning English actress.Gilbreath is widely known for her work both on stage and onscreen . She gained popularity with the Royal Shakespeare Company on such works as The Taming of the Shrew, Romeo and Juliet, The Tamer Tamed, and The Winter's Tale and Merry Wives:...
as Olivia (nominated for an Olivier Award), James Fleet
James Fleet
James Edward Fleet is an English actor. He is most famous for his roles as the bumbling and well-meaning Tom in the 1994 British romantic comedy film Four Weddings and a Funeral, and the dim-witted Hugo Horton in the BBC situation comedy television series The Vicar of Dibley.-Personal life:Fleet...
as Sir Andrew Aguecheek and Richard Wilson as Malvolio.
His more recent films include The Duchess
The Duchess (film)
The Duchess is a 2008 British drama film based on Amanda Foreman's biography of the 18th-century English aristocrat Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire. It was released in September 2008 in the UK...
(2008) The Constant Gardener
The Constant Gardener
The Constant Gardener is a 2001 novel by John le Carré. It tells the story of Justin Quayle, a British diplomat whose activist wife is murdered...
(2005), Master and Commander
Master and Commander
Master and Commander is a historical naval novel by Patrick O'Brian. First published in 1969 , it is first in the Aubrey-Maturin series of stories of Captain Jack Aubrey and the naval surgeon Stephen Maturin. Closely based on the historical feats of Lord Cochrane, O'Brian's novel is set in the...
(2003), Notting Hill
Notting Hill
Notting Hill is an area in London, England, close to the north-western corner of Kensington Gardens, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea...
(1999) and the BBC TV's Jane Eyre
Jane Eyre
Jane Eyre is a novel by English writer Charlotte Brontë. It was published in London, England, in 1847 by Smith, Elder & Co. with the title Jane Eyre. An Autobiography under the pen name "Currer Bell." The first American edition was released the following year by Harper & Brothers of New York...
(2007).
McCabe's most outstanding RSC performances include Iago in Othello, directed by Michael Attenborough
Michael Attenborough
The Hon. Michael John Attenborough is a successful English theatre director. His parents are the actors Richard Attenborough, Baron Attenborough and Sheila Sim, Lady Attenborough...
in 1999 opposite Ray Fearon
Ray Fearon
Fitzroy Raymond "Ray" Fearon is a British actor who has worked extensively in theatre, and is known for playing garage mechanic Nathan Harding on ITV's long-running soap opera Coronation Street.-Early life:...
in the title role, and his King John for the 2006 production directed by Josie Rourke (part of the Complete Works Festival). His roles at the Royal National Theatre
Royal National Theatre
The Royal National Theatre in London is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company...
have included Ford in the Merry Wives of Windsor (Olivier, directed by Terry Hands, 1995), Fainall in Congreve's The Way of the World (Lyttelton, Phyllida Lloyd, 1995), Michael Crowley in the rarely performed Absolute Hell by Rodney Ackland with Judi Dench
Judi Dench
Dame Judith Olivia "Judi" Dench, CH, DBE, FRSA is an English film, stage and television actress.Dench made her professional debut in 1957 with the Old Vic Company. Over the following few years she played in several of William Shakespeare's plays in such roles as Ophelia in Hamlet, Juliet in Romeo...
in the lead role (Lyttelton, Anthony Page, 1995) and Herald/Narrator in Marat/Sade (Olivier, Jeremy Sams, 1997).
His Hamlet for Birmingham Rep. (Bill Alexander, 1998) was revived for a national UK tour in 2000 and featured at the Elsinore
Elsinore
Helsingør is a city and the municipal seat of Helsingør municipality on the northeast coast of the island of Zealand in eastern Denmark. Helsingør has a population of 46,279 including the southern suburbs of Snekkersten and Espergærde...
Hamlet Festival at Elsinore Castle in 2001.
In 2002 he was acclaimed as Mephistophiles in Marlowe's Doctor Faustus at the Young Vic with Jude Law
Jude Law
David Jude Heyworth Law , known professionally as Jude Law, is an English actor, film producer and director.He began acting with the National Youth Music Theatre in 1987, and had his first television role in 1989...
in the title role. His first great success with the RSC - which brought him to the notice of both the critics and the public - was as Puck in John Caird's anarchic Midsummer Night's Dream in 1989 (RST). He created the role of Christopher Marlowe
Christopher Marlowe
Christopher Marlowe was an English dramatist, poet and translator of the Elizabethan era. As the foremost Elizabethan tragedian, next to William Shakespeare, he is known for his blank verse, his overreaching protagonists, and his mysterious death.A warrant was issued for Marlowe's arrest on 18 May...
in Peter Whelan's School of Night (TOP, 1992). Other roles with the RSC include Autolycus in The Winter's Tale
The Winter's Tale
The Winter's Tale is a play by William Shakespeare, originally published in the First Folio of 1623. Although it was grouped among the comedies, some modern editors have relabelled the play as one of Shakespeare's late romances. Some critics, among them W. W...
(Adrian Noble, RST, 1992), nominated for an Olivier award as Best Supporting Actor in a Revival; Tranio in The Taming of the Shrew
The Taming of the Shrew
The Taming of the Shrew is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1591.The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the Induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunken tinker named Sly into believing he is actually a nobleman himself...
(Bill Alexander, RST, 1992); Flamineo in Webster's The White Devil
The White Devil
The White Devil is a revenge tragedy from 1612 by English playwright John Webster . A notorious failure when it premiered, Webster complained the play was acted in the dead of winter before an unreceptive audience. The play's complexity, sophistication and satire made it a poor fit with the...
(Deborah Warner, Swan, 1997); Thersites in Troilus and Cressida
Troilus and Cressida
Troilus and Cressida is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1602. It was also described by Frederick S. Boas as one of Shakespeare's problem plays. The play ends on a very bleak note with the death of the noble Trojan Hector and destruction of the love between Troilus...
(Ian Judge, RST, 1997) and Apemantus in "Timon of Athens
Timon of Athens
The Life of Timon of Athens is a play by William Shakespeare about the fortunes of an Athenian named Timon , generally regarded as one of his most obscure and difficult works...
" (Gregory Doran, RST, 1999). McCabe has also performed classical roles in many of Great Britain's major playhouses such as the Sheffield Crucible, Bolton Octagon
Octagon Theatre, Bolton
The Octagon Theatre is a producing theatre located in Bolton, Greater Manchester, England.-Programme:The Octagon produces between eight and nine professional theatre productions a year in its Main Auditorium...
, Plymouth Theatre Royal, Leeds Playhouse
West Yorkshire Playhouse
The West Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds, England is a theatre which opened in March 1990 as part of the regeneration of the Quarry Hill area of the city...
, Birmingham Rep and Manchester's Royal Exchange Theatre
Royal Exchange, Manchester
The Royal Exchange is a grade II listed Victorian building in Manchester, England. It is located in the city centre on the land bounded by St Ann’s Square, Exchange Street, Market Street, Cross Street and Old Bank Street...
.
McCabe has played some distinguished roles in radio plays and also Caliban (The Tempest
The Tempest
The Tempest is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1610–11, and thought by many critics to be the last play that Shakespeare wrote alone. It is set on a remote island, where Prospero, the exiled Duke of Milan, plots to restore his daughter Miranda to her rightful place,...
) and Edgar (King Lear
King Lear
King Lear is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The title character descends into madness after foolishly disposing of his estate between two of his three daughters based on their flattery, bringing tragic consequences for all. The play is based on the legend of Leir of Britain, a mythological...
) for Shakespeare audio tapes series, the latter with Paul Scofield
Paul Scofield
David Paul Scofield, CH, CBE , better known as Paul Scofield, was an English actor of stage and screen...
as Lear, recorded in 2001.
McCabe's recent TV roles include the major role of Nyberg the pathologist in BBC One's Wallander based on Henning Mankell
Henning Mankell
Henning Mankell is a Swedish crime writer, children's author, leftist activist and dramatist, best known for a series of mystery novels starring his most famous creation, Inspector Kurt Wallander.-Life and career:...
's bestselling detective novels. He played Eddington's best friend Frank Dyson in BBC One's award winning play Einstein and Eddington
Einstein and Eddington
Einstein and Eddington is a British single drama produced by Company Pictures and the BBC, in association with HBO. It featured David Tennant as British scientist Sir Arthur Stanley Eddington, and Andy Serkis as Albert Einstein...
starring David Tennant and Andy Serkis (2008). He has also appeared in BBC One's "Spooks" (November 2009); an episode of Midsomer Murders
Midsomer Murders
Midsomer Murders is a British television detective drama that has aired on ITV since 1997. The show is based on the books by Caroline Graham, as originally adapted by Anthony Horowitz. The lead character is DCI Tom Barnaby who works for Causton CID. When Nettles left the show in 2011 he was...
entitled Four Funerals and a Wedding (2008) and Lewis, broadcast in March 2008. In the 1990s, he played in several TV dramas, such as "Killer Net" and "Trial and Retribution", and three episodes of "The Bill
The Bill
The Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work...
".