Z-Cars
Encyclopedia
Z-Cars is a British television
drama series centred on the work of mobile uniformed police in the fictional town of Newtown, based on Kirkby
in the outskirts of Liverpool
in Merseyside
. Produced by the BBC
, it debuted in January 1962 and ran until September 1978.
. The unit researched the Liverpool Police and produced an hour long programme "Who Me?", set in a police station on a Saturday night, playing three suspects off one another in separate rooms. After the programme the National Detective Training School in Halifax asked to be given a recording, to be used as a training tool.
Elwyn Jones took advantage of this relationship with the police and travelled the country, until at the Lancashire Constabulary near Preston, he dined with the Chief Constable. With his elbow resting on the mantelpiece he mentioned a new Crime Patrol – whose call sign would be Z. Elwyn enlisted Troy Kennedy Martin
to visit Lancashire and Troy returned to London with an outline of a series intended to feature two crime squad cars, one manned by Fancy Smith and Jock; the other Lynch and Steel.
The writers Troy Kennedy Martin and Allan Prior
and the producer David Rose, wanted to create a more realistic portrayal of policing than had been seen on British television before. This was in contrast to the BBC's established police drama, Dixon of Dock Green
, produced by the Light Entertainment Department, which portrayed a more traditional image of the British London bobby.
The main writers included John Hopkins
(who succeeded John Barr and also became script editor
) and Alan Plater
. The writing team created a "kitchen sink realism
" style little seen on British television before.
was arranged by Fritz Spiegl
as a military march, from the traditional Liverpool folk song Johnny Todd. The song in Spiegl's arrangement is also used as the anthem for English football club Everton
and is played at every home match as they walk onto the pitch. The tune is also used as a march-on tune at Watford F.C.
In a 2000 poll to find the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes
of the 20th century conducted by the British Film Institute
, Z-Cars was voted 63rd. It was also included in the 40 greatest TV shows published in Radio Times
in August 2003.
s and Ford Zodiacs. In fact, the Zodiac was never used by British
police, whereas the Zephyr was the standard patrol traffic car (not the same as "crime car") used by Lancashire
and other police forces. The term actually comes from the radio call signs allocated by Lancashire Constabulary; Lancashire police divisions were lettered from north to the south, "A" Division (based in Ulverston) was the detached part of Lancashire at the time around Barrow-in-Furness
, "B" Division was Lancaster
, and so on. Letters further into the alphabet were in the south around the Manchester
and Liverpool
areas. The TV series took the non-existent signs Z-Victor 1 and Z-Victor 2.
dramas were set in the south.
The one character present throughout the entire run was Bert Lynch, played by James Ellis
(though John Phillips
as Det. Chief Supt. Robins would reappear sporadically during the show's run – by the end of the series he had become Chief Constable
). Other characters in the early days were Stratford Johns
(Inspector Barlow), Frank Windsor
(Det.Sgt Watt), Robert Keegan (Sgt Blackitt), Joseph Brady
(PC "Jock" Weir) and Brian Blessed
("Fancy" Smith). Also in 1960s episodes as David Graham was Colin Welland
who won more fame as a screenwriter. Other British actors who played regular roles in the early years included John Thaw
and Leonard Rossiter
.
The original run ended in 1965; Barlow, Watt and Blackitt were spun off into a new series Softly, Softly
. It would be revived in March 1967 with only James Ellis
and Joseph Brady
from the original show. The revival was produced by the serials department of the BBC in a twice-weekly soap opera
format of 25-minute episodes. It ran until April 1971 (in colour from early 1970), then returned to a regular season pattern of 50-minute episodes for its final years.
The original series was one of the last British television dramas screened live
regularly – already rare by the time the programme began in 1962. It was felt that this helped immediacy and pace, and episodes were live as late as 1965, despite cameras appearing in shot. Most were videotaped for repeat, but the BBC
regularly wiped tapes after programmes exceeded their usefulness, agreements with unions meaning they could only be shown a limited number of times. The space needed to store large videotapes, as well as the expense when they could be re-used, were factors.
However, most episodes were "telerecorded". This was a fairly primitive (by today's standards) way of preserving a transmission by filming it (to 16 mm film) from a television screen. Telerecordings could be used for repeats and overseas sales. Although foreign buyers were supposed to return, destroy or forward telerecordings, many were archived and have slowly filtered back to the BBC.
The telerecording of the first ever episode was returned to writer Allan Prior in the 1980s by an engineer who had taken it home to preserve it because his children had enjoyed the programme and he could not bring himself to destroy it. Other early episodes have been returned by broadcasters from countries such as Cyprus
and the search for lost episodes of sister BBC programme Doctor Who
has also occasionally turned up lost Z-Cars episodes (according to the documentary Doctor Who: The Missing Years, included on the BBC Video DVD release Doctor Who: Lost in Time). Two episodes were returned in 2004 after turning up in a private collection. Colour episodes from the early-1970s are less likely to be recovered, as they were never telerecorded for export.
A list of lost and surviving episodes can be found on the Missing episodes web-site. BBC Archive Treasure Hunt is currently seeking missing episodes.
All episodes from the 1975-1978 period are preserved in the archives.
, running until 1976. The character of Barlow (Stratford Johns
) was one of the best-known figures in British television in the 1960s and 1970s, and was given several seasons of his own "solo" series, Barlow at Large
(later just Barlow) between 1971-75. He also joined Watt (Frank Windsor
) to re-investigate the Jack the Ripper murders for a six-part series in 1973. This led to another spin-off, Second Verdict
in which Barlow and Watt looked into unsolved cases and unsafe convictions.
Frank Windsor
made a final appearance as Watt in the last episode of Z Cars, "Pressure", in September 1978, with Robins (John Phillips
), the Detective Chief Superintendent from the original series who had risen to chief constable. Jeremy Kemp
, Brian Blessed
, Joseph Brady
and Colin Welland
also made guest appearances in the episode, but not as their original characters.
British television
Public television broadcasting started in the United Kingdom in 1936, and now has a collection of free and subscription services over a variety of distribution media, through which there are over 480 channelsTaking the base Sky EPG TV Channels. A breakdown is impossible due to a) the number of...
drama series centred on the work of mobile uniformed police in the fictional town of Newtown, based on Kirkby
Kirkby
Kirkby is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley in the metropolitan county of Merseyside in England. The town was developed from the 1950s through 1970s as a means to house the overspill of Liverpool. It is situated roughly north of Huyton, the administrative HQ of the borough and about...
in the outskirts of Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
in Merseyside
Merseyside
Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...
. Produced by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, it debuted in January 1962 and ran until September 1978.
Origins
The series was developed by the Dramatised Documentary Unit within the BBC Drama Department, led by Elwyn JonesElwyn Jones (writer)
Elwyn Jones was a British television writer and producer, whose best-known work was perhaps the co-creation of the famous police drama series Z-Cars for BBC Television in 1962...
. The unit researched the Liverpool Police and produced an hour long programme "Who Me?", set in a police station on a Saturday night, playing three suspects off one another in separate rooms. After the programme the National Detective Training School in Halifax asked to be given a recording, to be used as a training tool.
Elwyn Jones took advantage of this relationship with the police and travelled the country, until at the Lancashire Constabulary near Preston, he dined with the Chief Constable. With his elbow resting on the mantelpiece he mentioned a new Crime Patrol – whose call sign would be Z. Elwyn enlisted Troy Kennedy Martin
Troy Kennedy Martin
Troy Kennedy Martin was a Scottish-born film and television screenwriter best known for creating the long running BBC TV police series Z-Cars, and for the award-winning 1985 anti-nuclear drama Edge of Darkness...
to visit Lancashire and Troy returned to London with an outline of a series intended to feature two crime squad cars, one manned by Fancy Smith and Jock; the other Lynch and Steel.
The writers Troy Kennedy Martin and Allan Prior
Allan Prior
Allan Prior was an English television scriptwriter and novelist, who wrote over 300 television episodes from the 1950s onwards....
and the producer David Rose, wanted to create a more realistic portrayal of policing than had been seen on British television before. This was in contrast to the BBC's established police drama, Dixon of Dock Green
Dixon of Dock Green
Dixon of Dock Green was a popular BBC television series that ran from 1955 to 1976, and later a radio series. Despite being a drama series, it was initially produced by the BBC's light entertainment department.-Overview:...
, produced by the Light Entertainment Department, which portrayed a more traditional image of the British London bobby.
The main writers included John Hopkins
John Hopkins (writer)
John Richard Hopkins was an English film, stage, and television writer.Born in southwest London, he graduated from St Catharine's College, Cambridge...
(who succeeded John Barr and also became script editor
Script editor
A script editor is a member of the production team of scripted television programmes, usually dramas and comedies. The script editor has many responsibilities including finding new script writers, developing storyline and series ideas with writers, ensuring that scripts are suitable for production...
) and Alan Plater
Alan Plater
Alan Frederick Plater, CBE, FRSL was an English playwright and screenwriter, who worked extensively in British television from the 1960s to the 2000s.-Career:...
. The writing team created a "kitchen sink realism
Kitchen sink realism
Kitchen sink realism is a term coined to describe a British cultural movement which developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s in theatre, art, novels, film and television plays, whose 'heroes' usually could be described as angry young men...
" style little seen on British television before.
Theme music
The Z-Cars theme tuneTheme from Z-Cars
Theme from Z-Cars was the theme tune to the long running BBC television drama Z-Cars.Based on the traditional folk song Johnny Todd, which was in a collection of traditional tunes by Frank Kidson dated 1891 called Traditional Tunes: A Collection of Ballad Airs...
was arranged by Fritz Spiegl
Fritz Spiegl
Fritz Spiegl was born at Zurndorf, Austria, the son of an agricultural merchant and his Jewish wife. He became a musician, journalist, broadcaster, humorist and collector who lived and worked in England from 1939....
as a military march, from the traditional Liverpool folk song Johnny Todd. The song in Spiegl's arrangement is also used as the anthem for English football club Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
and is played at every home match as they walk onto the pitch. The tune is also used as a march-on tune at Watford F.C.
Watford F.C.
Watford Football Club is an English professional football club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. It is often referred to as Watford F.C., Watford, or by the team's nickname The Hornets . Watford Rovers, Founded in 1881, entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1886, and the Southern League a decade...
In a 2000 poll to find the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes
100 Greatest British Television Programmes
The BFI TV 100 is a list compiled in 2000 by the British Film Institute , chosen by a poll of industry professionals, to determine what were the greatest British television programmes of any genre ever to have been screened....
of the 20th century conducted by the British Film Institute
British Film Institute
The British Film Institute is a charitable organisation established by Royal Charter to:-Cinemas:The BFI runs the BFI Southbank and IMAX theatre, both located on the south bank of the River Thames in London...
, Z-Cars was voted 63rd. It was also included in the 40 greatest TV shows published in Radio Times
Radio Times
Radio Times is a UK weekly television and radio programme listings magazine, owned by the BBC. It has been published since 1923 by BBC Magazines, which also provides an on-line listings service under the same title...
in August 2003.
Origin of the title
The title, contrary to popular belief, does not come from the cars used, as in Ford ZephyrFord Zephyr
The Ford Zephyr was a car manufactured by the Ford Motor Company in the United Kingdom. Between 1950 and 1972, it was sold as a more powerful six-cylinder saloon to complement the four-cylinder Ford Consul: from 1962 the Zephyr itself was offered in both four- and six-cylinder versions.The Zephyr...
s and Ford Zodiacs. In fact, the Zodiac was never used by British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
police, whereas the Zephyr was the standard patrol traffic car (not the same as "crime car") used by Lancashire
Lancashire Constabulary
Lancashire Constabulary is the territorial police force responsible for policing the ceremonial county of Lancashire in the North West England. The force's headquarters are at Hutton, near the city of Preston...
and other police forces. The term actually comes from the radio call signs allocated by Lancashire Constabulary; Lancashire police divisions were lettered from north to the south, "A" Division (based in Ulverston) was the detached part of Lancashire at the time around Barrow-in-Furness
Barrow-in-Furness
Barrow-in-Furness is an industrial town and seaport which forms about half the territory of the wider Borough of Barrow-in-Furness in the county of Cumbria, England. It lies north of Liverpool, northwest of Manchester and southwest from the county town of Carlisle...
, "B" Division was Lancaster
Lancaster, Lancashire
Lancaster is the county town of Lancashire, England. It is situated on the River Lune and has a population of 45,952. Lancaster is a constituent settlement of the wider City of Lancaster, local government district which has a population of 133,914 and encompasses several outlying towns, including...
, and so on. Letters further into the alphabet were in the south around the Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
and Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
areas. The TV series took the non-existent signs Z-Victor 1 and Z-Victor 2.
Concept and principal characters
The stories revolve around pairs of officers patrolling that week. Riding on changing social attitudes and television, the social realism, with interesting stories, garnered popularity. It was initially less popular with real-life police, who disliked the sometimes unsympathetic characterisation of officers. Being set in the North of England helped give it a regional flavour when most BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
dramas were set in the south.
The one character present throughout the entire run was Bert Lynch, played by James Ellis
James Ellis (actor)
James Ellis is an actor from Northern Ireland with a television career of more than 45 years. He went to school at Methodist College Belfast and later studied at both Queen's University Belfast and the Bristol Old Vic....
(though John Phillips
John Phillips (actor)
William John Phillips MC, was a British actor. He is best remembered for the role of Chief Superintendent Robins, in the television series Z-Cars and for his work as a Shakespearean stage actor.-Early life:...
as Det. Chief Supt. Robins would reappear sporadically during the show's run – by the end of the series he had become Chief Constable
Chief Constable
Chief constable is the rank used by the chief police officer of every territorial police force in the United Kingdom except for the City of London Police and the Metropolitan Police, as well as the chief officers of the three 'special' national police forces, the British Transport Police, Ministry...
). Other characters in the early days were Stratford Johns
Stratford Johns
Stratford Johns, born Alan Edgar Stratford-Johns, was a popular British stage, film and television actor who is best remembered for his starring role as Detective Inspector Charlie Barlow in the innovative and long-running BBC police series Z-Cars, created by Troy Kennedy-Martin.-Early life:Johns...
(Inspector Barlow), Frank Windsor
Frank Windsor
Frank Windsor is an English actor, mainly on television.He attended Queen Mary's Grammar School, Walsall. He began his career on radio and made an appearance in a 1953 film of Henry V...
(Det.Sgt Watt), Robert Keegan (Sgt Blackitt), Joseph Brady
Joseph Brady
Joseph Brady was a Scottish actor.Brady was trained at the Glasgow College of Dramatic Art. He starred in a number of television shows, notably as PC Jock Weir in Z-Cars , as Kenny McBlane in the third series of The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin and as Gramps in the 1993 Rab C...
(PC "Jock" Weir) and Brian Blessed
Brian Blessed
Brian Blessed is an English actor, known for his sonorous voice and "hearty, king-sized portrayals".-Early life:The son of William Blessed, a socialist miner, and Hilda Wall, Blessed was born in the town of Goldthorpe, West Riding of Yorkshire, England...
("Fancy" Smith). Also in 1960s episodes as David Graham was Colin Welland
Colin Welland
Colin Welland is a British actor and screenwriter. He won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for his script for Chariots of Fire ,,,....
who won more fame as a screenwriter. Other British actors who played regular roles in the early years included John Thaw
John Thaw
John Edward Thaw, CBE was an English actor, who appeared in a range of television, stage and cinema roles, his most popular being police and legal dramas such as Redcap, The Sweeney, Inspector Morse and Kavanagh QC.-Early life:Thaw came from a working class background, having been born in Gorton,...
and Leonard Rossiter
Leonard Rossiter
Leonard Rossiter was an English actor known for his roles as Rupert Rigsby, in the British comedy television series Rising Damp , and Reginald Iolanthe Perrin, in The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin...
.
Episodes
Z-Cars ran for 799 episodes.The original run ended in 1965; Barlow, Watt and Blackitt were spun off into a new series Softly, Softly
Softly, Softly (TV series)
Softly, Softly is a British television drama series, produced by the BBC and screened on BBC 1 from January 1966. It centred around the work of regional crime squads, plain-clothes CID officers based in the fictional region of Wyvern - supposedly in the Bristol and Chepstow area of the UK...
. It would be revived in March 1967 with only James Ellis
James Ellis (actor)
James Ellis is an actor from Northern Ireland with a television career of more than 45 years. He went to school at Methodist College Belfast and later studied at both Queen's University Belfast and the Bristol Old Vic....
and Joseph Brady
Joseph Brady
Joseph Brady was a Scottish actor.Brady was trained at the Glasgow College of Dramatic Art. He starred in a number of television shows, notably as PC Jock Weir in Z-Cars , as Kenny McBlane in the third series of The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin and as Gramps in the 1993 Rab C...
from the original show. The revival was produced by the serials department of the BBC in a twice-weekly soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
format of 25-minute episodes. It ran until April 1971 (in colour from early 1970), then returned to a regular season pattern of 50-minute episodes for its final years.
Lost episodes
Z-Cars is incomplete in the archives. 1962-5 is reasonably well represented, though with big gaps. With the 1967 revival, material becomes more patchy. 1967, 1969 and 1970 each have small numbers of surviving episodes. The years 1968 and 1971, when the series was shown almost every week, have no surviving episodes. Around half of the total episodes survive.The original series was one of the last British television dramas screened live
Live television
Live television refers to a television production broadcast in real-time, as events happen, in the present. From the early days of television until about 1958, live television was used heavily, except for filmed shows such as I Love Lucy and Gunsmoke. Video tape did not exist until 1957...
regularly – already rare by the time the programme began in 1962. It was felt that this helped immediacy and pace, and episodes were live as late as 1965, despite cameras appearing in shot. Most were videotaped for repeat, but the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
regularly wiped tapes after programmes exceeded their usefulness, agreements with unions meaning they could only be shown a limited number of times. The space needed to store large videotapes, as well as the expense when they could be re-used, were factors.
However, most episodes were "telerecorded". This was a fairly primitive (by today's standards) way of preserving a transmission by filming it (to 16 mm film) from a television screen. Telerecordings could be used for repeats and overseas sales. Although foreign buyers were supposed to return, destroy or forward telerecordings, many were archived and have slowly filtered back to the BBC.
The telerecording of the first ever episode was returned to writer Allan Prior in the 1980s by an engineer who had taken it home to preserve it because his children had enjoyed the programme and he could not bring himself to destroy it. Other early episodes have been returned by broadcasters from countries such as Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
and the search for lost episodes of sister BBC programme Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
has also occasionally turned up lost Z-Cars episodes (according to the documentary Doctor Who: The Missing Years, included on the BBC Video DVD release Doctor Who: Lost in Time). Two episodes were returned in 2004 after turning up in a private collection. Colour episodes from the early-1970s are less likely to be recovered, as they were never telerecorded for export.
A list of lost and surviving episodes can be found on the Missing episodes web-site. BBC Archive Treasure Hunt is currently seeking missing episodes.
All episodes from the 1975-1978 period are preserved in the archives.
After Z Cars
The spin-off, Softly, Softly focused on the regional crime squad, and ran until 1969, when it was again revised and became Softly, Softly: TaskforceSoftly, Softly: Taskforce
Softly, Softly the popular BBC television police drama series, was revamped in 1969, partly to coincide with the coming of colour broadcasting to BBC 1...
, running until 1976. The character of Barlow (Stratford Johns
Stratford Johns
Stratford Johns, born Alan Edgar Stratford-Johns, was a popular British stage, film and television actor who is best remembered for his starring role as Detective Inspector Charlie Barlow in the innovative and long-running BBC police series Z-Cars, created by Troy Kennedy-Martin.-Early life:Johns...
) was one of the best-known figures in British television in the 1960s and 1970s, and was given several seasons of his own "solo" series, Barlow at Large
Barlow at Large
Barlow at Large is a British television programme broadcast in the 1970s, starring Stratford Johns in the title role.Johns had previously played Barlow in the Z-Cars, Softly, Softly and Softly, Softly: Taskforce series on BBC television during the 1960s and early 1970s...
(later just Barlow) between 1971-75. He also joined Watt (Frank Windsor
Frank Windsor
Frank Windsor is an English actor, mainly on television.He attended Queen Mary's Grammar School, Walsall. He began his career on radio and made an appearance in a 1953 film of Henry V...
) to re-investigate the Jack the Ripper murders for a six-part series in 1973. This led to another spin-off, Second Verdict
Second Verdict
Second Verdict was a six-part BBC television series from 1976, of dramatised documentaries in which classic criminal cases and unsolved crimes from history were re-appraised by fictional police officers...
in which Barlow and Watt looked into unsolved cases and unsafe convictions.
Frank Windsor
Frank Windsor
Frank Windsor is an English actor, mainly on television.He attended Queen Mary's Grammar School, Walsall. He began his career on radio and made an appearance in a 1953 film of Henry V...
made a final appearance as Watt in the last episode of Z Cars, "Pressure", in September 1978, with Robins (John Phillips
John Phillips (actor)
William John Phillips MC, was a British actor. He is best remembered for the role of Chief Superintendent Robins, in the television series Z-Cars and for his work as a Shakespearean stage actor.-Early life:...
), the Detective Chief Superintendent from the original series who had risen to chief constable. Jeremy Kemp
Jeremy Kemp
Jeremy Kemp is an English actor. He is known for his roles in the miniseries The Winds of War, The Blue Max and Z-Cars....
, Brian Blessed
Brian Blessed
Brian Blessed is an English actor, known for his sonorous voice and "hearty, king-sized portrayals".-Early life:The son of William Blessed, a socialist miner, and Hilda Wall, Blessed was born in the town of Goldthorpe, West Riding of Yorkshire, England...
, Joseph Brady
Joseph Brady
Joseph Brady was a Scottish actor.Brady was trained at the Glasgow College of Dramatic Art. He starred in a number of television shows, notably as PC Jock Weir in Z-Cars , as Kenny McBlane in the third series of The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin and as Gramps in the 1993 Rab C...
and Colin Welland
Colin Welland
Colin Welland is a British actor and screenwriter. He won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for his script for Chariots of Fire ,,,....
also made guest appearances in the episode, but not as their original characters.
Before Z Cars
In 1961 the BBC broadcast "Jacks and Knaves" as a single series of four episodes. Set in Liverpool and including Leonard Williams (Sgt. Twentyman in Z-Cars), and written by Colin Morris. Although a humorous police procedural, Jacks and Knaves paved the way for Z-Cars as a regional drama about policing.Main Cast
(1962–1965 & 1967-1978 / 12 Series / 799 episodes)- DCI Charlie Barlow – Stratford JohnsStratford JohnsStratford Johns, born Alan Edgar Stratford-Johns, was a popular British stage, film and television actor who is best remembered for his starring role as Detective Inspector Charlie Barlow in the innovative and long-running BBC police series Z-Cars, created by Troy Kennedy-Martin.-Early life:Johns...
(1962–1965 / Series 1-5 / 126 episodes) - DS John Watt – Frank WindsorFrank WindsorFrank Windsor is an English actor, mainly on television.He attended Queen Mary's Grammar School, Walsall. He began his career on radio and made an appearance in a 1953 film of Henry V...
(1962–1965,1978 / Series 1-5,12 / 129 episodes) - PC "Fancy" Smith – Brian BlessedBrian BlessedBrian Blessed is an English actor, known for his sonorous voice and "hearty, king-sized portrayals".-Early life:The son of William Blessed, a socialist miner, and Hilda Wall, Blessed was born in the town of Goldthorpe, West Riding of Yorkshire, England...
(1962–1965 / Series 1-5 / 113 episodes) - PC "Jock" Weir – Joseph BradyJoseph BradyJoseph Brady was a Scottish actor.Brady was trained at the Glasgow College of Dramatic Art. He starred in a number of television shows, notably as PC Jock Weir in Z-Cars , as Kenny McBlane in the third series of The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin and as Gramps in the 1993 Rab C...
(1962–1965,1967-1968 / Series 1-6 / 177 episodes) - PC/DC/Sgt./Insp. Bert Lynch – James EllisJames Ellis (actor)James Ellis is an actor from Northern Ireland with a television career of more than 45 years. He went to school at Methodist College Belfast and later studied at both Queen's University Belfast and the Bristol Old Vic....
(1962–1965,1967-1978 / Series 1-12 / 625 episodes) - PC Bob Steele – Jeremy KempJeremy KempJeremy Kemp is an English actor. He is known for his roles in the miniseries The Winds of War, The Blue Max and Z-Cars....
(1962-1963 / Series 1-2 / 34 episodes) - Sgt. Percy Twentyman – Leonard Williams (1962 / Series 1-2 / 30 episodes)
- PC Ian Sweet – Terence EdmondTerence EdmondTerence Edmond was an English actor, who played PC Ian Sweet in 78 episodes of Z-Cars between 1962 and 1964....
(1962-1964 / Series 1-3 / 78 episodes) - WPC Jenny Stacey – Lynne Furlong (1962–1965 / Series 1-4 / 24 episodes)
- Sally Clarkson (BD Girl) – Diane Aubrey (1962 / Series 1-2 / 24 episodes)
- DC Glyn Hicks – Michael Forrest (1962-1964 / Series 2-3 / 36 episodes)
- PC David Graham – Colin WellandColin WellandColin Welland is a British actor and screenwriter. He won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for his script for Chariots of Fire ,,,....
(1962–1965, / Series 2-5 / 85 episodes) - Sgt. Bob Blackitt – Robert Keegan (1962–1965 / Series 2-5 / 108 episodes)
- PC Ken Baker – Geoffrey WhiteheadGeoffrey WhiteheadGeoffrey Whitehead is an English actor. He has appeared in a huge range of television, film and radio roles. In the theatre, he has played at the Shakespeare Globe, St...
(1964-1965 / Series 4 / 29 episodes) - PC Taylor – Marcus HammondMarcus HammondMarcus Hammond is a British actor who was active in the sixties and seventies, playing the role of Antodus in the 1963 Doctor Who serial The Daleks, as well as a recurring roles in Z Cars as PC Taylor and in Kate as Stephen Graham....
(1964-1965 / Series 4 / 20 episodes) - Paula Poulton (BD Girl) – Sara Aimson (1965 / Series 4-5 / 23 episodes)
- DI/DCI Sam Hudson – John BarrieJohn BarrieJohn Barrie was a British actor who appeared in a number of television shows and films, but became best known for his roles on the police series Sergeant Cork and Z Cars in the 1960s. He was born in New Brighton in 1917 and made his screen debut in the 1954 film Yankee Pasha...
(1967,1968 / Series 6 / 32 episodes) - DS Tom Stone – John SlaterJohn Slater (actor)John Slater was a British character actor usually seen as lugubrious, amiable cockney types.His father was an antiques dealer. After attending St. Clement Danes School, Slater began acting in farce at the Whitehall Theatre. He first appeared on film in 1938, remaining active in the industry up to...
(1967-1974 / Series 6-9 / 419 episodes) - PC Owen Culshaw – David DakerDavid DakerDavid Daker is an English actor.His is best known for his role as Harry Crawford in the hit series Boon. He also played PC Owen Culshaw in Z-Cars, Jarvis in Porridge, Captain Nathan Spiker in Dick Turpin....
(1967-1968 / Series 6 / 82 episodes) - PC Steve Tate – Sebastian Breaks (1967 / Series 6 / 29 episodes)
- PC Alec May – Stephen YardleyStephen YardleyStephen Yardley is an English actor, known for his work on British television between 1965 and 2004.Best known for his role as Ken Masters in the British TV drama Howards' Way , Yardley most recently appeared in the British TV comedy Hex .He made early appearances on TV in the 1960s, in series...
(1967-1968 / Series 6 / 66 episodes) - WPC Parkin – Pauline Taylor (1967-1969 / Series 6 / 48 episodes)
- PC Bill Newcombe – Bernard HolleyBernard HolleyBernard Holley is a British actor, whose career has spanned more than four decades.Holley attended the Rose Bruford Drama School and Kilburn Grammar School...
(1967-1971 / Series 6 / 277 episodes) - BD Girl – Jennie Goossens (1967-1971 / Series 6-7 / 146 episodes)
- DI Todd – Joss AcklandJoss AcklandSidney Edmond Jocelyn Ackland CBE , known as Joss Ackland, is an English actor who has appeared in more than 130 films and numerous television roles.-Early life:...
(1967-1968 / Series 6 / 41 episodes) - PC Jackson – John Wreford (1967-1968 / Series 6 / 29 episodes)
- DI Alan Witty – John WoodvineJohn WoodvineJohn 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:...
(1968-1969 / Series 6 / 60 episodes) - PC Doug Roach – Ron Davies (1968-1969 / Series 6 / 59 episodes)
- PC Bruce Bannerman – Paul AngelisPaul AngelisPaul Angelis is an English actor and writer best known for his role as PC Bannerman in the British television series Z-Cars.He provided the voice of Ringo Starr and the Chief Blue Meanie in the movie Yellow Submarine....
(1968-1969 / Series 6 / 128 episodes) - PC/Sgt. Alec Quilley – Douglas Fielding (1969-1978 / Series 6-12 / 339 episodes)
- DI/Mr. Neil Goss – Derek WaringDerek WaringDerek Waring was an English actor who is best remembered for playing Detective Inspector Goss in Z-Cars from 1969 to 1973...
(1969-1973 / Series 6-8 / 215 episodes) - PC/DC Joe Skinner – Ian CullenIan CullenIan Cullen is a British actor born on 20 October 1939 with numerous roles in British television, including regular roles in Emergency - Ward 10 , Z-Cars , When the Boat Comes In , and five's soap opera Family Affairs...
(1969-1975 / Series 6-9 / 219 episodes) - PC Reg Horrocks – Barry Lowe (1970–1975,1977 / Series 6-9,11 / 27 episodes)
- PC/Sgt. Bowman – John Swindells (1970-1973 / Series 6-7 / 40 episodes)
- DS Cecil Haggar – John CollinJohn Collin (actor)John Collin was a British actor frequently seen on UK television during the 1960s and 1970s mainly in supporting roles. John Collin's best known role was as Detective Sergeant Haggar in the long running BBC police series Z-Cars...
(1971–1976,1978 / Series 6-7,9-10,12 / 51 episodes) - DC Dave Scatliff – Geoffrey Hayes (1971-1974 / Series 6-8 / 27 episodes)
- PC Shaun Covill – Jack CarrJack CarrJack Carr may refer to:*Jack Carr , former Newcastle United footballer*Jackie Carr , former Middlesbrough, Blackpool and Hartlepool United footballer...
(1971-1972 / Series 6-7 / 39 episodes) - PC Fred Render – Allan O'KeefeAllan O'KeefeAllan O'Keefe is a British actor, known mostly for his work on British television.One of his first roles was playing Quando in The Villains , a series of unrelated televisied plays, which only have the subject of villainy in common...
(1971-1978 / Series 6-12 / 62 episodes) - DS/DI Terry Moffat – Ray LonnenRay LonnenRay Lonnen is an English stage and television actor. His most prominent roles include Willie Caine in the cold-war spy drama series The Sandbaggers , and also as Harry Brown in the television mini-series Harry's Game .-Television career:Lonnen's early television appearances include The Power Game ,...
(1972-1977 / Series 7-11 / 25 episodes) - DS Wilf Miller – Geoffrey WhiteheadGeoffrey WhiteheadGeoffrey Whitehead is an English actor. He has appeared in a huge range of television, film and radio roles. In the theatre, he has played at the Shakespeare Globe, St...
(1972-1975 / Series 6-9 / 22 episodes) - DC Jim Braithwaite – David JacksonDavid Jackson (British actor)David Jackson was a British actor best known for his role as Olag Gan in the Blake's 7 first two seasons and as Detective Constable Braithwaite in Z Cars from 1972-1978...
(1972-1978 / Series 7-12 / 22 episodes) - Sgt. Gilbert Chubb – Paul StewartPaul StewartPaul Stewart is the name of:*Paul Stewart , writer of The Edge Chronicles*Paul Stewart , motor racing driver/team director, son of World Champion Jackie*Paul Stewart , Canadian pianist...
(1974-1978 / Series 9-12 / 25 episodes)
Recurring Cast
- Dorothy White – Janey Steele (1962-1963 / Series 1-2 / 13 episodes)
- John PhillipsJohn Phillips (actor)William John Phillips MC, was a British actor. He is best remembered for the role of Chief Superintendent Robins, in the television series Z-Cars and for his work as a Shakespearean stage actor.-Early life:...
– DCS/ACC/Chief Con. Robins (1962–1965,1967,1969,1973,1978 / Series 1-4,6-7,12 / 14 episodes) - Virginia StrideVirginia StrideVirginia Stride is a British actress of stage and screen who first came to public attention on television in the 1960s...
– Katy Hoskins (BD Girl) (1962-1964 / Series 1-3 / 18 episodes) - Leslie SandsLeslie SandsLeslie Sands was a British actor and writer of TV and film. Born in Bradford, Yorkshire, Sands usually specialized in dour types in authority, often policemen....
– DCS Miller (1962–63,1965,1967,1969 / Series 1-4,6 / 12 episodes) - Dudley FosterDudley FosterDudley Foster was an English actor most notable on TV.Foster was born in Brighouse, Yorkshire. He appeared in such series as Danger Man, The Saint, The Avengers, Steptoe and Son, Doctor Who , and Z Cars, often in villainous roles. He occasionally appeared in films...
– DI/Supt. Dunn (1962,1964 / Series 1,3 / 14 episodes) - James CossinsJames CossinsJames Cossins was an English character actor. Born in Beckenham, Kent, he became widely recognised as the abrupt, bewildered Mr. Walt in the Fawlty Towers episode "The Hotel Inspectors"...
– Sgt. Michaelson (1962-1963 / Series 2 / 11 episodes) - Hilary Martyn – Joan Martin (BD Girl) (1962-1963 / Series 2 / 13 episodes)
- Leonard RossiterLeonard RossiterLeonard Rossiter was an English actor known for his roles as Rupert Rigsby, in the British comedy television series Rising Damp , and Reginald Iolanthe Perrin, in The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin...
– DI Bamber (1963 / Series 2 / 8 episodes) - Sidonie Bond – Betty Clayton (BD Girl) (1963 / Series 2 / 16 episodes)
- Kate Allitt – Pamela Earnshaw (BD Girl) (1964 / Series 3 / 12 episodes)
- Kate BrownKate BrownKatherine or Kate Brown may refer to:*Catherine Brown née Catherine Gibson , Scottish swimmer who competed in the 1948 Olympic Games*Catherine Brown , GMTV Scotland presenter and news editor*Catherine Brown...
– Shirley Burscough (BD Girl) (1963 / Series 3 / 16 episodes) - Lynn FarleighLynn Farleigh-Television and film:Lynn Farleigh is perhaps best known for playing: Helen Wycliffe in Wycliffe; Krupskaya opposite Patrick Stewart's Lenin in the historical BBC drama Fall of Eagles; and the glamorous Vivien Ashton in the second series of the LWT secret agent series Wish Me Luck broadcast in...
– Ann Fazakerley (BD Girl) (1964 / Series 3-4 / 17 episodes) - Susan JamesonSusan JamesonSusan Jameson is an English actress who is best known for her television work.Jameson was born in Barnt Green, Worcestershire, England, UK. She is married to actor James Bolam with whom she has a daughter, Lucy...
– WPC Nelson (1965,1975 / Series 4,9 / 6 episodes) - Donald Webster – PC Foster (1965 / Series 4 / 8 episodes)
- Donald Gee – PC Ray Walker (1965 / Series 4-5 / 18 episodes)
- Luanshya Greer – WPC Jane Shepherd (1967 / Series 6 / 6 episodes)
- Anjula Harman – BD Girl (1967,1969 / Series 6 / 14 episodes)
- Christopher Coll – DC Kane (1967-1968 / Series 6 / 16 episodes)
- Doreen Aris – Betty Culshaw (1967-1968 / Series 6 / 8 episodes)
- George SewellGeorge SewellGeorge Sewell was an English actor.-Early life and early career:The son of a Hoxton printer and a florist; Sewell left school at age 14 and worked briefly in the printing trade before switching to building work, specifically the repair of bomb-damaged houses...
– DI Brogan (1967 / Series 6 / 6 episodes) - Thelma Whiteley – Sally Stone (1967,1969-1970 / Series 6 / 8 episodes)
- Victor BrooksVictor BrooksVictor Brooks was a British film and television actor. He appeared in the television series Raffles, in the recurring role of the Albany porter.-Filmography:Film*The Hostage *The Birthday Present...
– Sgt. Potter (1968-1969 / Series 6 / 10 episodes) - William Dexter – D Supt. Oakley (1968-1971 / Series 6 / 6 episodes)
- John Livesey – PC Stack (1969 / Series 6 / 15 episodes)
- June Watson – WPC/WP Sgt. Lorna Cameron (1970,1973-1975 / Series 6,8-9 / 8 episodes)
- Stephanie TurnerStephanie TurnerStephanie Turner is an actress.She is best known for the lead role of Inspector Jean Darblay in the first three series of the 1980s television BBC police drama Juliet Bravo. Prior to this, she had played Dennis Waterman's screen wife, Alison Carter, in early episodes of The Sweeney and WPC Howarth...
– WPC Anne Howarth (1971-1975 / Series 6-9 / 14 episodes) - James WalshJames WalshJames Walsh may refer to:*James Morrow Walsh , NWMP officer and first commissioner of Yukon Territory*James J. Walsh , American politician, U.S...
– PC Lindsay (1971-1974 / Series 7-9 / 8 episodes) - John ChallisJohn ChallisJohn Challis is an English actor.-Career:He is probably best known for his role as Terrance Aubrey "Boycie" Boyce in the long running comedy show Only Fools and Horses, and its 2005 spin-off, The Green Green Grass....
– Sgt. Frank Culshaw (1972-1975 / Series 7-9 / 10 episodes) - Gary WatsonGary WatsonGary Watson is a retired British television actor who started out as a stage actor most notably acting in Friedrich Hebbel's 1962 play Judith at Her Majesty's Theatre in London, England with Sean Connery...
– DI Fred Connor (1972-1974 / Series 7-8 / 11 episodes) - Nicholas Smith – PC Jeff Yates (1972-1975 / Series 7-9 / 9 episodes)
- Kenton Moore – Insp./CI Logie (1972-1974 / Series 7-8 / 4 episodes)
- Brian GrellisBrian GrellisBrian Grellis is a British actor, best known for his role in the television series Z-Cars as Det. Sgt. Bowker.Other TV credits include: Softly, Softly, Pathfinders, The Regiment, Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?, The Onedin Line, The Good Life, Last of the Summer Wine, Survivors, Enemy at the...
– DC/DS Bernard Bowker (1974-1978 / Series 9-12 / 19 episodes) - Tommy BoyleTommy BoyleThomas Wilkinson Boyle was an English footballer, primarily associated with BurnleyTommy Boyle is the only player to have captained a Burnley team in a winning FA Cup Final...
– DI Gerry Maddan (1978 / Series 12 / 8 episodes)
Guest Stars
- John ThawJohn ThawJohn Edward Thaw, CBE was an English actor, who appeared in a range of television, stage and cinema roles, his most popular being police and legal dramas such as Redcap, The Sweeney, Inspector Morse and Kavanagh QC.-Early life:Thaw came from a working class background, having been born in Gorton,...
– DC Elliot (1963 / Series 3 / 4 episodes) - Heather ChasenHeather ChasenHeather Jean Chasen is a Singapore-born English actress. Her best known roles are playing Valerie Pollard in the ITV soap opera Crossroads and voicing many roles in BBC Radio 2's The Navy Lark...
– Pamela Raven (1967/ 2 episodes) - Victoria PlucknettVictoria PlucknettVictoria Plucknett is a Welsh television actress, best known for playing the character of Diane Ashurst in the Welsh soap opera Pobol y Cwm and Mary in The Duchess of Duke Street.-Television:*How Green Was My Valley...
– WPC Jane Beck (1978 / Series 12 / 3 episodes) - Jerome WillisJerome WillisJerome Willis is a prominent British stage and screen actor with more than 100 screen credits to his name.Willis had a leading role in the ITV drama series The Sandbaggers as Matthew Peele. He also appeared in Z Cars as DCS Richards, Within These Walls as Charles Radley, and Doctor Who as...
– Supt./D Supt. Roy Richards / 1971-1973 / Series 6-7 / 4 episodes)