The Last Detective - Series 1
He?s gentle, old-fashioned, and decent; nice even when he?s drunk. But these qualities only earn Detective Constable "Dangerous" Davies (Peter Davison, Dr. Who, All Creatures Great and Small) the scorn of his fellow detectives in a small London police station. His boss tells him straight out that he?s the last detective he would assign to a major crime-solving mission. Unlucky in love, rumpled, and accident prone, Dangerous muddles on and, with the help of his eccentric friend Mod (Sean Hughes, The Commitments), he proves the merits of his dogged, unglamorous method. He likes being a detective and, occasionally, he gets to do some good. Based on the Dangerous Davies novels by Leslie Thomas.
The name is Davies, "Dangerous" Davies. The moniker, unfortunately, is meant ironically. British Detective Constable Davies (Peter Davison) is a man out of his time, "a decent man in an indecent world," as his best friend, the fitfully employed Mod (Sean Hughes) tells him. As his derisive nickname indicates, Davies is not highly regarded by the public (at one point, he is pelted with garbage while chasing a suspect) or his colleagues. To his boss, he is "the last detective," as in "the last detective I'll ever think of, unless it's a crap job. Then you'll be the first." In the feature-length pilot episode that launched this inaugural series based on Leslie Thomas's books, a "waste of time" assignment leads the unprepossessing Davies to re-open an unsolved missing persons case from 1982. "They've given you a murder?" Mod incredulously asks him. "I was going to appropriate it," Davies confesses. The quartet of cases contained in this two-disc set are quirkily intriguing. In "Dangerous by Moonlight," Davies must make all the right moves when an investigation into a man's disappearance leads him to a dance club that caters to seniors. In "Tricia," Davies investigates two unwanted cases that involve demanding women. In "Lofty," an eccentric homeless man Davies has befriended is found dead in a canal. This entertaining series is a memorable introduction to this amiable sleuth and "dear, old-fashioned chap" who, despite his unglamorous appearance and rather plodding manner, is capable of a surprise or two. "Frankly," one captured criminal tells him, "it's a pleasure to be arrested by you." It's even more of a pleasure to watch him in action. --Donald Liebenson
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The Last Detective - Series 1 Reviews
he is a policeman who cares and that can make his life difficult, but it endears him to us. who can resist a quiet unassuming underdog character who will do the right thing, no matter how everyone makes fun of him, or what trouble it may bring him. each episode/mystery is well-crafted and intricate. Peter Davison is so perfectly suited for this part, you would think the author had written it for him. things are not cut and dried or black and white. this is a very lovable detective.
That's no surprise as I usually love anything Peter Davison is in. He still plods along though like the every-day man that he is which makes him all the more endearing. Davison plays the affable detective Dangerous Davies who can't seem to be taken seriously by anyone. I love this series. Maybe it's because I watch tons of British television, but I understood every word the actors were saying. I consider this somewhat of a cozy crime series, not as cozy as Murder She Wrote or anything by Agatha Christie, but definitely not dark and gritty. I'm not sure what other reviewers were talking about in needing captioning (maybe they were joking). All in all, I highly recommend it if you are in the mood for a lighter crime series.
I do like action adventure MOVIES but not as weekly series.I like depth. I started watching this series after being frustrated with the lack of any really GOOD well written TV. All this W/OUT needless explosions and car chases EVERY week as 'fillers' to take up the allotted time.
Each mystery is an intelligent journey for your mind to guess who is the guilty party. in my weekly shows.This has it. The casting was brilliantly done as the show is replete w/winsome characters in addition to our hero, Dangerous. You actually get an intelligent STORY and insights into the cHARACTERS as opposed to bloody gore, explosions etc etc ad nauseum.
It is witty, charming and compelling viewing and a GREAT relief from the mundane shows being offered on the telly.
And the cast spits out rapid-fire North London dialect. "The Last Detective, Series 1"is, of course, the first of the popular British mystery series, a witty police procedural, to find its way here, and how lucky for us. And no good deed goes unpunished. 4. "Lofty." An eccentric old vagrant (played by popular English comedian Norman Wisdom), whom Davies has befriended in a park, is found dead in a canal. And an attractive young woman seems to be getting unduly involved with him. 1. "The Last Detective." Feature length pilot.
As he solves it, he proves once again Clare Booth Luce's useful adage, "No good deed goes unpunished." And gets himself in dutch with his co-workers. It stars that affable Everyman Peter Davison ("All Creatures Great and Small," "Campion") as the title character, a lowly detective constable, called "Dangerous" Davies ironically, as he is of hardly any danger to the criminal elements - it's his friends, family, and co-workers who'd better watch out. Davies discovers the unsolved 1981 murder of a 17 year old girl. The series is based on the Dangerous Davies novels by Welshman Leslie Thomas; it was produced by the British firm Granada for Britain's Independent Television (ITV). Davies is a rumpled, clumsy guy, nice even when he's drunk, and unfailingly polite to little old ladies; nevertheless, he does seem always to get his man - or woman. Davison is ably supported by Sean Hughes (the guy from Eejit records in "The Commitments") as his eccentric friend Mod; and Emma Amos as his estranged wife Julie.
An old busybody has suspicions of her next-door neighbor. This series is witty, entertaining, and intellectually and emotionally satisfying. But: and here comes the DePue closed captions report: there are none. Davies takes on the case because no one else will. Rob Spendlove gives us a tough supervisor, Detective Inspector Aspinall; Charles De'Ath as DS Pimlott and Billy Geraghty as DC Barrett add greatly to the flavor of the cop shop.
The mysteries in this first series, based directly on the works of Thomas are complex and flavorful, though murder itself is in surprisingly short supply. This episode takes Davies to a dance club that caters to senior citizens: he and Mod have got to stay light on their feet.
The episodes are:. And it offers further proof that no good deed goes unpunished. 3. "Tricia." Davies' kindness to demanding women gets him two thankless cases.
2. "Dangerous By Moonlight." An elderly man has disappeared; his wife, stunningly played by Sian Philips, seems surprisingly unconcerned. You'll have to work for your fun. Once again, no good deed goes unpunished.
The series is certainly character-rich and character-driven. And called the last detective by his boss, as in "You're the last detective I'd ever put on a case, except a crap one." The decidedly unglamorous Davies even works in an unimportant, out-of-the way North London precinct, Willesden.
He is kind, sweet and compassionate. Enjoyable to watch the good guy win. Makes you feel like he is on your side. Love this guy.
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