Kurt at 05:05, 5 February 2023

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	{{Infobox television		{{Infobox television
	\| image = The Thin Blue Line.jpg		\| image = The Thin Blue Line (British TV series).jpg
	\| genre = {{Plainlist\|		\| genre = {{Plainlist\|
	* [[Sitcom]]		* [[Sitcom]]

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	{{Infobox television		{{Infobox television
	\| image = The Thin Blue Line.~~png~~		\| image = The Thin Blue Line.jpg
	\| genre = {{Plainlist\|		\| genre = {{Plainlist\|
	* [[Sitcom]]		* [[Sitcom]]

Kurt at 02:20, 5 February 2023

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	~~{{Short description\|British television sitcom}}~~
	~~{{About\|the British sitcom\|the 1952 American panel show\|The Thin Blue Line (American TV series)\|other uses\|The Thin Blue Line (disambiguation)}}~~
	~~{{Multiple issues\|~~
	~~{{More citations needed\|date=August 2019}}~~
	~~{{More footnotes\|date=August 2019}}~~
	~~{{Lead too short\|date=July 2021}}~~
	}}
	~~{{EngvarB\|date=June 2021}}~~
	~~{{Use dmy dates\|date=June 2021}}~~
	{{Infobox television		{{Infobox television
	\| image = The Thin Blue Line.png		\| image = The Thin Blue Line.png
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	==Cast and characters==		==Cast and characters==
	~~{{Original research\|section\|date=August 2019}}~~
	* [[Rowan Atkinson]] as [[Inspector#United Kingdom\|Inspector]] Raymond Fowler, an old-fashioned policeman whose lack of interest in sex annoys his live-in girlfriend of ten years, Sergeant Dawkins. He has a son from a previous marriage.		* [[Rowan Atkinson]] as [[Inspector#United Kingdom\|Inspector]] Raymond Fowler, an old-fashioned policeman whose lack of interest in sex annoys his live-in girlfriend of ten years, Sergeant Dawkins. He has a son from a previous marriage.
	* [[Serena Evans]] as Sergeant Patricia Dawkins, a desk sergeant. She is Inspector Fowler’s long-suffering partner and is forever on a quest for more sexual attention from Fowler, who is usually reluctant to oblige. Despite her frustration and anger, she loves Fowler devotedly and dreams of marrying him and having a child.		* [[Serena Evans]] as Sergeant Patricia Dawkins, a desk sergeant. She is Inspector Fowler’s long-suffering partner and is forever on a quest for more sexual attention from Fowler, who is usually reluctant to oblige. Despite her frustration and anger, she loves Fowler devotedly and dreams of marrying him and having a child.
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	==External links==		==External links==
	~~{{wikiquote}}~~
	*{{IMDb title\|0112194}}		*{{IMDb title\|0112194}}
	*{{British Comedy Guide\|tv\|the_thin_blue_line}}		*{{British Comedy Guide\|tv\|the_thin_blue_line}}

Kurt: 1 revision imported

2023-02-05T02:10:05Z

1 revision imported

← Older revision	Revision as of 21:10, 4 February 2023
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en>MrBipson101: /* Synopsis */

2023-01-03T11:01:47Z

Synopsis

New page

{{Short description|British television sitcom}}
{{About|the British sitcom|the 1952 American panel show|The Thin Blue Line (American TV series)|other uses|The Thin Blue Line (disambiguation)}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{More citations needed|date=August 2019}}
{{More footnotes|date=August 2019}}
{{Lead too short|date=July 2021}}
}}
{{EngvarB|date=June 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2021}}
{{Infobox television
| image = The Thin Blue Line.png
| genre = {{Plainlist|
* [[Sitcom]]
* Police comedy
}}
| creator = [[Ben Elton]]
| writer = Ben Elton
| director = [[John Birkin]]
| starring = {{Plainlist|
* [[Rowan Atkinson]]
* [[James Dreyfus]]
* [[Mina Anwar]]
* [[Rudolph Walker]]
* [[Serena Evans]]
* [[David Haig]]
* [[Kevin Allen (director)|Kevin Allen]]
* [[Mark Addy]]
}}
| composer = [[Howard Goodall]]
| country = United Kingdom
| language = English
| num_series = 2
| num_episodes = 14
| list_episodes = #Episodes
| executive_producer = [[Peter Bennett-Jones]]
| producer = {{Plainlist|
* [[Geoffrey Perkins]]
* Ben Elton
}}
| editor = {{Plainlist|
* [[Graham Hutchings]]
* Steve Tempia
* Charlie Fawcett
}}
| runtime = 30 minutes
| company = [[Tiger Aspect Productions]]
| distributor = [[Endemol UK]]
| network = [[BBC One]]
| first_aired = {{Start date|1995|11|13|df=y}}
| last_aired = {{End date|1996|12|23|df=y}}
}}

'''''The Thin Blue Line''''' is a [[British sitcom]] which aired on [[BBC One]] from 1995 to 1996. It was created and written by [[Ben Elton]], and starred [[Rowan Atkinson]]. The series was popular with viewers, though it suffered in critical reviews due to "inconsistent character development" and an "overly broad plot line". It was ranked number 34 in a poll for [[Britain's Best Sitcom]]. In September 2021, the series became available on [[BBC iPlayer]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/p09rxf4y/the-thin-blue-line|title=The Thin Blue Line}}</ref> and also on STV Player.<ref>{{Cite web |title=STV Player |url=https://player.stv.tv/summary/banijay1-thinblue/ |access-date=2022-03-06 |website=STV Player |language=en}}</ref>

==Synopsis==
The series is set in a police station in the fictional English town of Gasforth. A general parody of the serious [[police procedural]], one of the main themes on the show sees the [[Undercover operation|uniformed]] squad, led by Inspector Fowler, and the [[Criminal Investigation Department|CID]], led by Detective Inspector Grim, locking horns over similar, or even the same, issues while having conflicting views or methods of operations. Generally the uniformed section triumphs over the [[Detective|detectives]], although not without their own foibles. Although other [[Constable|PCs]] and staff other than the main characters are visible in the background, they generally have no speaking parts.

==Cast and characters==
{{Original research|section|date=August 2019}}
* [[Rowan Atkinson]] as [[Inspector#United Kingdom|Inspector]] Raymond Fowler, an old-fashioned policeman whose lack of interest in sex annoys his live-in girlfriend of ten years, Sergeant Dawkins. He has a son from a previous marriage.
* [[Serena Evans]] as Sergeant Patricia Dawkins, a desk sergeant. She is Inspector Fowler’s long-suffering partner and is forever on a quest for more sexual attention from Fowler, who is usually reluctant to oblige. Despite her frustration and anger, she loves Fowler devotedly and dreams of marrying him and having a child.
* [[David Haig]] as Detective Inspector Derek Grim, the head of the CID unit at Gasforth Police Station. In reference to a common trope in police dramas and procedurals, his attitude is that CID are superior to the uniformed police. He has been married for 20 years to Tina, with whom he has an intense love-hate relationship. Their son, Darren, was arrested in one episode.
* [[James Dreyfus]] as Constable Kevin Goody, who is perhaps the least complex of the officers. Profoundly unintelligent and oblivious to the obvious, he has very little idea of what being a police officer entails. Although his character is very camp, he is infatuated with Constable Habib.
* [[Mina Anwar]] as Constable Maggie Habib, a female officer of South Asian descent, who was raised in Accrington. Habib is generally the straight man in Fowler’s uniformed branch.
* [[Rudolph Walker]] as Constable Frank Gladstone, a Trinidad-origin constable near retirement, Gladstone has been a PC all his adult life, as was his father, and is enjoying his career winding down.
* [[Kevin Allen (director)|Kevin Allen]] as Detective Constable Robert Kray (series 1), an officer in Grim’s CID unit. He is a very laddish cop, intelligent, cynical and pragmatic.
* [[Mark Addy]] as Detective Constable Gary Boyle (series 2), Kray’s replacement in the second series. Like Kray, he is intelligent, cynical, pragmatic, very laddish and likes being a police officer for the associated perks.

Many notable actors made guest appearances, and these include the writer [[Ben Elton]], [[Stephen Fry]], [[Stephen Moore (actor)|Stephen Moore]], [[Melvyn Hayes]], [[Trevor Peacock]], [[Owen Teale]], [[Colin McFarlane]], [[Alan Cox (actor)|Alan Cox]], [[Alexander Armstrong (comedian)|Alexander Armstrong]], [[Nicola Stapleton]], [[Perry Fenwick]], [[Walter Sparrow]], [[Geoffrey Chater]], [[Gabrielle Blunt]] and [[Rupert Vansittart]].

==Episodes==
===Series 1 (1995)===
{{Episode table |background=#0552A0 |overall=5 |title=22 |director=20 |writer=20 |airdate=18 |episodes=
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber = 1
|Title = The Queen's Birthday Present
|DirectedBy = John Birkin
|WrittenBy = Ben Elton
|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1995|11|13|df=y}}
|ShortSummary = Inspector Fowler and Sergeant Dawkins should be celebrating their tenth anniversary together, but the Queen's official birthday and Fowler's complete remissness puts a spanner in the works.
|LineColor = 0552A0
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber = 2
|Title = Fire and Terror
|DirectedBy = John Birkin
|WrittenBy = Ben Elton
|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1995|11|20|df=y}}
|ShortSummary = Constable Habib falls in love with a fireman and PC Goody is jealous. DI Grim is onto 'a big case' while Inspector Fowler is constantly plagued by a hoaxer.
|LineColor = 0552A0
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber = 3
|Title = Honey Trap
|DirectedBy = John Birkin
|WrittenBy = Ben Elton
|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1995|11|27|df=y}}
|ShortSummary = Dawkins is furiously jealous of Fowler's admiration for Habib, though mistakenly. While Fowler is preparing his team for the pub quiz, Grim has borrowed his star player, PC Habib. Can PC Goody take her place? And what will she look like in a miniskirt and will she succeed in nabbing the man Grim wants?
|LineColor = 0552A0
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber = 4
|Title = Rag Week
|DirectedBy = John Birkin
|WrittenBy = Ben Elton
|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1995|12|4|df=y}}
|ShortSummary = The local college students get completely out of hand during their rag week. Meanwhile, Detective Inspector Grim is in a good mood - he's got a real life bank raid to deal with.
|LineColor = 0552A0
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber = 5
|Title = Night Shift
|DirectedBy = John Birkin
|WrittenBy = Ben Elton
|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1995|12|11|df=y}}
|ShortSummary = Fowler reluctantly agrees to let his son Bill stay with him and Patricia for a few days. Patricia, unsatisfied and frustrated with Raymond, takes their matter to a sex therapist. Meanwhile, Grim is working with Scotland Yard against organised crime — and Fowler is most definitely NOT jealous.
|LineColor = 0552A0
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber = 6
|Title = Kids Today
|DirectedBy = John Birkin
|WrittenBy = Ben Elton
|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1995|12|18|df=y}}
|ShortSummary = Fowler leads a camping trip for young offenders, but Grim plans a short sharp shock.
|LineColor = 0552A0
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber = 7
|Title = Yuletide Spirit
|DirectedBy = John Birkin
|WrittenBy = Ben Elton
|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1995|12|26|df=y}}
|ShortSummary = Grim is on the trail of some dangerous carol singers, and Goody proves that giving Christmas presents at work can be a bad idea.
|LineColor = 0552A0
}}
}}

===Series 2 (1996)===
{{Episode table |background=#f2cb62 |overall=5 |title=22 |director=20 |writer=20 |airdate=18 |episodes=
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber = 8
|Title = Court in the Act
|DirectedBy = John Birkin
|WrittenBy = Ben Elton
|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1996|11|14|df=y}}
|ShortSummary = Inspector Fowler prepares his force for the rigours of cross-examination in court, and Constable Goody tries out a fetching new uniform.
|LineColor = F2CB62
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber = 9
|Title = Ism Ism Ism
|DirectedBy = John Birkin
|WrittenBy = Ben Elton
|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1996|11|21|df=y}}
|ShortSummary = The Mayoress informs Fowler that an illegal asylum-seeker has taken refuge in the town. Grim meanwhile attempts to join a secret lodge.
|LineColor = F2CB62
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber = 10
|Title = Fly on the Wall
|DirectedBy = John Birkin
|WrittenBy = Ben Elton
|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1996|11|28|df=y}}
|ShortSummary = A television crew come to Gasforth to make a documentary about policing in the raw - and they don't come much more raw than Fowler's force.
|LineColor = F2CB62
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber = 11
|Title = Alternative Culture
|DirectedBy = John Birkin
|WrittenBy = Ben Elton
|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1996|12|5|df=y}}
|ShortSummary = Grim declares war on drugs. Meanwhile, a plumbing crisis at the station means the women have to share the men's locker room.
|LineColor = F2CB62
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber = 12
|Title = Come on You Blues
|DirectedBy = John Birkin
|WrittenBy = Ben Elton
|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1996|12|12|df=y}}
|ShortSummary = When Gasforth Football Club reach the third round of the [[FA Cup]], Grim looks forward to tackling some major league hooligans.
|LineColor = F2CB62
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber = 13
|Title = Road Rage
|DirectedBy = John Birkin
|WrittenBy = Ben Elton
|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1996|12|19|df=y}}
|ShortSummary = Gasforth's new bypass causes headaches for Inspector Fowler when his partner Patricia joins the road protestors.
|LineColor = F2CB62
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber = 14
|Title = The Green Eyed Monster
|DirectedBy = John Birkin
|WrittenBy = Ben Elton
|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|1996|12|23|df=y}}
|ShortSummary = Fowler thinks it's his turn for promotion. When Grim says they're looking for married officers, Fowler decides to propose to Patricia.
|LineColor = F2CB62
}}
}}

==Development==
Creator and writer [[Ben Elton]] is a fan of [[Dad’s Army]],<ref name="dadsarmy">{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/tvandradioblog/2008/jul/14/soianlavenderofdads | title=Dad's Army: funny? You stupid boy! | newspaper=The Guardian | access-date=25 October 2014| date=14 July 2008 | last1=Graham | first1=Jane }}</ref> and many of the characters were influenced by the show. Fowler’s relationship with Grim is very similar to that of [[Captain George Mainwaring|Captain Mainwaring]] to [[ARP Warden Bert Hodges|Warden Hodges]], in that they are both on the same side yet enemies. Also, Constable Goody is rather like [[Private Frank Pike|Private Pike]] in being a “stupid boy” who often irritates Fowler. Constable Gladstone’s habit of interrupting a briefing with a story about life in [[Trinidad]] is similar to [[Lance Corporal Jones]]’ penchant for reminiscing about [[Sudan]] during Captain Mainwaring’s speeches. Other references include in the episode “Rag Week”, when Fowler is briefly seen walking out of a shop called “Mainwaring’s”.<ref>{{cite web|title=Hidden in the Ranks: a bit like this|url=http://www.walmington-on-line.co.uk/hidden-in-the-ranks/|website=Walmington-on-Line|access-date=11 March 2016|date=21 November 2012}}</ref> Elton has appeared in the programme himself, in the Christmas special episode “Yuletide Spirit”. In the first series the “WANTED” poster behind Fowler’s desk in the briefing room is an [[E-FIT]] of Elton.

==Home releases==
Both series have been released on [[DVD]] in the [[United Kingdom]] ([[DVD region code|Region 2]]) by Vision Video Ltd. ''The Thin Blue Line'' is available in [[DVD region code|Region 1]] (North America), having been released by BBC Warner. Episodes in the first series were not in broadcast order on both [[DVD region code|Region 1]] and [[DVD region code|2]] DVDs. The Series 2 episodes in the [[DVD region code|Region 1]] [[DVD]] are cut to fit about 30-minute runtime. For example, the biggest cut is from the S2E7 "The Green Eyed Monster" episode, which is cut from 40:45 UK/R2 runtime to 30:05 [[DVD region code|Region 1]] runtime. The [[DVD region code|Region 1]] release has English [[Closed captioning|closed captions]]. The [[United Kingdom|UK]] [[DVD region code|Region 2]] does not have any [[subtitles]].

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Other sources==
* [[Mark Lewisohn]], "Radio Times Guide to TV Comedy", BBC Worldwide Ltd, 2003

==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
*{{IMDb title|0112194}}
*{{British Comedy Guide|tv|the_thin_blue_line}}
*[https://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/thethinblueline/ The Thin Blue Line]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20050324014837/http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/articles/t/thinbluelinethe_1299003106.shtml BBC – Comedy – Guide – The Thin Blue Line]
*[https://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2003/12_december/30/best_sitcom.shtml BBC "Best Sitcom" ranking – Top 50]

{{Ben Elton}}
{{Rowan Atkinson}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thin Blue Line, The}}
[[Category:1995 British television series debuts]]
[[Category:1996 British television series endings]]
[[Category:1990s British crime television series]]
[[Category:1990s British sitcoms]]
[[Category:1990s British police comedy television series]]
[[Category:BBC crime television shows]]
[[Category:BBC television sitcoms]]
[[Category:British crime comedy television series]]
[[Category:British police comedy television series]]
[[Category:English-language television shows]]
[[Category:Television shows written by Ben Elton]]
[[Category:Television series by Endemol]]
[[Category:Television series by Tiger Aspect Productions]]
[[Category:Television series created by Ben Elton]]
[[Category:Television shows set in England]]

The Thin Blue Line (British TV series) - Revision history

Kurt at 05:05, 5 February 2023

Kurt at 05:04, 5 February 2023

Kurt at 02:20, 5 February 2023

Kurt: 1 revision imported

en>MrBipson101: /* Synopsis */