New Tricks

New Tricks
File:Newtrickscast.jpg
Created by	Roy Mitchell
Starring	Alun Armstrong Amanda Redman James Bolam Dennis Waterman
No. of series	4
No. of episodes	25 (to date)
Production
Producer	Wall to Wall
Running time	60 Minutes
Original release
Network	BBC One
Release	27 March 2003 – Present

New Tricks is a BBC television drama series which follows the work of the Unsolved Crime and Open case Squad (UCOS). Led by Superintendent Sandra Pullman, it is made up of retired police officers who have been recruited to reinvestigate unsolved crimes. The series is similar in idea to Waking the Dead, another BBC drama series about a "cold case" squad, but is far lighter in tone, with many humorous situations. It draws much of its humour from the former detectives' unfamiliarity with the modern methods of policing, and their increasing age.

Main characters

One of the original writers, Roy Mitchell, is a supporter of the English football team West Bromwich Albion and in the first series numerous characters were named after players who previously played or still play for the club. The three male characters of the programme, Halford, Lane and Standing, were named after the oldest stand at the Hawthorns football ground in West Bromwich.

• Detective Superintendent Sandra Pullman (Amanda Redman)

Sandra Pullman became head of the new unit after being transferred from SO19, because of an incident involving the shooting of a dog during the rescue of a hostage (which becomes a running gag during the series). Before this, she was a highly successful career woman, but has sacrificed most of her personal life in pursuit of this. She has a series of adulterous relationships in her past and likes to be in absolute control of every situation. As time goes by, she begins to warm to her colleagues and view them as her friends, and at the same time change her attitude towards life.

• Gerry Standing (Ex Detective Sergeant Gerry Standing) (Dennis Waterman)

Gerry Standing is about as un-PC as you can get. In his time, he was a top thief-taker but he mixes easily with criminals, so much so that his colleagues suggest that he could be corrupt, and it is implied these allegations forced him to leave the force. He has been married three times, and has three ex-wives and three daughters to support, and so is keen to work in UCOS for financial reasons, but he also passionately enjoys catching criminals. Although he is a now a grandfather, he maintains his devilish lifestyle, but is as he describes himself, "a naughty boy, not a bastard".

• Jack Halford (Ex Detective Chief Superintendent Jack Halford) (James Bolam)

Jack Halford retired from the police force following the death of his dearly-loved wife Mary in a hit-and-run accident. He welcomed the job at UCOS, and was the first to be approached by Sandra Pullman, who views him as her mentor after having worked under him in the murder squad. He is still haunted by the death of Mary, and the fact that no-one has ever been charged in connection with it: this is the main force in his drive to always see justice done. He still speaks to his wife's memorial in his garden and often seeks her help and asks her opinion in solving cases.

• Brian Lane (Ex Detective Inspector Brian Lane) (Alun Armstrong)

Brian Lane is an exceptional detective, with his attention to detail, instant recall memory (leading to his nickname of 'Memory Lane') and his eccentric, obsessive compulsive behaviour. He left the force under a cloud, having been partly held responsible for the death of a prisoner in his custody, however to this day, Brian maintains it is part of a conspiracy against him. Although his colleagues doubt this, believing Brian simply cannot admit he made a mistake, they still recognise his remarkable abilities.

Supporting characters

• Robert Strickland (Anthony Calf)

From the second series onwards, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Robert Strickland is the team's boss. He is a political animal who enjoys basking in the reflected glory of Unsolved Crime and Open Case Squad's (UCOS) clean up rate and his choice of cases is influenced by a desire to make his department look good.

• Esther Lane (Susan Jameson)

Esther is Brian Lane's long-suffering wife. Esther and Brian met when he arrested her for attempting to steal a copy of Lady Chatterley's Lover from a library. They have a son, Mark. At least once, Brian's obsession with the incident which caused him to leave the force has led Esther to leave him, although she did return. Susan Jameson, who plays Esther, is in real life married to co-star James 'Jack Halford' Bolam

• PC Clark ("Clarkey") (Chiké Okonkwo)

PC Clark (we never learn his first name) is assigned to the team to help them with their IT needs and administration, though he soon becomes a valued member of the team. He only appears in the pilot and first series, and the disappearance of the character has not been explained.

• Donald Bevan (Tim Woodward- pilot, Nicholas Day- series one)

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Donald Bevan is the team's boss during the first series. He knows both Jack Halford and Gerry Standing, and strongly opposed Standing's inclusion in the team, mainly due to the history between them. (It is later revealed that Gerry punched Bevan in the face and broke his jaw). In an episode broadcast in May 2006 concerning a group of witches there is a reference to the film The Wicker Man. The film starred Edward Woodward, Tim Woodward's father.

Production history

New Tricks is produced by Wall to Wall Television for the BBC. It began as a one-off episode, broadcast on 27 March 2003. It attracted a sufficient number of viewers for the BBC to commission a series of six episodes, which began on 1 April 2004. A second and third series, each with eight episodes, were broadcast in 2005 and 2006 respectively on BBC One. A fourth series began on Monday 9 April 2007 on BBC One.

ABC TV also broadcasts the series in Australia.

Further reading

• New Tricks at bbc.co.uk