Supergrass, The (1985)

In this so-so comedy spin-off from the Comic Strip Presents TV series set in the West Country, Dennis Carter (Ade Edmondson) poses as a drug dealer to impress his girlfriend, Andrea (Dawn French). Unfortunately, his pretence also fools some eavesdropping policemen who pressure him into grassing on his nonexistent drugs ring.

So it is that Dennis is despatched to a village by the sea with two undercover cops who have a history with each other: Lesley Reynolds (Jennifer Saunders) and Harvey Duncan (Peter Richardson, also the director and co-writer). While the two cops try to patch up their differences, Dennis leads them on, drawing out the time spent there because he is enjoying the holiday and the free money he’s getting.

There’s a decent supporting cast here with Crossroads star Ronald Allen as a slightly sinister police chief, Alexei Sayle as an aggravating motorcycle policeman and Robbie Coltrane as the psychotic Detective Sergeant Troy demolishing a yacht with a chainsaw.

Coltrane has the film’s best scene when he strides purposefully across a sea wall to the strains of Frankie Goes to Hollywood, but this is small-screen stuff that doesn’t stand up to big-screen scrutiny.

Robbie Coltrane passed away on 14 October 2022, aged 72.

Dennis Carter
Ade Edmondson
Lesley
Jennifer Saunders
Harvey Duncan
Peter Richardson
Andrea
Dawn French
Wong
Keith Allen
Gunter
Nigel Planer
Detective Sergeant Troy
Robbie Coltrane
Jim Jarvis
Daniel Peacock
Commander Robertson
Ronald Allen
Motorbike Cop
Alexei Sayle
Constable Collins
Michael Elphick
Constable Franks
Patrick Durkin
Bed and Breakfast Landlady
Marika Rivera
Mrs Carter
Rita Treisman
Mary
Lana Pellay

Director
Peter Richardson

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