Fuzz, The

1 9 7 7 (UK)
7 x 30 minute episodes

This short-lived police comedy series from Thames Television was set in an unidentified provincial Northern town “somewhere north of Watford” and featured ex-On The Buses star Michael Robbins as Detective Sergeant Sidney Marble, a keen small town copper with his sights set on promotion to Scotland Yard and the Flying Squad.

Episodes centred around the goings-on at the cop shop and Marble’s domestic difficulties with his traffic warden wife.

Marble’s ambitions were thwarted at every step by the gormless uniformed policemen who worked under him – PC Stevie Cordwainer (Nigel Lambert) and PC Jumbo Dickinson (Mike Savage) – who had no ambitions whatsoever, and were content to play Monopoly in the back of the dog handler’s van, or Battleship over the police radio, or I-Spy in their parked crime car.

Colin Jeavons played the superintendent who suffered from Marble’s crass bunglings, while glamour was added by Lynda Bellingham as WPC “Purrfect” Purvis.

The series debuted on Thursday 8 September 1977 with an episode that featured the team on the hunt for a knicker-nicker.

The Fuzz – created and written by Willis Hall – was one of the better comedy half-hours of the moment. The basic set-up of the two coppers and their sergeant was contained in an episode of The Crezz.

Det. Sgt. Sidney Marble
Michael Robbins
PC Stevie Cordwainer
Nigel Lambert
PC Jumbo Dickinson
Mike Savage
WPC Pamela ‘Purrfect’ Purvis
Lynda Bellingham
Supt. Baldwyn Allardyce
Colin Jeavons
Doris
Ena Cabayo
Sgt. Mapplewhite
John Judd

Episodes

Lonely Are the Brave | A Grand Old Team to Play For | Pending Further Enquiries | Domestic Incident | Night Duties | Coppers Under the Sun | Exits and Entrances