Detective Sergeant Cribb was a different kind of police hero – a Victorian detective from the novels of Peter Lovesey.
The stubborn Cribb (Alan Dobie) worked for the newly-formed Criminal Investigation Department (CID), which had been formed to clean up the grimy streets of London in the time of Jack the Ripper.
Cribb, a tough and determined officer with an eye for the ladies, outwitted the city’s cleverest crooks (and his smartest colleagues) to bring to justice all who crossed his path.
He was assisted in his investigations by loyal Constable Thackeray (William Simons), with Chief Inspector Jowett (David Waller), his commanding officer, often getting in the way.
The series involved its hero in all manner of crimes, from blackmail to murder, usually set against the backdrop of Victorians at leisure, with prize-fighting, the music hall, and a six-day walking marathon among the featured activities.
The detail was well researched, and genuine events like the publication of Jerome K. Jerome’s Three Men In A Boat and the purchase of London Zoo’s elephant, Jumbo, by Barnum & Bailey’s Circus, were woven into the plots.
The series was spun-off from a 90-minute pilot episode, seen as part of Granada’s Screenplay anthology in 1979.
Sergeant Cribb
Alan Dobie Constable Thackeray
William Simons Chief Inspector Jowett
David Waller
