Phil Redmond wrote more depth, personal relationships and professional frustrations into Waterfront Beat – the BBC’s answer to The Bill – than the average cop series.
Using the Mersey for his major location, Redmond created a newly formed police outfit – the Inner City and Waterfront Division – to handle docklands redevelopment crime.
More than other cops and robbers shows – In which the police conveniently solve crimes every week in 50 minutes flat – Redmond reckoned Waterfront Beat could hold the ratings with what goes on behind the scenes in the policy review sub-group committee.
In the opening episode, the new divisional chief – Detective Chief Superintendent Don Henderson (John Ashton) – found he had staff but no office, and not much co-operation in getting one. Meanwhile, the new recruit PC Ronnie Barker (Brian McCardie) had to deal with the inevitable jokes that followed a rookie called ‘Ronnie Barker’.
The series examined police budgets and how money affected policing and public and media perception of the force, and how – in turn – that perception affected policy.
On the frontline, river piracy, wages snatches, computer fraud, racial attacks, stolen cars and serial killings (an ongoing hunt for “the Bin Bag Murderer”) were all on the agenda.
Redmond maintained that Waterfront Beat was not a series about Liverpool police, but about modern non-metropolitan policing that just happened to be made by a company based in Liverpool which had a great big river handy to provide a different theme.
PC Ronnie Barker
Brian McCardie Supt. Peter Fallows
Rupert Frazer Asst. Chief Constable
Denis Lill Det. Supt. Frank Mathews
Geoffrey Leesley Det. Chief Supt. Don Henderson
John Ashton WDC Jane Long
Helena Little WPC Madeline Forrest
Jane Hazlegrove Sgt. Trevor Simon
Stuart Golland Chief Supt. Alan Briscoe
Bruce Alexander PC ‘Jacko’ Jackbridge
Ray Polhill Tony Henderson
Damien Walker Det. Sgt. ‘Macker’ McVay
Mark Moraghan WDS Jackie Byrnes
Eve Bland PC Jeff Morgan
Gordon Cameron Det. Sgt. Mike McCarthy
Owen Teale PC Barry Smith
Philip Middlemiss
