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    Nostalgia Central
    Home»Television»Shows by Decade»1990s Television
    1990s Television Drama Shows W 2 Mins Read

    Waterfront Beat

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    1 9 9 0 – 1 9 9 1 (UK)
    16 x 50 minute episodes

    Phil Redmond wrote more depth, personal relationships and professional frustrations into the BBC’s Waterfront Beat 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

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