Review for New Scotland Yard - The Complete Series 1

Perfectly bridging the gap between stylised ITC crime dramas of the late sixties and gritty Euston cop dramas like 'The Sweeney', 'New Scotland Yard' is a fairly hard-hitting police drama even byy today's standards.

Starring John Woodvine, one of Britain's most distinguished stage and screen actors, the show presented an unflinching and relatively authentic portrayal of detective work in London during the rapidly changing 1970s. Executive-produced by Rex Firkin, this first series also featured ex-Chief Superintendent Frank Williams (former head of the Yard's Murder Squad) as advisor and scripts by Gangsters creator Philip Martin and Robert Banks Stewart.


The focus is on Detective Chief Superintendent John Kingdom (John Woodvine) of the Central Office of the CID. Having worked his way to the top through a number of Greater London divisions, he knows the force and he knows the villains. With a quiet authority he tackles some of the capital's most serious, high-profile, and perplexing cases; assisting the workaholic Kingdom is his equally efficient colleague, Detective Inspector Alan Ward (John Carlisle).


Like all good police dramas it reflects the biggest social issues of the day and episodes include more than their fair share of political activism, rife at the time. But it also takes a gritty approach to other, arguably more salacious crimes including a particularly violent episode featuring a vengeaful serial killer who is wreaking revenge on all who put him behind bars - including John Kingdom himself. It also reflects the on-going relationship between New Scotland Yard and the press who often seem to be a step ahead of the force in finding 'clues'.


Though a bit wordy, with a tendency to compensate through lots of close-ups, on occasions it rises to edge of the seat stuff but it's real charm, of course, is its window to the world of yesteryear. Who needs 'Life on Mars' when you can buy the real thing?

There are no extras (other than a 'gallery'). Picture quality is variable but acceptable - probably in line with what you remember if you saw it first time round.


If you're an archive TV fan you'll probably want to pick this up for the parade of familiar jobbing actors of the day, which include Windsor Davies (who was more inclined to play serious roles at the time), Michael Elphick, Leslie Schofield, and many more.

Well worth picking up!



S1, Ep1 Apr. 22, 1972 Point of Impact
S1, Ep2 Apr. 29, 1972 The Comeback
S1, Ep3 May 6, 1972 Memory of a Gauntlet
S1, Ep4 May 13, 1972 The Palais Romeo
S1, Ep5 May 20, 1972 Hard Contract
S1, Ep6 May 27, 1972 Shock Tactics
S1, Ep7 Jun. 2, 1972 The Wrong 'Un
S1, Ep8 Jun. 9, 1972 Fire in a Honey Pot
S1, Ep9 Jun. 16, 1972 The Banker
S1, Ep10 Jun. 23, 1972 Ask No Questions
S1, Ep11 Jun. 30, 1972 Reunion
S1, Ep12 Jul. 15, 1972 And When You're Wrong?