The Chief (British TV series)
The Chief is a British television crime drama series that aired on ITV from 20 April 1990 until 16 June 1995. A total of five series and thirty-five episodes were produced. The series followed the work of the fictitious "Eastland Constabulary", particularly focusing on Chief Constable John Stafford (Tim Pigott-Smith), and his efforts to restore order within his volatile team. Later, focus shifted towards Stafford's replacement, Alan Cade (Martin Shaw). The series was produced by Anglia Television and was mostly filmed and set in East Anglia. The series was notable for a lot of political content, in particular for Stafford's battles with the Home Office and local politicians.[1] John Alderson (police officer), a former Chief Constable of the Devon and Cornwall Police, was an adviser on the show, allowing it to be portrayed as reflecting real life.[2]
| The Chief | |
|---|---|
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| Genre | Crime drama |
| Created by | Jeffrey Caine |
| Starring | |
| Composers |
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| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 5 |
| No. of episodes | 35 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producers |
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| Cinematography | Philip S. Burne |
| Editors |
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| Running time | 50 minutes |
| Production companies | |
| Distributor | ITV Studios |
| Release | |
| Original network | ITV |
| Picture format | 4:3 |
| Audio format | |
| Original release | 20 April 1990 – 16 June 1995 |
A behind-the-scenes book, entitled On Duty with The Chief, written by Peter Haining, was published on 31 January 1995 to tie in with the broadcast of the fifth and final series.[2] In 2010, Network began realising The Chief on Region 2 DVD, with a "12" certificate. The content has not been modified from the original broadcasts, and every episode contains the title cards for the commercial breaks. There are no special features.
Cast
- Tim Pigott-Smith as Chief Constable John Stafford (Series 1—3)
- Martin Shaw as Chief Constable Alan Cade (Series 3—5)
- Karen Archer as Assistant Chief Constable/ Acting Deputy Anne Stewart (Series 1—4)
- Eamon Boland as Detective Chief Superintendent Jim Gray (Series 1—3)
- Stuart McGugan as Detective Chief Superintendent Sean McCloud (Series 3—4)
- Gillian Bevan as Detective Superintendent Rose Penfold (Series 5)
- Tony Caunter as Deputy Chief Constable Arthur Quine (Series 1—2)
- Bosco Hogan as Deputy Chief Constable Wes Morton (Series 5)
- Dean Lepley as PC Jack Sayers (Series 1—5)
- Brian Bovell as PC Charlie Webb (Series 5)
- Michael Cochrane as Nigel Crimmond (Series 1—5)
- Gillian Martell as Diane Lewis (Series 2—5)
- Judy Loe as Dr. Elizabeth Stafford (Series 1—3)
- Ross Livingstone as Tim Stafford (Series 1—2)
- T. P. McKenna as Colin Fowler (Series 2—4)
- Julian Glover as Andrew Blake (Series 5)
Series overview
| Series | Episodes | First airdate | Last airdate | DVD release | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | 20 April 1990 | 25 May 1990 | 1 February 2010[3] | |
| 2 | 6 | 5 April 1991 | 10 May 1991 | 12 April 2010[4] | |
| 3 | 6 | 16 April 1993 | 21 May 1993 | 18 April 2011[5] | |
| 4 | 10 | 7 January 1994 | 11 March 1994 | 18 July 2011[6] | |
| 5 | 7 | 5 May 1995 | 16 June 1995 | 9 April 2012[7] | |
There series has been released in Australia (Region 4). Series 1 & Series 2 on 5 March 2014.[8][9] Series 3 & Series 4 on 7 May 2014.[10][11] Series 5 on 9 July 2014.[12] The Chief Collection on 7 March 2018.[13]
Episodes
Series 1 (1990)
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | British air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Crash Course" | Brian Farnham | Jeffrey Caine | 20 April 1990 | |
| John Stafford (Tim Pigott-Smith) takes up duty as the new Chief Constable for Eastland Police. | |||||
| 2 | "Daydreamer" | Brian Farnham | Jeffrey Caine | 27 April 1990 | |
| Stafford is accused of being overly soft on the weeding of Special Branch files. | |||||
| 3 | "Call Sign Bravo" | Brian Farnham | Jeffrey Caine | 4 May 1990 | |
| Stafford intercepts Special Branch papers on their way to MI5. ACC Stewart (Karen Archer) is determined to clear her boss's name following his son's arrest. | |||||
| 4 | "The Great Escape" | Brian Farnham | Jeffrey Caine | 11 May 1990 | |
| Stafford has to contend with vigilante groups formed in response to the arrival of crack cocaine in the force area. | |||||
| 5 | "Ring O' Ring O' Roses" | Brian Farnham | James Fielding | 18 May 1990 | |
| When a drugs raid goes badly wrong, a group of militant university students challenges Stafford's authority. | |||||
| 6 | "For Whom the Bell Tolls" | Brian Farnham | James Fielding | 25 May 1990 | |
| Stafford's ongoing battles with the Home Office reach crisis point. | |||||
Series 2 (1991)
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | British air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "A Sudden Cause for Demonstration" | Desmond Davis | Jeffrey Caine | 5 April 1991 | |
| Stafford returns from suspension and is immediately called upon to deal with a series of bomb hoaxes by animal rights activists. | |||||
| 2 | "Walk Home" | Desmond Davis | Jeffrey Caine | 12 April 1991 | |
| A hitchhiker is kidnapped, and Stafford has to deal with an ensuing siege. Stewart contends with vigilante security guards working on a private estate. | |||||
| 3 | "Jack and Jill" | Desmond Davis | Jeffrey Caine | 19 April 1991 | |
| Stafford continues to deal with the siege at the hospital. A female officer resigns from the force, citing sexual harassment. Stewart's husband Martin walks out on her. | |||||
| 4 | "Take Care" | Desmond Davis | Jeffrey Caine | 26 April 1991 | |
| Stafford considers whether to allow the screening of a controversial documentary about B.S.E. Stewart gets into hot water. | |||||
| 5 | "Deep Breath" | Desmond Davis | Peter Pallister | 3 May 1991 | |
| Two youths throw bricks from a walkway bridge and hit a police car, killing an officer. Stafford deals with the subsequent unrest on a housing estate. | |||||
| 6 | "The Thunder and the Lightning" | Desmond Davis | Peter Pallister | 10 May 1991 | |
| A child playing on a beach is poisoned by spillage from an oil tanker. Stafford is ordered to evict a group of environmental protesters from a ship carrying toxic waste. | |||||
Series 3 (1993)
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | British air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Time for Change" | A.J. Quinn | Peter Jukes | 16 April 1993 | |
| Stafford becomes Head of Europol, but the position gives him plenty of free time, so the Home Office ask him to tackle corruption within the Metropolitan Police Force as Alan Cade arrives. | |||||
| 2 | "Songbird" | A.J. Quinn | Peter Jukes | 23 April 1993 | |
| Stafford's corruption enquiry reaches a successful conclusion and the officer who assisted him with the case is appointed as Eastland's new Chief Constable. | |||||
| 3 | "A Long Cold Lonely Winter" | A.J. Quinn | Ray Jenkins | 30 April 1993 | |
| An American gas rig is hijacked on Alan Cade (Martin Shaw)'s first day, but will his choice of negotiator pay off? | |||||
| 4 | "Seeing Red" | A.J. Quinn | Ray Jenkins | 7 May 1993 | |
| A hospital laboratory technician implicates a local councillor in illegal working practices. When he believes his accusations are being ignored, he dramatically breaks through the cordons during a Royal visit to a school concert. | |||||
| 5 | "The Trust of Justice" | A.J. Quinn | Peter Jukes | 14 May 1993 | |
| Cade allows a police informant to orchestrate a drug deal while investigating a smuggling ring, only to find it leads to his death. | |||||
| 6 | "Dealbreaker" | A.J. Quinn | Ray Jenkins | 21 May 1993 | |
| When Cade is threatened with an investigation over the death of a drugs informer, his team closes ranks. The Home Office, preferring to have a hold on its maverick chief constable, decides not to act. | |||||
Series 4 (1994)
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | British air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "In the Wake of Terror" | A.J. Quinn | Ray Jenkins | 7 January 1994 | |
| Cade is the subject of public outrage after two terrorist bomb blasts, and as if that wasn't enough, his girlfriend leaves him. | |||||
| 2 | "The Magician's Key" | A.J. Quinn | Ray Jenkins | 14 January 1994 | |
| Davies discovers that a bogus doctor has been using NHS equipment to carry out his private business. Cade has to organise a massive security operation to protect a royal visitor. | |||||
| 3 | "Hammer and Tongs" | Roger Gartland | Ray Jenkins | 21 January 1994 | |
| Stewart is disillusioned and frustrated when she fails to win the promotion she has been fighting for. | |||||
| 4 | "A Pretty Face" | Roger Gartland | Michael Russell | 28 January 1994 | |
| Impressed by her diligence, Cade agrees to employ pushy public relations executive Alison Dell in an attempt to boost the force's image. However, they soon find that their working relationship spills over into their private lives. | |||||
| 5 | "Extreme Delegation" | A.J. Quinn | Michael Russell | 4 February 1994 | |
| Hilary Scott is attacked by anti-abortionists on her way to the clinic. Terrified by their campaign, she goes home to rethink her decision. | |||||
| 6 | "Forger's Gamble" | A.J. Quinn | Michael Russell | 11 February 1994 | |
| Cade causes controversy when he announces a radical plan to decriminalise certain drugs for an experimental trial. | |||||
| 7 | "Four and Twenty Blackbirds" | Roger Gartland | Peter Jukes | 18 February 1994 | |
| Cade's life is put in jeopardy when a visiting Italian judge is the victim of an assassination attempt. | |||||
| 8 | "Strained Relations" | A.J. Quinn | Peter Jukes | 25 February 1994 | |
| Tensions between the police and the Crown Prosecution Service mount following the acquittal of a child murderer. | |||||
| 9 | "The Right Wing" | A.J. Quinn | Peter Jukes | 4 March 1994 | |
| A group of Neo-Nazis plan to raid the home of a local councillor. | |||||
| 10 | "Appropriate Force" | A.J. Quinn | Peter Jukes | 11 March 1994 | |
| Cade is forced to defend his team when an illegal immigrant dies while officers attempt to restrain him. | |||||
Series 5 (1995)
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | British air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Gunfire" | Tom Cotter | Maggie Allen | 5 May 1995 | |
| Cade's attitude to firearms is challenged after an armed robbery on a countryside mansion. | |||||
| 2 | "Public Outcry" | Tom Cotter | Len Collin | 12 May 1995 | |
| Cade faces a dilemma after a child is killed by joyriders on a local estate. | |||||
| 3 | "Written in History" | Rick Stroud | Anthony Read | 19 May 1995 | |
| Two deadly incidents of racial hatred, more than 20 years apart, cause problems for Cade. | |||||
| 4 | "Nuclear" | Tom Cotter | Steve Griffiths | 26 May 1995 | |
| A large demonstration takes place at a nuclear plant while Cade is away investigating a member of the force. | |||||
| 5 | "Running Out of Friends" | Tom Cotter | Ian Kennedy Martin | 2 June 1995 | |
| Cade leans on an old friend when he suspects the others are conspiring against him. | |||||
| 6 | "Internal Affairs" | Tom Cotter | Susan Wilkins | 9 June 1995 | |
| Emotions run high when charges of harassment are brought within the Eastland force - and against it. | |||||
| 7 | "The End of the Line" | Rick Stroud | Ian Kennedy Martin | 16 June 1995 | |
| Cade's future is in doubt when he comes under fire from the tabloid press. | |||||
References
- Mike Ashley, The Mammoth Encyclopedia of Modern Crime Fiction (2002), p. 541.
- On Duty with The Chief. ASIN 1852839287.
- "The Chief - Series 1 - Complete". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 1 December 2018.
- "The Chief - Series 2 - Complete". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 1 December 2018.
- "The Chief - The Complete Third Series". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 1 December 2018.
- "The Chief - The Complete Fourth Series". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 1 December 2018.
- "The Chief - The Complete Fifth Series". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 1 December 2018.
- https://www.sanity.com.au/products/2262271/Chief---Series-1-The
- https://www.sanity.com.au/products/2262272/Chief---Series-2-The
- https://www.sanity.com.au/products/2263667/Chief---Series-3-The
- https://www.sanity.com.au/products/2263668/Chief_-_Series_4_The
- https://www.sanity.com.au/products/2271237/Chief---Series-5-The
- https://www.sanity.com.au/products/2363058/The-Chief-Collection
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