Parker Lewis Between the Lines launched Neil Pearson's career big time, and he became the hero that attempted to crack down on police corruption. Between the Lines was a huge hit and got under the skin of British police culture under the then Conservative government (this was a few years before Tony Blair and New Labour took power).Neil's character had a fondness for the women but that didn't stop him from his commitment to his work. Tom Georgeson deserves commendation for playing the Neil's sidekick.One scene was really gratuitous. Neil's and Tom's characters, along with others, were at a seminar hosted by a nerdy guy, and before the meeting started the nerdy guy politely and condescendingly asked everyone to put away their cigarettes. Then what happened? Everyone assertively put their cigarettes in front of them as an act of defiance to the nerdy guy and probably "political correctness". Oh dear. You can imagine the writer for that episode got some satisfaction that the audience were cheering for these cigarette- wielding heroes up against the nerd.

Theo Robertson ... Watch the first two series and ignore the third because series one and two are amongst the best drama the BBC produced in the 1990s The format for this show revolved around Detective Superintendent Tony Clark who was drafted into the Police Complaints Investigations Bureau where he and his two colleagues chain smoking scouser Harry Naylor and ginger haired Scottish lesbian Maureen Connell have to investigate complaints made against policemen . In many ways it's like a cross between the Richard Gere movie INTERNAL AFFAIRS and the classic British cop show THE SWEENEY with gritty story lines like a local police squad rolling drunks for their money , an episode where a man waving a replica gun is shot dead by police marksmen leading to riots orchestrated by the estate's drug dealers and manipulated by a Chief Superintendent , a retiring senior cop suspected of being bent and perhaps the best episode centered on an undercover cop who has infiltrated a neo Nazi group but is believed to have gone native . All these story lines are believable and almost certainly reflect the growing disenchantment the British public have for the police . You're not going to confuse this with DIXON OF DOCK GREEN since the lead anti hero Tony Clark seemed to be a bit obsessive in letting women get their hands on his truncheon ! It spearheaded BBC 1's Autumn schedule and received massive critical acclaim from the critics and for the first two years BETWEEN THE LINES was a winner . Then for some reason known only to the producers the format was changed , no longer were Tony , Harry and Mo employed by CIB , they were drafted into another secretive government department similar to MI5 . What this meant was that the credible story lines featuring , corrupt , violent or just plain over zealous cops were now replaced by plots featuring international politics and terrorists ! A ginger haired Scottish lesbian as a Bond girl ? I don't think so . There is one episode in the third series involving the trio to go under cover at a hotel that feels like it belongs in the previous two series but the other plots are so laughably over developed it's like watching either a parody or an entirely different show . I mean anti vivisectionists running around with bombs and Uzi 9 mms ! And the series ends on a BLAKES 7 type cliffhanger after Tony and Harry infiltrate a gun running operation by the Ulster Volunteer Force . The series never returned after this and since the critics were bitterly disappointed by the direction that the third series had taken not too many people petitioned for its return

Sulla-2 The first two series were about the work of the Police Complaints Department. The slightly disappointing third series was basically about a team of private eyes who used to work together in the Police. I would have preferred all the characters to have remained in the Police Complaints department because to take them out, just made it into a normal detective programme. All of the regular cast were more than excellent, but my favourite was actually John Deakin, the villain of the piece. My favourite quote was when Deakin spoke to Superintendent Graves in the Toilets and went something like, " Whilst Clarke may considerably p*ss me off, my dislike of him pales into insignificance compared with my permanent and utter contempt for you. Got It ? " Some of the scenes between Harry Naylor and his dying wife Joyce ( Serious Crumpet ! )were very well done.

Dodger-9 Investigating corruption is a police matter. But what happens when the corruption comes from inside? When those entrusted with keeping law and order are those who break the vital code of conduct? Between the Lines is a powerful and controversial drama which tackled the touchy subject of the police investigating themselves. Created by John Wilsher and produced by Tony Garnett, the man behind the controversial 1970s series Law and Order, the drama is a tough and uncompromising analysis of that dilemma.Neil Pearson, perhaps best known for his role as womanising reporter Dave in Drop The Dead Donkey, took the lead role as Det Supt Tony Clark, ambitious head of Mulberry Street police station, who is asked to launch an investigation into his own men. Recruited by the Complaints Investigations Bureau, he soon finds himself in the uncomfortable and loathesome situation of infiltrating his own station.The first two series were superb, with great support from Tom Georgeson, Siobhan Redmond and the late Tony Doyle of Ballykissangel fame.However, by the time a third run was commissioned, Garnett went against his better judgement and obliged with a lacklustre end to the saga.It was a mistake he wouldn't repeat a few years later for his outstanding series This Life.