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BETWEEN THE LINES

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Despite my predilection for 1970s television series this one, made between 1992 and 1994 simply MUST be included because (a) it is a landmark achievement and (b) there are not too many sources on the web which give it the treatment it deserves.
In fact I like it much more than Prime Suspect or Cracker because of its 'ordinary people' approach.
CONTENT
Between the Lines examines corruption inside the police force. It differs from other series insofar as corruption is no longer regarded as an isolated phenomenon which can be attributed to individuals and their moral failure but is inherent in the institution. Like the seminal French Connection the series gives the apocalyptic impression that crime is ruling supreme and that there is not much hope for society as a whole; an aspect which is appropriately underlined by the outstanding musical achievements of Colin Towns (ex-Gillan) and Hal Lindes (ex-Dire Straits).
GENRE
Between the Lines is a highly successful blend of a variety of televisional (sub)genres. It is an intellectual reworking of Target insofar as it deals with problematic aspects of police hierarchy. Like Steve Hackett, Tony Clark is a career copper although. admittedly, the latter comes across with 1990s subtlety. In addition to that it incorporates the "extended family" principle of soap operas, or, to be more precise, of community policing series (The Gentle Touch and Juliet Bravo being prime examples).
Between the Lines takes TV realism to new heights, due to a strong emphasis on muckraking in Büchner's or Sinclair's sense. Its focus is the nasty, non-glamorous side of police work: urban riots (civil war), corrupt authorities, interdepartmental rivalries. This series, among other things, DOES ask the questions which are sometimes enthusiastically attributed to The Gentle Touch – for example, is the police as an institution respected by the general public, or is it the opposite?
CHARACTERS
This series is very well written (Mike Wayne observes that the narrative structure of the episodes is three-fold, cf. link below), one indication of which is that its main characters are complex and (thus) very interesting, and even the minor roles are life-like, involving the spectator and attracting their attention - which is all you can ask for.
It has been suggested already that Tony Clark is morally ambiguous. In the light of the conversation with the misanthropic Chief Constable in Out of the Game, for example, he surely appears to be the good guy. Wayne reports that several writers succumbed to the temptation of making Clark look like a conventional hero. Out of the Game may be a case in point, but it is a sign of the excellent quality of this series that the episode, as Gareth Preston has shown, remains one of the best of the lot.
BETWEEN THE LINES EPISODE GUIDE
Main Cast: Neil Pearson (Tony Clark) Tom Georgeson (Harry Naylor) Siobhan Redmond (Maureen Connell) Lesley Vickerage (Jenny Dean) Tony Doyle (Deakin) David Lyon (Huxtable)

Season 1
Executive Producer Tony Garnett Producer Peter Norris Creator J C Wilsher Incidental Music Colin Towns Theme Hal Lindes

(1.01) Private Enterprise tx 04.09.92 Guest Stars James Laurenson Ciaran Hinds Matthew Long Amanda Boxer Stunts Terry Forrestal Wayne Michaels Writer J.C. Wilsher Script Editor Tim Vaughan Associate Producer Mike Hudson Editor St John O'Rorke Photography Kevin Rowley Designer Les Stephenson Director Charles McDougall
GERMAN: Private Geschäfte
(1.02) Out of the Game tx 11.09.92 Guest Stars Pete Postlethwaite Bill Leadbitter Stunts Terry Forrestal Writer Russell Lewis Script Editor Tim Vaughan Associate Producer Mike Hudson Editor Phil Southby Photography Kevin Rowley Designer Jonathan Taylor Director Alan Dossor
GERMAN: Die Todesschützen
(1.03) Words of Advice tx 18.09.92 Guest Stars Paterson Joseph Myles Hoyle Stunts Terry Forrestal Writer Steve Trafford Script Editor Tim Vaughan Associate Producer Mike Hudson Editor Phil Southby Photography Kevin Rowley Designer Jonathan Taylor Director Alan Dossor
GERMAN: Schwarz und weiß
(1.04) Lies and Damned Lies tx 25.09.92 Guest Stars David DeKeyser Neil Dudgeon John Shrapnel Anna Nygh Simon Chandler Stunts Tip Tipping Writer Michael Russell Script Editor Tim Vaughan Associate Producer Mike Hudson Editor Malcolm Banthorpe Photography Colin Munn Operator John Maskall Designer Les Stephenson Director Roy Battersby
GERMAN: Lügen, nichts als Lügen
(1.05) A Watch and Chain of Course tx 02.10.92 Guest Stars John Benfield Anthony Trent Ray Winstone Albert Welling Nick Hobbs Stunts Tip Tipping Writer J.C. Wilsher Script Editor Tim Vaughan Associate Producer Mike Hudson Editor Malcolm Banthorpe Photography Colin Munn Operator John Maskall Designer Les Stephenson Director Roy Battersby
GERMAN: Diebe unter sich
(1.06) Lest Ye Be Judged tx 09.10.92 Guest Stars Jaye Griffiths Michael Angelis Arthur Kelly Stunts Terry Forrestal Writer Rob Heyland Script Editor Tim Vaughan Associate Producer Mike Hudson Assistant Director David Cherrill Editor St John O'Rorke Photography Kevin Rowley Designer Les Stephenson Director Charles McDougall
GERMAN: Die zwei Seiten der Medaille
(1.07) Breaking Point tx 16.10.92 Guest Stars Jaye Griffiths Paul Moriarty Anna Nygh Stunts Terry Forrestal Writer Rob Heyland Script Editor Tim Vaughan Associate Producer Mike Hudson Editor St John O'Rorke Photography Kevin Rowley Designer Jonathan Taylor Director Charles McDougall
GERMAN: Sieg und Niederlage
Violence on the picket line: when a molotov cocktail injures a policeman his colleagues beat up one of the protesters. Later on, Clark is attacked by the victim's brothers.
(1.08) The Only Good Copper tx 23.10.92 Guest Stars Jerome Flynn Tony Haygarth Trevor Peacock Stunts Terry Forrestal Writer Russell Lewis Script Editor Tim Vaughan Associate Producer Mike Hudson Editor Colin Goudie Photography Kevin Rowley Designer Les Stephenson Director Tom Clegg
A uniformed policeman dies in the line of duty because reinforcement does not arrive in time.
GERMAN: Der ewig gute Bulle
(1.09) Watching the Detectives tx 30.10.92 Guest Stars Robin Lermitte Geoffrey Whitehead Anthony May Kenneth Cranham Brian Gwaspari Writer Steve Trafford Script Editor Tim Vaughan Associate Producer Mike Hudson Editor Colin Goudie Photography Kevin Rowley Designer Les Stephenson Director Tom Clegg
GERMAN: Kriminelle Kriminalisten
(1.10) Nothing to Declare tx 06.11.92 Guest Stars Robin Lermitte Nicky Henson Keith Allen Andrew Seear Luke Hanson Stunts Tip Tipping Writer Michael Russell Script Editor Tim Vaughan Associate Producer Mike Hudson Assistant Director David Cherrill Editor Rob Sylvester Photography Graham Frake Designer Jonathan Taylor Director Jenny Killick
GERMAN: Zollfreie Ware
(1.11) Nothing Personal tx 13.11.92 Guest Star Rudolph Walker Stunts Tip Tipping Writer Rob Heyland Script Editor Tim Vaughan Associate Producer Mike Hudson Assistant Director David Cherrill Editor Rob Sylvester Photography Graham Frake Designer Jonathan Taylor Director Jenny Killick
GERMAN: Tod in der Zelle
(1.12) Nobody's Fireproof tx 27.11.92 Guest Stars Stephen Moore Ciaran Madden Larry Lamb Writer J.C. Wilsher Script Editor Tim Vaughan Associate Producer Mike Hudson Editor St John O'Rorke Photography Kevin Rowley Designer Les Stephenson Director Alan Dossor
GERMAN: Niemand ist unantastbar
(1.13) The Chill Factor tx 04.12.92 Guest Stars Ciaran Madden Bernard Horsfall Anna Nygh Stunts Terry Forrestal Tip Tipping Stunt Performer Frank Henson Writer J.C. Wilsher Script Editor Tim Vaughan Associate Producer Mike Hudson Editor St John O'Rorke Photography Kevin Rowley Designer Les Stephenson Director Alan Dossor
GERMAN: Kalter Wind
Season 2
(2.01) New Order tx 05.10.93 Writer J.C. Wilsher Director Alan Dossor
GERMAN: Die "neue Ordnung"
(2.02) Manslaughter tx 12.10.93 Writer Rob Heyland Director Alan Dossor
GERMAN: Wer zuletzt lacht
(2.03) Crack Up tx 19.10.93 Writer Ray Brennan Director Robert Bierman
GERMAN: Kein guter Trip
(2.04) Honourable Man tx 26.10.93 Writer Russell Lewis Director Robert Bierman
GERMAN: Ehrenwerte Herren
(2.05) "Some Must Watch..." tx 02.11.93 Writer Rob Heyland Director Roy Battersby
GERMAN: Einige müssen zusehen/Den Letzten beißen die Hunde
(2.06) Manoeuvre 11 tx 09.11.93 Writer Ron Rose Director Roy Battersby
GERMAN: Manöver Nr. 11 / Manöver
(2.07) The Fifth Estate tx 16.11.93 Writer Rob Heyland Director Peter Smith
GERMAN: Eine Gruppe für sich/Die fünfte Kolonne
(2.08) The Great Detective tx 23.11.93 Writer Nicholas Martin Director Peter Smith
GERMAN: Der große Detektiv
(2.09) Jumping the Lights tx 30.11.93 Writer Julian Jones Director Robert Bierman
GERMAN: Fahrerflucht
(2.10) What's the Strength of This? tx 07.12.93 Writer J.C. Wilsher Director Robert Bierman
GERMAN: Harrys Abschied
(2.11) Big Boys' Rules part 1 tx 14.12.93 Writer J.C. Wilsher Director Richard Standeven
GERMAN: Die gefährlichen Spielregeln der Großen (1)
(2.12) Big Boys' Rules part 2 tx 21.12.93 Writer J.C. Wilsher Director Richard Standeven
GERMAN: Die gefährlichen Spielregeln der Großen (2)

Season 3
(3.01) Foxtrot Oscar tx 19.10.94 Writer Rob Heyland Director Alan Dossor
(3.02) A Safe Pair of Hands tx 26.10.94 Writer Steve Griffiths Director Alan Dossor
(3.03) A Face in the Crowd tx 02.11.94 Writer Julian Jones Director Richard Standeven
(3.04) Shoot to Kill tx 09.11.94 Writer Simon Andrew Stirling Director Richard Standeven
(3.05) Close Protection tx 16.11.94 Writer Nicholas Martin Director Ian Knox
(3.06) Blooded tx 23.11.94 Writer J.C. Wilsher Director Ian Knox
(3.07) Unknown Soldier tx 30.11.94 Writer Julian Jones Director Ross Devenish
(3.08) Free Trade tx 07.12.94 Writer Gordon Hann Director Ross Devenish
(3.09) The End User part 1 tx 14.12.94 Writer Dusty Hughes Director Roy Battersby
(3.10) The End User part 2 tx 21.12.94 Writer Dusty Hughes Director Roy Battersby
In order to find out more about Between the Lines please try the following links:
http://www.martinday.co.uk/between.htm
http://www.homepage.ntlworld.com/gazhack/btl.htm (an excellent article by PPS member Gareth Preston)
http://www.uktv.com/tardis/BetweenTheLines/BetweenTheLines.txt
http://www.world-productions.com/wp/content/reference/tony/texcerpt_01.htm

Video/DVD:
Complete Seasons 1-3 (BBC/2 entertain) are available on DVD.
All season 1 episodes were released on BBC Video.

Sources:
Krystyna Zukowska: Between the Lines - Tony Clark's Dossier, London: Boxtree 1994 (A very strange book which deals entirely with the fictional background of the series. Good b/w photo section though.)

This is an unofficial and non-commercial website. The rights to Between the Lines are held by the BBC. The sole purpose of this page is to promote the abovementioned series - no copyright infringement is intended. However, should the copyright holders be unhappy with my use of screenshots the material in question will be removed immediately.
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