Z Cars (1962–1978)

Stars:

James Ellis, John Slater, Douglas Fielding

2 wins.

Cast

Series cast summary:
James Ellis	...	Sgt. Lynch (627 episodes, 1962-1978)
John Slater	...	Det. Sgt. Stone (421 episodes, 1967-1974)
Douglas Fielding	...	PC Quilley (340 episodes, 1969-1978)
Bernard Holley	...	PC Newcombe (277 episodes, 1967-1971)

Storyline

---

Plot Keywords:

police | partially lost tv series | british

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama

---

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 January 1962 (UK)

Filming Locations:

Liverpool, Merseyside, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

50 min 25 min (462 episodes) 50 min (337 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White (1962-1970) Color (1970-1978)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the early days the show was transmitted live, with only pre-shot film inserts to relieve the pressure for cast and crew. Mindful of the 14 million viewers about to tune in, Stratford Johns' nerves would regularly see him vomit before going into studio.

---

Connections

Referenced in Dateline Diamonds (1965)

---

Soundtracks

"Z Cars Theme"
Composed by Bridget Fry

User Reviews

Essential viewing; a treasure of the era.

In many respects, a landmark TV series - changing the image of police as seen on TV, changes in real policing (from bobby-on-the-beat to patrol cars), bringing serious social problems to the screen for the first time - this series captured a time and place with clarity, making these episodes a very valuable treasure - I hope they haven't been dumped or let rot somewhere! The series was also valuable in the opportunities it gave many brilliant writers to develop their skills.

The show succeeded in its two goals, exciting police action drama, and gritty social drama (with just a drop of humour when needed); the best of the police action thread followed Barlow (played by Stratford Johns) into the spin-off series Softly, Softly - Task Force, and later: Barlow at Large. Unforgettable music. The forgettable bit was why the car numbers all started Z - V; I think Zed (not Zee; this was British) was for (Ford) Zephyr.

(With apologies to Toody and Muldoon) I wonder: Zed Victor One, where are you, now? I suspect few episodes survive.