Ray Jenkins, the British screenwriter behind shows including “The Woman in White” and “The Sweeney,” has died. He was 87.
Jenkins died on Jan. 16, his agent confirmed to Variety. No cause of death was given.
Jenkins was an accomplished dramatist who wrote for TV, radio and film. He was known especially for his work on British police and justice-related series throughout the 1960s and 80s, including “The Sweeney,” which starred John Thaw and Dennis Waterman, and “Juliet Bravo” in which Stephanie Turner played Inspector Jean Darblay.
Other shows Jenkins worked on included “Z Cars,” “The Brothers,” “This Man Craig,” “Callan,” “Special Branch” and “The Gentle Touch.”
He was also known for his 1980s adaptations of Wilkie Collins’ mystery novel “The Woman in White,” which aired on the BBC and starred Ian Richardson, Diana Quick and Jenny Seagrove, and Tom Hart’s novel “The Aura and The Kingfisher,” which was adapted as feature film “The Innocent,...
Jenkins died on Jan. 16, his agent confirmed to Variety. No cause of death was given.
Jenkins was an accomplished dramatist who wrote for TV, radio and film. He was known especially for his work on British police and justice-related series throughout the 1960s and 80s, including “The Sweeney,” which starred John Thaw and Dennis Waterman, and “Juliet Bravo” in which Stephanie Turner played Inspector Jean Darblay.
Other shows Jenkins worked on included “Z Cars,” “The Brothers,” “This Man Craig,” “Callan,” “Special Branch” and “The Gentle Touch.”
He was also known for his 1980s adaptations of Wilkie Collins’ mystery novel “The Woman in White,” which aired on the BBC and starred Ian Richardson, Diana Quick and Jenny Seagrove, and Tom Hart’s novel “The Aura and The Kingfisher,” which was adapted as feature film “The Innocent,...
- 2/27/2023
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
and the lede: British actor Jill Gascoine, known for starring in 1980s TV drama “The Gentle Touch,” has died after a 10-year battle with Alzheimer’s disease. She was 83.
Gascoine played Detective Inspector Maggie Forbes in ITV’s “The Gentle Touch,” the first British police drama with a woman in the main role.
She continued playing the character in spin-off “C.A.T.S. Eyes,” and also starred in “The Onedin Line” in the 1970s.
She was married to actor Alfred Molina. After moving to Los Angeles with Molina in the 1990s, she went on to become a novelist.
Her son Adam Gascoine confirmed her death on Facebook Wednesday, writing: “She suffered from Alzheimer’s for 10 years, so today was a thankful release. The family is all well, and relieved that she’s not suffering any more.”
He said there would not be a memorial “for a good while due to the current climate,...
Gascoine played Detective Inspector Maggie Forbes in ITV’s “The Gentle Touch,” the first British police drama with a woman in the main role.
She continued playing the character in spin-off “C.A.T.S. Eyes,” and also starred in “The Onedin Line” in the 1970s.
She was married to actor Alfred Molina. After moving to Los Angeles with Molina in the 1990s, she went on to become a novelist.
Her son Adam Gascoine confirmed her death on Facebook Wednesday, writing: “She suffered from Alzheimer’s for 10 years, so today was a thankful release. The family is all well, and relieved that she’s not suffering any more.”
He said there would not be a memorial “for a good while due to the current climate,...
- 4/29/2020
- by Tim Dams
- Variety Film + TV
Jill Gascoine, the English actress who played Detective Inspector Maggie Forbes in Brit series The Gentle Touch, has died at the age of 83.
The actresses’ son confirmed the news on Facebook in a post where he said she had been suffering from Alzheimer’s for 10 years. “Today was a thankful release,” he wrote. “The family is all well, and relieved that she’s not suffering any more.”
Gascoine is survived by two sons and her husband, the actor Alfred Molina, whom she married in 1986.
The actress played the role of Detective Inspector Forbes for 56 episodes of The Gentle Touch in the early 1980s; it was the first Brit TV drama to center on a female police officer. She reprised the part for spin-off series C.A.T.S. Eyes in 1985-87.
Her TV work also saw roles in shows including Z-Cars, General Hospital, Home To Roost, and, after relocating to Los Angeles, the...
The actresses’ son confirmed the news on Facebook in a post where he said she had been suffering from Alzheimer’s for 10 years. “Today was a thankful release,” he wrote. “The family is all well, and relieved that she’s not suffering any more.”
Gascoine is survived by two sons and her husband, the actor Alfred Molina, whom she married in 1986.
The actress played the role of Detective Inspector Forbes for 56 episodes of The Gentle Touch in the early 1980s; it was the first Brit TV drama to center on a female police officer. She reprised the part for spin-off series C.A.T.S. Eyes in 1985-87.
Her TV work also saw roles in shows including Z-Cars, General Hospital, Home To Roost, and, after relocating to Los Angeles, the...
- 4/29/2020
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
Prime Suspect
Created by Lynda La Plante and Alexandra Cunningham
Based on the ITV series Prime Suspect created by Lynda La Plante
imdb, NBC, Thursdays at 10 Pm
1.01 Pilot
Directed by Peter Berg
Written by Alexandra Cunningham
1.02 Carnivorous Sheep
Directed by Jonas Pate
Written by Alexandra Cunningham
1.03 Bitch
Directed by Michael Waxman
Written by Liz Heldens
1.04 Great Guy, Yet: Dead
Directed by Jonas Pate
Written by John McNamara
*****
The U.S. Prime Suspect has one terrible, undeniable problem: its title. Even though the U.S. Prime Suspect is closely based on the U.K. Prime Suspect, the title just doesn’t work. The reason for this has everything to do with the structural difference between U.S. broadcast network prime-time and U.K. broadcast network prime-time.
The original Prime Suspect is one of the best TV shows of all time. In bringing us the adventures of Dci Jane Tennison, Lynda La Plante...
Created by Lynda La Plante and Alexandra Cunningham
Based on the ITV series Prime Suspect created by Lynda La Plante
imdb, NBC, Thursdays at 10 Pm
1.01 Pilot
Directed by Peter Berg
Written by Alexandra Cunningham
1.02 Carnivorous Sheep
Directed by Jonas Pate
Written by Alexandra Cunningham
1.03 Bitch
Directed by Michael Waxman
Written by Liz Heldens
1.04 Great Guy, Yet: Dead
Directed by Jonas Pate
Written by John McNamara
*****
The U.S. Prime Suspect has one terrible, undeniable problem: its title. Even though the U.S. Prime Suspect is closely based on the U.K. Prime Suspect, the title just doesn’t work. The reason for this has everything to do with the structural difference between U.S. broadcast network prime-time and U.K. broadcast network prime-time.
The original Prime Suspect is one of the best TV shows of all time. In bringing us the adventures of Dci Jane Tennison, Lynda La Plante...
- 10/26/2011
- by Michael Ryan
- SoundOnSight
Stalwart of the TV police series Juliet Bravo
Noel Collins, who has died of cancer aged 74, was a linchpin of the police series Juliet Bravo throughout its entire six-series run. As Sergeant George Parrish, he was familiar for his "Yes, ma'am" response to consecutive uniformed inspectors Jean Darblay (Stephanie Turner) and Kate Longton (Anna Carteret). Parrish and his male colleagues were seen adjusting to working with a female boss in the BBC programme, which was launched a decade before the more hard-edged Prime Suspect – although four months after ITV's The Gentle Touch, which starred Jill Gascoine as a detective inspector.
The pace of life was slow in Juliet Bravo, whose title came from a police call-sign. The series (1980-85), set in the fictional Lancashire town of Hartley and described by one television critic as "Dixon in skirts", was also notable for being the flipside to its creator Ian Kennedy-Martin's previous,...
Noel Collins, who has died of cancer aged 74, was a linchpin of the police series Juliet Bravo throughout its entire six-series run. As Sergeant George Parrish, he was familiar for his "Yes, ma'am" response to consecutive uniformed inspectors Jean Darblay (Stephanie Turner) and Kate Longton (Anna Carteret). Parrish and his male colleagues were seen adjusting to working with a female boss in the BBC programme, which was launched a decade before the more hard-edged Prime Suspect – although four months after ITV's The Gentle Touch, which starred Jill Gascoine as a detective inspector.
The pace of life was slow in Juliet Bravo, whose title came from a police call-sign. The series (1980-85), set in the fictional Lancashire town of Hartley and described by one television critic as "Dixon in skirts", was also notable for being the flipside to its creator Ian Kennedy-Martin's previous,...
- 9/11/2011
- by Anthony Hayward
- The Guardian - Film News
Jill Gascoine has stepped down from the role of EastEnders' Glenda Mitchell, forcing the soap's bosses to recast the character just days after the initial announcement. With such tight filming schedules, the series was forced to hire a replacement, opting for 53-year-old ex-Dempsey and Makepeace actress Glynis Barber. Earlier this week, producers revealed that 72-year-old Gascoine - star of The Gentle Touch and C.A.T.S. Eyes - had signed to play the role of Archie Mitchell's (Larry Lamb) estranged wife Glenda. However, during her first day on set, Gascoine took the decision to withdraw from her filming commitments as she felt that she "lacked the right experience to film such a big continuing drama". Speaking of her conclusion to step down, Gascoine said: "I was so looking forward (more)...
- 10/23/2009
- by By Kris Green
- Digital Spy
Star of The Gentle Touch and C.A.T.S. Eyes Jill Gascoine has joined the cast of EastEnders as Archie Mitchell's estranged wife Glenda. The 72-year-old - who played Detective Inspector Maggie Forbes in the '80s TV shows - first appears in Walford as Glenda in January, much to the shock of her daughters Ronnie (Samantha Womack) and Roxy (Rita Simons). Despite having never been seen on screen, Glenda's potted backstory has formed through her children, ex-husband Archie (Larry Lamb) and sister-in-law Peggy (Barbara Windsor). Described as Archie's "first beautiful, quiet and dutiful wife", Glenda walked out on him and the girls around the time Ronnie gave birth at the age of 14. Archie's controlling nature turned the once brash and confident Glenda into a nervous wreck and when Archie orchestrated their teen daughter's child (more)...
- 10/19/2009
- by By Kris Green
- Digital Spy
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