The Thin Blue Line 

Various mishaps at a police station in an English town. The main character is the anachronistic, yet charming and funny Inspector Fowler. CID foil to Fowler, Inspector Grim is a bumbling, seething idiot.

Creator:

Ben Elton

Stars:

Rowan Atkinson, Mina Anwar, James Dreyfus

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Rowan Atkinson	...	Inspector Raymond Fowler 14 episodes, 1995-1996
Mina Anwar	...	W.P.C. Maggie Habib 14 episodes, 1995-1996
James Dreyfus	...	P.C. Kevin Goody 14 episodes, 1995-1996
Serena Evans	...	Sergeant Patricia Dawkins 14 episodes, 1995-1996
David Haig	...	D.I. Derek Grim 14 episodes, 1995-1996
Rudolph Walker	...	P.C. Frank Gladstone 14 episodes, 1995-1996
Kevin Allen	...	D.C. Robert Kray 7 episodes, 1995
Mark Addy	...	D.C. Gary Boyle 7 episodes, 1996
Joy Brook	...	D.C. Crockett 7 episodes, 1995

Storyline

Inspector Raymond C. Fowler is the officer in charge of Gasforth police station, a devoted and integer servant of the crown, and a terrible stickler for rules and all forms of correctness. His second in command, Sergeant Patricia Dawkins, is also his partner and very much in command in all non-police matters, with a nasty tendency to forget her professional place too. The uniform branch is further manned by three Constables: old Trinidadian-born Frank Gladstone, promising foxy Pakistani Maggie Habib and English simpleton Kevin Goody, good friends but constantly arguing and overeager, especially by Fowler's impossibly high standards. They share the station with loudly arrogant but rather stupid and shockingly in-courteous Detective Inspector Derek Grim's CID branch, which further includes Detectives Robert Kray and Gary Boyle. The female mayor is a further worry, the crooks usually cause much less trouble then the permanent cast.

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Plot Keywords:

british humour | camp | detective | relationship problems | ensemble cast | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 November 1995 (UK)

Also Known As:

A Bela Farda Azul

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Tiger Aspect Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min (1 episode) 32 min (3 episodes) 29 min (7 episodes) 41 min (1 episode) 34 min (1 episode) 36 min (1 episode)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

The "Have You Seen This Man" poster seen on the wall behind Fowler's desk is a picture of Ben Elton the creator of the series.

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Quotes

[Inspector Fowler is discussing political correctness with his constabulary and Grim thinks he is wasting his time]
Detective Inspector Derek Grim: What "ism" ever robbed a bank? What "ism" ever mugged anybody? What "ism" ever put a gun to somebody's head?
DC Gary Boyle: [Reading a book] Terrorism?
Detective Inspector Derek Grim: Yeah alright. What "ism" ever threatened the security of the state?
DC Gary Boyle: [Still reading] Marxism?
Detective Inspector Derek Grim: What "ism" ever hurt anyone?
DC Gary Boyle: [Still reading] Sadism?
Detective Inspector Derek Grim: Boyle! D'you think they'd do a uniform your size?

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Connections

Referenced in The Simpsons: The Fat Blue Line (2019)

User Reviews

Mr Bean speaks

I had all the episodes of TTBL on tape at one stage. The whole family watched them over and over. Ben Elton must be one of the best writers going. To spoof a police station and have such a variety of characters is fantastic. Each episode a comic delight. This show suits just about any age group too.