New Tricks (TV Series) Diamond Geezers (2006) User Reviews

An excellent watch.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 9/10 · 21 December 2021]

Chopper Hadley is back on UK soil, for the funeral of his father, also a criminal. Jack is invited to the funeral, and so begins a series of unfortunate events.

It is yet another excellent episode, Series three continues to impress, this one had a very different flavour, it was great to see the regulars behaving differently, Sandra pressured by a female cop this time, Gerry threatened by his past, and Jack placed on real trouble.

Brian was once again the centre of attention, one of his best episodes, his scenes with Esther were hilarious, his undercover scenes were even better.

Patrick Malahide was excellent here, he once again shows his versatility, he can literally do anything, initially I thought it was Pip Torrens. A cracking cast here, Michael Feast, Emma Cunniffe etc all terrific.

Cracking, 9/10.

Patrick Malahide as a serious villain

[ArtVandelayImporterExporter · 9/10 · 19 February 2024]

My favorite television show of all time was Minder, co-starring Dennis Waterman. One of the most frequent recurring characters was Det Sgt. Albert Chisholm, played by Patrick Malahide.

Here we are some 15 years on from uptight copper Chisholm's last appearance on Minder, and we have the pleasure of seeing Malahide playing a major villain. He looks like a million bucks. He's added just the right amount of weight to his now-tanned face, he looks fantastic in a custom-cut suit, and he's sporting a fashionable earring. He easily looks a decade younger than 60.

On the other hand, those 15 years weren't as kind to Waterman, who is three years junior to Malahide yet needs loose-fitting blazers to hide his girth. He smokes so much on the show I wonder whether it wasn't written into his contract. And when he gets into a (mostly off-screen) fight with two different villains he can barely move. He got his teeth capped between Series 2 and 3 so he's got that going for him. Poor Waterman. He was a beloved British TV actor across so many series over so many decades and we lost him in 2022, but he could have taken better care of himself, that's for sure.

Anyway, the plot involves Malahide coming back to England to bury his father, also a notorious gangster. Jack gets terrorized. Amanda is a bit sidelined this time around. And Brian features in an undercover operation.

As with any Minder episode that featured Malahide, this one of New Tricks was top notch fun.

Fun episode showing off the team chemistry

[scsaxe · 10/10 · 4 January 2022]

Halford gets invited to a funeral...or maybe not. And gets thrown out of a car for his trouble. Guy can't catch a break after last episode. One thing leads to another and the team reinvestigate the murder of an informant, involving the person at the funeral Jack was sent to.

The investigation in this episode is pretty simple, and the team figures things out quickly, just needing to prove it. The character part of this episode is tons of fun, with Brian going undercover, Gerry playing with picture software, and other fun interactions with everyone showing up together at the end.

Season 3 is a great season, and this is a big reason why.

Undercover work

[safenoe · 10/10 · 31 July 2017]

It's always a treat when Anthony Calf as DAC Strickland appears in New Tricks, and he even shares an almost laugh at Gerry's attempts to photograph undercover. Also Anthony's hairstyle is much shorter in this episode. Anyway, in this episode Jack attends a funeral he wasn't supposed to attend (he received a fake invitation), and he gets beaten up and spat upon in a paddock where the skies are grey and typically English.

A diamond

[TheLittleSongbird · 10/10 · 15 January 2018]

Have always been a big fan of detective/mystery shows from a fairly young age, well since starting secondary school.

'Inspector Morse', 'A Touch of Frost', 'Midsomer Murders' (in its prime), 'Law and Order', 'Inspector George Gently', 'Criminal Minds', 'Murder She Wrote', you name them to name a few. 'New Tricks' has also been a favourite from the start (despite not being the same without the original cast in recent years). Although it can be corny at times (in an endearing sort of way) it has always been perfect for helping me relax in the evenings. Something that was needed during all the hard times endured in school.

All the previous episodes of 'New Tricks' ranged from good to wonderful. "Diamond Geezers" is no exception and to me it's among the show's best episodes. It has a case that has a great mix of tension, intrigue and fun and delightful character moments (like with Esther and Brian, Jack's first lines and the lengths the team go to to get Hadley), balanced without complaint with one not overshadowing the other. The ending is one of the show's more satisfying ones up to this point.

Visually, "Diamond Geezers" looks lovely, with a brighter look but never garish and always slick and stylish. The music is a good fit and the theme song (sung with gusto by none other by Dennis Waterman himself) is one of the catchiest for any detective/mystery show and of any show in the past fifteen years or so.

Writing is intelligent, thought-provoking and classy, while also being very funny and high up in the entertainment value. The story is compelling and paced beautifully.

A huge part of 'New Tricks' appeal is the chemistry between the four leads and their performances. The chemistry is so easy going and charming with a little tension.

One of the show's biggest delights is Alun Armstrong, achieves a perfect balance of funny comic timing and touching pathos which was maintained all the way up to his final episode. It is also lovely here to see his role in the team and skills appreciated more all the time. James Bolam's Jack is the quietest, most sensible (mostly) and most composed of the team, with a tragic personal life that Bolam portrays very touchingly without any overwrought-ness.

The only woman on the team, Amanda Redman more than holds her own in what is essentially the boss role of the four. Dennis Waterman brings some nice levity without unbalancing things.

Susan Jameson and Anthony Calf provide seasoned support, cannot get enough of Jameson's chemistry with Armstrong, and Patrick Malahide is suitably loathsome.

Overall, a diamond and a perfect example of why 'New Tricks' makes my day when needed. 10/10 Bethany Cox