Review of Inspector George Gently

Transferring from the Met to escape the endemic corruption amongst CID officers,George Gently(Mr M.Shaw)gruff but compassionate is saddled with DC Bacchus(Mr L.Ingleby),later promoted to DS,mainly,it must be said on Gently's back,who is,frankly,everything Gently left the Met to escape from."Handy",i.e.not averse to giving a suspect the odd smack, not totally committed to the "innocent until proved guilty"mantra,and very,very ambitious,to the point of joining the Brotherhood to further his career(and that's not even even considering the fact that he impregnates the Chief Constable's daughter). After a p*ssing contest lasting several episodes an exasperated Gently finally forces Bacchus into the boxing ring and knocks seven bells out of him,thus earning his respect and not,as you might imagine,his eternal enmity. Mr Shaw,often remembered solely for his bad hair days in "The Professionals has matured over the years into a fine expressive and sensitive actor from "Judge John Deed" to "The Scarlet Pimpernel",his splendid voice has given gravitas to some scripts of variable merit. As Gently he retains the vestiges of a London accent that has had the rough edges knocked off it as he climbed the Met's ranks. Only the occasional lost aspirate or glottal stop cunningly inserted are giveaways that he is not the classic middle class senior detective of the era. Mr Ingleby,full of energy and aggression,keen to make a name for himself and climb the slippery pole,is just right as the junior detective as chancer:one eye open to give his guv'nor a good impression. The latest series started Sunday night with a rare excursion into the pop culture of the mid 1960s. A schoolgirl is found murdered and Gently's investigations gradually unravel the secret lives of a group of pupils and teachers. There was a brilliant,rather moving performance from Mr N.Morrisey - not,I must admit,a favourite of mine - as the Jimmy Saville figure hosting a T-T.T.V. pop show, gradually accepting that he is getting too old for the job and preparing to move reluctantly on. D.S.Bacchus is clearly going to be eternally "on a promise" and Gently even more brooding than before. The over - riding impression left by his series is one of quality,high production values,stunning settings and fine supporting performances throughout. Compared to other TV Cop Shows this is indeed,High Art.