A Touch of Frost began airing in 1992 and continued many years after that (2010). The shows are based on the mystery books by author R. D. Wingfield. I have read several of Wingfield’s mysteries, and highly recommend them to people who want to read a really good police procedural series. Unfortunately, there are only six in this mystery series.
The always-entertaining actor, David Jason, portrays Detective Inspector Jack Frost. This is another example of an actor who made the part his own, much like John Thaw in the British Inspector Morse television series. (See what I mean?!? Bravo to the Brits!)
I think what I like the most about A Touch of Frost is the interaction Jack has with everyone – both his superiors and his subordinates, as well as the individuals he interviews. Frost isn’t the most patient man, but his character exudes an incredible amount of empathy for others, which in a lot of television police procedurals is lacking.
He is a great detective, as well as a wonderful teacher. For some reason, Frost seems to be assigned a lot of young “newbies” to teach the ropes to. Unfortunately, some of Jack’s “ropes” include tip-toeing down the hallways to avoid his superiors (more on that later) as well as leaving piles of unfinished paperwork on his desk.
Frost’s permanent sergeant is Detective Sergeant George Toolan, played by John Lyons. There is a great rapport between these two men. However, the most interesting interaction for me is between Jack and the young detectives assigned to him. While Jack seems gruff with them, he actually is a perfect teacher for them. I always feel like those young detectives have benefited immensely from their time with unconventional and independent Jack.
As in a lot of police procedural television shows, Jack and his boss (Superintendent Mullett – played by Bruce Alexander) don’t see eye to eye. As a matter of fact, if Jack sees his boss before Mullett sees him, Jack makes it a point to slip out/hide/leave very quickly… before Mullett sees him. This makes for some comedic scenes.
My husband and two adult children watched the entire series, which of course indicates that we like it. There is one minor qualm we have with the show: for some reason, Jack invariably runs after culprits.. literally! We didn’t notice this until the final seasons of the show. We would find ourselves wondering when Jack would start running after the robust, young criminals, and when he would overtake them. (Did I mention that Jack is not a young man?) Jack would run up stairs, down stairs, through corridors with obstacles being thrown at him, etc. (Or should I say ETC?!? As in capital etc!) While I always enjoy David Jason, and I must admit he has kept himself very trim, we just found it a little odd that a man of his age could tackle/catch men one third his age. We couldn’t quite understand why the director decided to include these action-filled chase scenes.
Regardless, we all truly enjoyed A Touch of Frost, and I highly recommend it.
For more Cozy viewing ideas, click on my Cozy Mystery TV & Movies page.
Kate says
I really liked this show when it aired regularly, along with the Inspector Morse series. Now that you mention it, all the running was a bit weird! 🙂
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Kate, I think that Frost didn’t start running after the culprits until the end of the series, but I could be wrong. That’s certainly when we started noticing his running prowess.
Karen says
Another to add to my “must-watch” list! Thank you!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Karen, I hope you enjoy A Touch of Frost. If you like British police procedurals, no doubt you will.
Nikki says
We watched the whole series on Netflix recently. Loved it too. But I agree about Jack’s physicality. It’s a bit like those hundred pound women on Charlie’s Angels taking down 200 pound men. Not very realistic but then it is fiction.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Nikki, you’re right about it being fiction, but we weren’t sure the show really needed those action sequences.
(I’ve never watched Charlie’s Angels, but your example is perfect!)
Linda T says
Thank you for the review. Have not seen this but plan to check it out.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Linda T, I am guessing that some libraries carry this show…
Monica says
The Ann Arbor District Library has the entire series. 🙂
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Monica, you’re lucky to have a library that has the entire series. I am guessing they have even more great television series available there. Lucky you!
Susan Sundwall says
Thank you, Danna. I’m always looking for another Brit detective series to watch. Midsommer Murders is excellent, too. Yay, now I have another to love.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Susan, we actually (dare I say it?!?) liked A Touch of Frost more than Midsomer Murders.
Donna says
Wow, that’s some endorsement! I really like Midsomer Murders so I will definitely watch A Touch of Frost. BTW, does anyone know if or when the Young Inspector Morse series will return? I loved the first episode and thought that more were being filmed, but haven’t heard anything recently.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Donna, I probably should add that the beginning seasons were a lot stronger than the later ones, when Jack outran those young culprits.
Larraine F says
My husband and I really enjoyed this series. The British series really make the American ones seem so stupid by comparison. Sad, isn’t it!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Larriane F, it is sad!
Kevin L from N.Y. says
Watched every episode and enjoyed them all. Never knew about David Jason but his portrayal of Jack Frost was pitch perfect. The supporting cast members were also excellent.
Was saddened to come to the last episode. It was very addictive – in a good sense!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Kevin L, I know exactly what you mean when you say A Touch of Frost is addictive. I wonder if it isn’t because we actually got to know Jack Frost as a character.
I watched Law & Order for several seasons. Every time they replaced an assistant district attorney for the next beauty, I was left feeling like I never knew one thing about the departing character. Well I guess I have to take that back. One of the women had a child and one of them loved steak. That was pretty much it!
Joppy says
If you want to see a young David Jason, and can find the DVD’s, check out ‘OPEN ALL HOURS’ where he is a young downtrodden shop assistant to Ronnie Barker’s tight-fisted shop owner.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Joppy, I enjoyed seeing David Jason in Rough Diamond (I believe it’s called Diamond Geezer in Great Britain). He’s such a treat to watch.
Janice says
I just learned that a new book is coming out called “First Frost” by James Henry and it is a prequel to the Frost series. It is published with the permission of the original authors estate. I haven’t read it yet but have it ordered. This was a favorite series of mine.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Nice to know, Janice. Please let us know if First Frost is any good.
Janice says
I just finished reading “First Frost.” I think the co-authors did an excellent job of capturing the mood and style of the original author. I haven’t been reading many police procedurals in recent years so this book was somewhat grittier than the cozies that I prefer. I did enjoy being reintroduced to a favorite old character and it was easy to picture a younger David Jason while reading.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Thanks, Janice, for the update about the non-R.D. Wingfield Frost mysteries.