I love this British television police procedural/mystery series! The series follows Superintendent Andy Dalziel and Sergeant/Inspector Peter Pascoe (or as Andy might say, “Paul”!) as they solve crimes in Yorkshire.
Warren Clarke plays Andy to perfection. He is an overweight, brash, uncouth man, who occasionally scratches himself in public. (No, not on his elbow!) Dalziel is one super, duper copper. He always gets his man… but doesn’t always get his woman!
Dalziel’s underling, Pascoe, is completely different. Colin Buchanan, besides being “Hollywood good looking,” seems to be everything Dalziel is not. Pascoe is a college graduate (which Dalziel enjoys using as a sort of put-down), married to a very independent, smart woman, and he is deliberate in his actions. (Dalziel seems to do first, think later.)
They are a perfect crime-solving team, but you wouldn’t expect to see them chumming around. There is a “deepness” in the characters. Even though Dalziel and Pascoe are as different as possible, and Ellie Pascoe (played wonderfully by Susannah Corbett) cannot abide “the Fat Man” (as she calls Dalziel), you can see that all of the characters respect each other professionally >>> to the point of Dalziel being Pascoe’s best man at his wedding. The interplay of the characters is interesting, quite believable, and very complicated.
The fourth character is Sergeant Wield, played by David Royle. His portrayal of a very sensitive man with a lot of secrets is endearing to watch. I look forward to every one of his scenes in the series.
The set locations make me wish I lived in England. Weekend travel must be such fun, with so many beautiful areas to visit. Since this is a British series (and not an American one) only one of the two leads is handsome, and the secondary characters are “normal” looking. (Bravo to normal-looking people on television shows!)
If you’re in the mood for a really good police procedural, with fleshed-out characters, great acting and direction, plenty of red herrings, smart dialogue, and a lot of dry humor >>> then you can’t go wrong with the Dalziel & Pascoe television series.
(The series is not for children.)
P.S. The Dalziel & Pascoe television series is based on Reginald Hill‘s wonderful mystery book series, of which I am a fan.
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Ann says
Thanks for all your great info on this blog. I haven’t heard of this series, but it’s available on Netflix – I’ll check it out.
Ann
Tori Lennox says
I discovered this series via Netflix and I like it a lot!
Diane says
How many series of this one have there been? I really liked the one I saw, Thanks
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Diane, I think there were 61 episodes made in the Dalziel & Pascoe television series.
caro says
Main character is a fine actor. Dalziel is the heart and soul of this series. No, not called handsome but his compassion and intellect make him good lover material. (women do seem to go for him, much like the Lovejoy character) Sets are good. Pascoe character is always brooding, doesn’t seem to solve anything on his own, is a snob about rising from his very poor family roots and his education and married to a woman who thinks she is always right and that her work is very important and Pascoe’s work is not.
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I was thrilled when she left the series. In the later series Pascoe could also be called the fat man. This series was interesting to me because it was something new on the tv set….and it quickly catches ones’ interest. …. but, very difficult to understand the mushy mouthed dialogue at times. I am picking it up though…and do recommend the series. I was shocked that Pascoe would break the law in such a way that he must now resign and fade from his crime.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Caro, these shows are what introduced me to Reginald Hill‘s wonderful Dalziel & Pascoe Mystery Series.
Anne says
Reginal Hill loved Ellie. He devoted a whole novel to her – “The Elliad.”
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Anne, I didn’t know this. I had to look it up: Arms and the Women: An Elliad. I wonder why the book usually leaves off the last part…
Karen mayo says
The Reginald Hill Dalziel and Pascoe television series was fantastic when stories were based on the novels and in order. However that stopped after 3rd season except for dialogues of the dead, parts 1,2, and the show’s were no longer appealing. Then spoiler alert to find that Ellie becomes the ex wife disappointed me so profoundly that I cannot continue watching. Hill’s character development is so captivating in the novels that their portrayal is every bit as fascinating as the crimes they investigate. Ellie is as important a part of the stories as any of the others; their marriage was an integral part of all of the stories. I thought all of the actors did an excellent job until the novels stopped being the basis, and then it faltered. Maybe there was some problem due to Hill’s death. Read the books, but warning…they are NOT easy or quick reads but great.