Top Telly - BBC series Dalziel & Pascoe

The Dalziel and Pascoe series is a crime drama based on the Dalziel and Pascoe books by Reginald Hill and was first broadcast in March 1996. It was produced by BBC Birmingham and screened on BBC One. Its ran for twelve series.

Detective Superintendent Andy Dalziel (pronounced Dee-el) is played by Warren Clarke is described by the actor who portrays him as 'a perfect pig', who is politically incorrect and often insensitive. He likes to do things in the old fashioned way and he is a realist to a point just short of being a cynic. He is shrewd and a top-notch investigator. Detective Inspector Peter Pascoe (Colin Buchanan) is his opposite. Pascoe is university educated with a degree in Social Sciences and becomes divorced from his wife Ellie in series 5, due to the fact that he cared more for his work than for her. His wife and daughter then move to the United States. At first Pascoe is somewhat taken aback by his brash and ballsy boss, but it soon becomes apparent there is more to Andy Dalziel than meets the eye.

There are other regular characters who work with the police officers. Later seasons introduced Jo-Anne Stockham as DC Shirley Novello, Keeley Forsyth as DC Carrie Harris, Katy Cavanagh as DS Dawn Milligan and Jennifer James as DC Kim Spicer, the latter characters swiftly nicknamed "Ivor", "Bomber", "Spike" and "Posh" by Dalziel, never one to let the most obvious joke pass him by.

Set in the fictional Yorkshire town of Wetherton, the duo is always on hand to solve the classic murder mystery, while maintaining a down to earth wit and humour.

The series is given a certain edge by the fact that, while the men work well together and respect each other's abilities, they are not bosom buddies in the manner of so many detective teams. While working in the procedural vein and giving us a close-up picture of life in Yorkshire from the cities to the small mining towns, Hill still frequently provides clues and solutions worthy of a classic puzzle.

The programme is screened frequently on cable/satellite channels.

Dalziel & Pascoe starring Colin Buchanan and Warren Clarke

Crime-fighting in Wetherton, Yorkshire

Starring Colin Buchanan and Warren Clarke