Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 7/10

Cast: Tamzin Outhwaite, Dennis Waterman, Denis Lawson, Nicholas Lyndhurst, Susie Blake, David Hayman, Barnaby Kay, John Macmillan, David Newman, Amy Nuttall, Tim Potter.

There is always a call for programmes to employ to show how vital the older acting community are to their profession, that not everything in life is supposed to pander to the youthful exuberant angle that on occasion, dominates television. The trouble is in days gone by that this meant being a star on the programmes such as, worthy as it is, Last of the Summer Wine or appearing as somebody’s grandmother of grandfather in the latest play for the day.

However thankfully for over ten series New Tricks has been there to offer a different dynamic to the world of police drama with the four stars of the programme being actors over a certain age and in the three male leads, the ever likeable Dennis Waterman, Alun Armstrong and the distinguished elder statesman of British television James Bolam, that dynamic was something that was entertaining, pleasant to watch and undisguised in its use of promoting a certain style of actor and in the latest episode, Bermondsey Boy, all those elements once more came to the fore.

The latest series of New Tricks has kicked off with the team changed, gone is the memory laden but alcoholic Brian Lane, the fiercely loyal but grieving Jack Halford and one of the finest female police officers since Jane Tennison graced the screen, Sandra Pullman and in their places stands Steve McAndrew and Danny Griffin, played by Denis Lawson and Nicholas Lyndhurst and the exceptional Tamzin Outhwaite as the new head of UCOS D.C.I. Sasha Miller.

There will be those that bemoan the series having the type of change that might disrupt the flow, the grandness that had been built up between the four detectives and the way they worked together but times change, old Detectives don’t die they just fade into the distance and allow new methods to come along and take charge.

With Gerry Standing being asked to investigate the death of a young local lad by the a man who once was as close to him as a brother before the two paths diverted, the UCOS team are headed into the world of fenced jewellery and old broken loyalties. To open the new series with a story concerning Gerry Standing’s past was a good move, it allowed the long term viewer to see the connection between the two sets of teams, the uniform of the familiar and recognisable.

Whilst it may take time for viewers to bond with Tazmin Outhwaite as the new head of UCOS, the actor has long been highly regarded for the consummate professional approach she brings to many roles and for that she certainly has the guts to step into the very big shoes of her illustrious predecessor.

New Tricks might not be the height of serious drama on television but it remains at its heart a programme in which the sometimes brutality of modern life is tempered by the approach of the more experienced head.

Ian D. Hall