BBC One - New Tricks - Gerry Standing Read more about sharing. Gerry Standing Totally un-PC, Gerry seems to be stuck in the '70s - not only in how he approaches the job, but also how he behaves socially. Fact title Ex Detective Sergeant; Member of UCOS Played by Dennis Waterman UCOS legend Gerry Standing solves the Met’s unsolved crimes alongside Steve McAndrew and Danny Griffin , under the watchful eye of his boss Sasha Miller . Having been at UCOS the longest, Gerry has his own way of doing things and sometimes seems stuck in the 70s, although he is well-respected by his team: he’s straight talking, totally un-PC and gets the job done, no matter what. This series opens with an explosive two-parter in which Gerry is forced to come face to face with the ghosts of his past. Things start to get nasty when one of London’s biggest crime families steps in to halt Gerry’s investigation and he becomes embroiled in a dangerous game of cat and mouse across London as he fights to clear his name. View Programme information Dennis Waterman Dennis began his career in the late fifties, when he was still at school.

One of his early roles included playing the title role in the 1962 series William. Later in the sixties he appeared in a movie version of Up the Junction and in sci-fi series Journey to the Unknown. Two TV roles in particular made him a familiar face on television, namely hard guy George Carter in The Sweeney (1975-1978), and cheerful lad Terry McCann in Minder (1979-1989). Both roles were as half of a double-act - with John Thaw's DI Jack Reagan in The Sweeney, and George Cole's Arthur Daley in Minder. In 1986, he starred in The Life and Loves of a She Devil, a dark adaptation of Fay Weldon's novel. He played Bobbo, the adulterous husband of Ruth, played by Julie T. Wallace. After Minder, Dennis starred in two series set on similar ground. In drama Stay Lucky (1989) he played wide-boy Thomas Glynn, alongside Leslie Ash. A year later, he played East End millionaire Tony Carpenter in sitcom On the Up, which also starred Sam Kelly and Joan Sims. Dennis sang the closing theme.

To add to his diverse portfolio, Dennis has also appeared in The Miller's Tale alongside James Nesbitt and Billie Piper and played sports commentator Frank Costello in three-part BBC drama Moses Jones. NEW TRICKS . . . AND NEW FACES: HOW TO MANAGE CHARACTER TRANSITIONS IN SERIES TV by Richard Hewett There’s been quite a bit of trending lately on Facebook about saving the BBC. I’ve done my fair bit of sharing a picture of the wonderful David... See more NEW TRICKS . . . AND NEW FACES: HOW TO MANAGE CHARACTER TRANSITIONS IN SERIES TV by Richard Hewett Tweet Printable version Friday 13 September 2013 Last updated at 07:29 Aside of devising plotlines engaging enough to both maintain core audiences and entice new viewers, there can be few greater challenges to a television production team than the unexpected departure of regular cast members. The need to fill the resulting character void requires both the reassurance of the familiar and the creative spark of the new, and otherwise invulnerable prime-time programmes can stand or fall as a result of the choices made.

TV history is littered with shows whose character transitions have consequently seen them wither instantaneously on the vine (witness Charlie Sheen’s arrival in Spin City (ABC, 1996-2002)) or, at best, struggle to retain their key audience (ditto his departure from Two and a Half Men (CBS, 2003- )). Last month the tenth series of crime drama New Tricks (BBC, 2003- ) launched on British screens. Based round the Metropolitan Police’s Unsolved Crime and Open Case Squad (UCOS), the programme’s central conceit is that a trio of retired, dyed-in-the-wool male detectives and their no-nonsense female boss repeatedly prove more adept at catching felons than their dismissive younger counterparts. Despite reaching domestic audiences of over nine million, and achieving extremely healthy overseas sales, the series received little press attention until last year, when major upheavals in the regular line-up – combined with very public cast criticisms of scripts – finally provided a hook upon which the popular press felt able hang a story.

These developments were all the more significant for the fact that the core cast had remained in place for eight whole years – an impressive feat for any drama, but all the more so given that the show was allegedly not expected to run beyond its feature-length pilot in 2003. An opening series of six, one-hour episodes was, nonetheless, commissioned, subsequently expanded to eight episodes from series two and ten episodes from series seven, by which time the programme was averaging eight million viewers. The original line-up, which helped create and maintain this momentum, consisted of: Amanda Redman as ambitious career Detective Superintendent Sandra Pullman, side-lined into launching UCOS after accidentally shooting a dog in a hostage rescue; James Bolam as Ex-Detective Chief Superintendent Jack Halford, Pullman’s former mentor, who retired from the force when his wife Mary was fatally injured in a hit-and-run; Alun Armstrong as ex-Detective-Inspector Brian ‘Memory’ Lane, a recovering alcoholic with continuing mental health issues, deemed negligent following the death in custody of a young drug dealer arrested on his watch; and Dennis Waterman as ex-Detective Sergeant Gerry Standing, who left the force following allegations of corruption.

The original line-up: (left to right) James Bolam, Amanda Redman, Dennis Waterman and Alun Armstrong Aside of the inevitable observations on ageing and ageism, the series featured characters whose individual quirks offered plenty of potential for the story arcs now virtually de rigueur in long-running series, which were subsequently exploited with varying degrees of success. Sandra’s initial situation – the driven female professional who has sacrificed any kind of personal life to succeed in the job – was not really pursued beyond a desultory romance in the first year, discarded in favour of an on-going plotline concerning the mysterious suicide of her police officer father, and Sandra’s fractious relationship with mother Grace (Sheila Hancock). Similarly, Brian’s obsession with proving his innocence was seemingly abandoned after the opening episodes, his continuing struggle with depression proving a more fruitful area; a return to the bottle later formed the backdrop to series five. The fact that Gerry was often shown in the company of villains initially saw a shadow still lingering over his reputation, though by series four it was revealed that the nickname ‘Last Man Standing’ in fact referred to his refusal to accept bribes.

Arguably the most narratively satisfying strand was that of Jack Halford, frequently shown in early episodes discussing cases with the deceased Mary, whose candle-lit grave was situated in his back garden. The cliff-hanger ending to series three saw Jack attempting to mow down his nemesis, villain Ricky Hanson (David Troughton), after discovering that he had deliberately targeted Mary in the hit-and-run to distract the dogged Halford from his investigations. This particular plotline continued on and off for a further three years, Hanson attempting to murder Jack and winning an acquittal in court before finally being brought to justice in the show’s sixth year. Various ancillary characters were introduced en route, many of them becoming semi-regulars. Prime among these was Brian’s long-suffering wife, Esther (played by Bolam’s real-life spouse Susan Jameson), along with the team’s stiff-necked superior, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Robert Strickland (Anthony Calf), who made his debut in series two.

Gerry’s numerous ex-wives and daughters also became familiar faces over the first few years, and in series three Waterman’s real-life daughter Hannah was introduced as Emily Driscoll, a young police officer who (erroneously) believes Gerry to be her long-lost father. In this way New Tricks developed an extended complement of characters and story strands that never overwhelmed the stand-alone episodic nature of individual instalments. Although, as already mentioned, cliff-hangers were occasionally employed for series finales, it was the audience’s familiarity with and affection for the lead characters which seemingly brought them back, week after week. Though little heed was paid by TV critics, [1] New Tricks regularly managed audiences of five million even for repeat screenings. This all changed in 2011, however. No sooner had the BBC announced that the ‘dream team’ had signed for a further two years than Bolam had second thoughts, allegedly claiming the series had grown ‘stale’ .

Although he was persuaded to return for the opening instalment of series nine, providing Jack with a definitive screen send-off, his replacement with Denis Lawson as ex-Detective Inspector Steve McAndrew marked the gradual break-up of the original regular cast; a process that has continued this year with the departures of Brian Lane and, next week, Sandra Pullman. The production team’s handling of this potential crisis has, however, proven an object lesson in managing character transitions; a task that, if mishandled, can too easily sound the death knell for the show in question. This year saw the end of Being Human (BBC, 2008-13) following the conclusion of its fifth series; the first not to feature any of the original trio. At the same time, Silent Witness (BBC, 1996- ) continued its inexorable run in an incredible sixteenth series, despite numerous changes of regular cast (interestingly, the programme was the brainchild of former murder squad detective Nigel McCrery, co-creator with Roy Mitchell of New Tricks). The end of the beginning: (left to right) Denis Lawson, Waterman, Redman and Armstrong The departure of leading actors can be dealt with in various ways.

Re-casting the character played is perhaps a more palatable concept in sitcom and soap than series drama, though how truly successful such an option can ever hope to be is open to question. Despite having arguably provided the more sympathetic portrayal, as a teen I never fully warmed to Dick Sargent as Darrin Stephens in Channel 4’s repeats of Bewitched (ABC, 1964-72); for me, Dick York was the original, and therefore the best (though Sargent was apparently the producers’ preferred choice from the outset). Similarly, the season eight substitution of Donna Reed for Barbara Bel Geddes as Miss Ellie in Dallas (CBS, 1978-91) did little for that show’s credibility – particularly when Bel Geddes returned the following year, sparking a law suit from Reed. Nevertheless, New Tricks took this option with the team’s original supremo, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Donald Bevan, played by Tim Woodward in the pilot before Nicholas Day took over for series one.

This character’s chief function – the resentful superior, ever concerned with appearances, who appeared once an episode to bawl the team out – meant there was little narrative impact when he departed (off-screen) between series one and two, new boss Strickland providing a more rounded and fully realised authority figure for the team to rail against. Deciding the nature of a new character is particularly problematic; the new arrival will in a certain sense be filling the gap left by their predecessor, yet making the replacement too similar runs the risk of unfavourable comparisons being drawn. In the US, M*A*S*H (CBS, 1972-83) survived a plethora of line-up changes, beginning with the (on-screen) departure of Colonel Henry Blake (McLean Stevenson), who was killed off at the end of season three. Actor Wayne Rogers, who played Trapper John, then also opted not to return, his character being transferred home just prior to the season four opener. The new commanding officer, Colonel Potter (Harry Morgan), was a marked contrast to Henry, being a strict disciplinarian and long-time military man, as opposed to a laid-back and ineffectual conscript. However, Trapper’s replacement, B.J.

Hunnicutt (Mike Farrell), was, like his predecessor, a married man who missed his family back home; although more faithful to his spouse than Trapper had been, he arguably acted as little more than a cipher, dutifully filling the role of side-kick to the wise-cracking ‘Hawkeye’ Pierce (Alan Alda). It was in fact the limitations of his part part that had ultimately prompted Wayne Rogers to leave, and several fans complained that B.J. represented no more than a milder, less engaging version of Trapper, the changeover having frequently been cited as a downturn on ‘jump the shark’ websites and polls . With James Bolam’s departure from New Tricks a given, the writing out of Jack Halford cleverly avoided this pitfall by allowing both viewers and the on-screen characters to acclimatise to his absence. In the series nine opener, ‘A Death in the Family’, Jack announces that he is leaving UCOS and retiring to France, where he and Mary had always intended to spend their twilight years. Sandra and Gerry reluctantly accept his decision, surmising from his frequent and secretive phone calls to one Elizabeth Green that he has found a new partner.

The obsessional Brian, however, digs deeper, discovering that Elizabeth Green is in fact the name of a hospice; Jack is suffering from terminal cancer. In the closing scene, Jack asks Brian to keep his secret, at least until he has passed on – to which the latter reluctantly agrees. Over the next two episodes, the team labour on as a trio, with Brian the primary point of audience identification; each are now party to information of which Sandra and Gerry are not aware. When Steve McAndrew arrives in the fourth episode, it is at first seen as a temporary situation, the Scottish ex-detective having travelled south to tie up a missing person case with which he is personally involved. Whisky-loving Steve is clearly designed as a strong contrast with world-weary widower Jack; rather than another dour detective, senior in both years and rank, Steve is a still-youthful, energetic sixty-something. He is also handily provided with his own potential character arc, his wife having disappeared with their son following her affair with a fellow officer. This is, however, kept largely in the background during his early episodes, the main plotline being his gradual acceptance by the team.

Whereas Steve quickly bonds with fellow hard drinker Gerry, and is easily accepted by Sandra (who seemingly invites him to join on a whim, not even consulting Strickland), Brian initially resents the newcomer – thus acting once again as a surrogate for the audience. Only when Esther gives Brian (and us?) a stern talking-to, extending a ‘getting to know you’ dinner invitation to Steve, does Brian begin to warm to his new colleague. This slow segue was possibly the best manner in which to handle the first of the series’ major cast changes, but the announcement that both Armstrong and Redman would be leaving by the end of series ten presented a double challenge. The gradual fading out of the old and in with the new would be difficult to accommodate, even over ten episodes – yet the sudden removal of two characters at a single stroke might prove more than the series could survive (witness George and Nina in Being Human; seemingly ready to carry on the good fight sans Mitchell at the conclusion of series three, and each gone within the space of the next episode). Brian’s departure was clearly signalled in the first scene of series ten, assaulting senior fellow officer Bill Embleton at the latter’s retirement party.

This event set into play a cleverly-conceived revival of Brian’s guilt over the drug dealer who died while technically in his care. Convinced that his then-subordinate Embleton, who should have been checking the dead man’s cell, fabricated his alibi with fellow officers, Brian’s attack is contrived to force a re-investigation. When Embleton opts to avoid exposure by dropping his charges, Brian secretly tapes his off-the-record admission that he did not check up on the dead man, and then passes this evidence on to the mother of the dead man – thus sowing the seeds of Embleton’s exposure and Brian’s removal from the force. Brian’s final episode sees him now fired from UCOS, only crossing paths with the team when the private investigation he has reluctantly undertaken overlaps with their current case. After taking an affectionate farewell of his colleagues (significantly, Steve is not included in the penultimate shot of Brian walking into the horizon with his ex-colleagues), Brian is last shown at home assisting Esther, who has discovered a passion for amateur sleuthing.

While perhaps somewhat contrived, this ‘happy’ resolution provides the audience with a satisfying conclusion to Brian’s tenure, particularly when compared to the downbeat nature of Jack’s departure the previous year. No similar period of mourning is necessary, and indeed, Brian’s replacement arrives in short order the following week, Nicholas Lyndhurst making his debut as ex-Murder Squad detective Danny Griffin. The current line-up: (left to right) Waterman, Lawson, Redman and Nicholas Lyndhurst Like Steve, Danny is clearly intended as a direct contrast with his predecessor. The casting of Lyndhurst – who many viewers will remember primarily for his sitcom roles – could have been a cause for concern, Dennis Waterman admitting in a Radio Times interview that he was worried the new arrival would be ‘too lightweight’ until watching his performance as Uriah Heep in David Copperfield (BBC, 1999). In fact, Lyndhurst plays against any such expectations as the unsmiling Danny; though Brian was an oddball, he inspired an affection in his colleagues that Danny (at first) seems unable or uninterested in replicating.

Quickly locking horns with Gerry, he also alienates Sandra with his ‘nine to five’ attitude, while his lack of humour sees him nicknamed ‘smiling boy’ by Steve. In this way the writing team again hold up a mirror to any potential resentment on the part of viewers at home – before cleverly undercutting it. Gerry’s protestation that 52-year-old Danny is too young to replace the sixty-something Brian is immediately deflated by Sandra’s revelation that it was in fact Brian who recommended him; the implication here is that, if familiar face Brian rates Danny, then surely Gerry (and we) must give him a chance. Danny’s seemingly antiseptic personality is then revealed to be a mask when, midway through the episode, we see him at home with his feisty daughter, Holly (Storme Toolis), who is confined to a wheelchair. While this could be seen as a particularly cynical move by the programme-makers – engaging audience sympathy for the character by providing him with disabled offspring – the strong chemistry between Lyndhurst and Toolis mitigates this effect, the latter’s engaging performance providing a likeable new sounding board figure in lieu of Esther.

It would have been a daring strategy to have the rest of the team remain unaware to this aspect to Danny for a period of time, thus placing the audience more firmly on the newcomer’s side, but by the episode’s close Holly has been introduced to the team, and all starts to become reassuringly clear; this new boy is not such a bad sort after all. Thus, the unenviable feat of replacing the (one might have thought) irreplaceable James Bolam and Alun Armstrong seems to have been achieved with minimal disruption or complaint; certainly, at well over 7 million viewers, New Tricks’s audience figures remain healthy. Whether Amanda Redman’s imminent exit will prove one change too many, however, remains to be seen. Thus far, little is known about the manner of her leaving, or indeed her replacement, Detective Chief Inspector Sacha Millard (Tamzin Outhwaite), who takes charge from episode nine. Outhwaite’s casting is not without its problems, the actress having appeared in the show in a separate role, as obsessive tennis mother Victoria Kemp, just last year.

Readers of my prequels blog might remember my reservations over the re-employment of actors in different roles, which I believe is potentially damaging to the credibility of any narrative; a situation that New Tricks has thus far avoided. More importantly, at the age of 42, the conventionally attractive blonde Outhwaite is exactly the same age that conventionally attractive blonde Sandra Pullman was way back in the original pilot ten years ago. Thus, after the creation of two replacement characters that have very much gone against the grain of their more established predecessors, Sacha Millard superficially risks falling into the trap of replication and repetition; a mistake that many felt M*A*S*H made with B.J. Given their track record with regard to managing such transitions, however, it is to be hoped that the New Tricks production team will once again wrong-foot expectations. New face: Tamzin Outhwaite While British television is littered with programmes that survived similar line-up changes (Spooks (BBC, 2002-2011), anyone?), few battled away for so long with the original cast still intact.

However, the fact that the Tricksters’ closest competitor, Taggart (STV, 1983-2011), managed an additional seventeen years following the death of original lead Mark McManus suggests that there might just be life in the Old Dogs yet. Dr Richard Hewett teaches television and film at Royal Holloway, the University of London, and the University of Arts. His PhD thesis, Acting for Auntie: From Studio Realism to Location Realism in BBC Television Drama, 1953-2008, was completed at the University of Nottingham in 2012. Publications include 'Acting in the New World: Studio and Location Realism in Survivors' in The Journal of British Cinema and Television Volume 10.2, and 'Who is Matt Smith?: Performing the Doctor' in O'Day, Andrew (ed.), The Eleventh Hour: A Critical Celebration of the Matt Smith and Steven Moffat Era (I.B. Tauris, forthcoming, 2013).

[1] Alison Graham’s recent article ‘The New Tricks Men Should Go for Women of Their Own Age’ is a typical example of the press’s dismissive attitude towards the programme, and makes it clear that Graham has not been watching with any degree of attention over the last decade. Decrying Gerry for too often ‘oozing torrents of leathery charm in the direction of women who could, chronologically, be his daughter,’ she ignores the fact that, on the comparatively few occasions that Gerry has been given a romantic sub-plot, it has most frequently featured partners near or of his own age. New Tricks: Dennis Waterman calls time on the show after eleven series | Metro News Caroline Westbrook for Metro.co.uk Thursday 18 Sep 2014 10:53 pm Dennis Waterman worked with the original New Tricks cast for a decade (Picture: BBC) There’s bad news for fans of BBC One’s long-running show New Tricks after it was confirmed that Dennis Waterman has left the series. According to the Mirror the 66-year-old actor – who plays former Detective Sergeant Gerry Standing in the show – will appear in the first two episodes of the forthcoming series before making his exit.

Waterman is the last original member of the cast, following the departures of Amanda Redman, Alun Armstrong and James Bolam. That trio have since been replaced by Denis Lawson, former EastEnders actress Tamzin Outhwaite and Nicholas Lyndhurst. ‘Dennis misses the old crew, the original line-up. The chemistry between them on the set was remarkable,’ his agent Dennis Webster told the Mirror. The actor is the only original remaining cast member (Picture: BBC) ‘The original team worked together for 10 years, so it was always going to be a bit strange when people started leaving. ‘All of the other leading cast members decided the time was right for them to leave one by one,and now Dennis has decided it is his time to go. He added that the new 10-part series was due to begin filming in November and that Waterman ‘would be in two of them’. New Tricks, which first aired on BBC One in 2003, follows a team of retired officers working for the Metropolitan Police’s unsolved crimes unit. The show has remained consistently popular, still pulling in around 9m viewers an episode.

More Amanda Redman: New Tricks could lose the magic – The Sun NEW Tricks actress Amanda Redman has blasted bosses at the BBC for making the long-running police drama too “bland”. And her co-star Dennis Waterman backed her tirade — revealing the cast has to fight against attempts to dumb down the series. Amanda, who plays Detective Superintendent Sandra Pullman, told the Radio Times: “It’s more bland now. “The characters are not being as anarchic as they used to be, which I think is a huge shame.” Filming has just finished on the ninth series of the show about former officers brought out of retirement to investigate unsolved crimes. And a tenth has already been commissioned. Dennis, who plays ex-Detective Sergeant Gerry Standing, admitted: “I don’t think it has become just another police procedural, but there was a danger. “It’s partly because of dealing with cold cases. We’re always talking about history and some writers — not all of them — can go on and on about that, repeating themselves. “You have to remind yourself that people aren’t as stupid as writers think.

But that’s the way things are going in the industry.” And, referring to the success of Danish TV dramas such as The Killing and Borgen, he joked: “We all want to move to Copenhagen to get to do some really extraordinary television.” Alun Armstrong, who plays eccentric former Detective Inspector Brian Lane, agrees that the series’ writing has changed over the years. He told the magazine: “My character has got saner. Which I’m not too enamoured with. “I don’t know.

Maybe the writers have become more concerned with the investigation.” Who's who in New Tricks | New Tricks | Photos | What's on TV Alun Armstrong is ex Detective Inspector Brian ‘Memory’ Lane 3/5 Dennis Waterman is ex Detective Sergeant Gerry Standing 4/5 James Bolam plays ex Detective Chief Superintendent Jack Halford 5/5 New Tricks (TV Series 2003– ) - Full Cast & Crew - IMDb Full Cast & Crew Rose Collins (uncredited) (1 episode, 2015) Create a character page for: Create » line producer (1 episode, 2003) Series Music by hair artist / makeup artist (1 episode, 2007) Series Production Management unit manager (1 episode, 2003) Series Second Unit Director or Assistant Director second unit director (1 episode, 2004) Series Art Department graphic designer (uncredited) (4 episodes, 2007) Series Sound Department boom operator (uncredited) (1 episode, 2011) Series Special Effects by special effects technician (3 episodes, 2013) Series Visual Effects by visual effects artist (uncredited) (1 episode, 20

15) Series Stunts stunt driver (uncredited) (1 episode, 2011) Series Camera and Electrical Department Jackson Taylor ...

second assistant camera: "A" camera / clapper loader / second assistant camera: "a camera" / second assistant camera: "a" camera (22 episodes, 2012-2014) electrician (uncredited) (1 episode, 2015) Series Casting Department extras casting (uncredited) (70 episodes, 2005-2012) Series Costume and Wardrobe Department costume supervisor (1 episode, 2010) Series Editorial Department post-production coordinator (uncredited) (1 episode, 2007) Series Location Management location scout (uncredited) (1 episode, 2015) Series Music Department score recording engineer (uncredited) (1 episode, 2005) Series Transportation Department driver: Dennis Waterman (uncredited) (7 episodes, 2005) Series Other crew supervising armourer (uncredited) (1 episode, 2014) Series Thanks in memory of: 1957 - 2007 (1 episode, 2008) See also a list of 36 titles created 29 Dec 2011 a list of

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1000+ images about New Tricks on Pinterest | James bolam, TVs and Dennis waterman 10/04/2013.Nicholas Lyndhurst and Dennis Waterman filming a episode of New Tricks in Westminster.This is a new series and Nicholas Lyndhurst is a new member of the team. See More New Tricks rolls cameras on a 1950s flashback wedding as part of its new series, old motors'n'all! | Daily Mail Online comments Filming has already been underway for some time on the eleventh series of the BBC's New Tricks, due to air later this year, but a flashback wedding scene is likely to give plenty of clues about the new storylines. It's something of a a gloomy winter wedding on New Tricks with the bride and groom arriving in a turquoise authentic1950s car and being greeting by a shower of confetti from well-wishers. There is also other activity on the street at the same time with a photographer using an old-style camera to take outside photos and plenty of interested onlookers too.

Flashback: The wedding sequence seems to suggest a 1950s wedding is taking place on New Tricks The look of love: New Tricks is using an old trick of a flashback scene for the new series Here comes the bride: Judging from the fashions the scene is set in the 1950s While the bride's dress is relatively timeless, the rest of the outfits in the scene look as if they have come directly from the BBC's Costume Department. RELATED ARTICLES Share this article Share The women are generally dressed in severe suits of the era, while the men are all dressed in jackets and ties - all that's missing are hats, which would presumably have been an essential part of the menswear of the era. The New Tricks crew have cleverly made the street look as if it is indeed something that could easily have existed 50 years ago, right down to the Union Jack flags strung between the houses.

Ready for action: New Tricks was filming scene 30 from episode four of the new series on Monday Extras on the set: a photographer (left) with huge flash camera and (right) some of the locals in the street Street ready: The New Tricks crew put the finishing touches on the 1950s street Finishing touches: A crew member assists one of the female extras with her hat Attention to detail: the New Tricks crew have made sure the set looks very authentic for its era Elsewhere on the set, they have been fictional colleagues ever since Nicholas Lyndhurst joined the series in 2013. Now the 52-year-old actor has joined forces once again with 65-year-old Dennis Waterman to film for this latest series of New Tricks. The actors were spotted sauntering down a residential street in South London last Thursday afternoon.

In character: Nicholas Lyndhurst and Dennis Waterman were seen walking in them middle of the road on a South London street as they filmed the new series of New Tricks Dressed in warm coats, the pair were spotted strolling in the middle of the road as they were filmed for the British comedy-drama that follows the work of the fictional Unsolved Crime and Open Case Squad (UCOS) of the Metropolitan Police Service. Only Fools And Horses star Nicholas, aka Dan Griffin, wore a warm, grey coat with a grey shirt and tie, a pair of grey suit trousers and a pair of brown brogues to try and do the sophisticated look. His colleague Dennis, 65, aka ex-detective sergeant Gerry Standing was dressed in a more casual brown jacket, checkered scarf, blue suit trousers and black loafers. Cigarette break: Dennis was seen enjoying a cigarette among crew members while on a short break from filming In the last episode of the tenth series, which finished in October 2013, Sacha Miller, played by Tamzin Outhwaite, faced with a dilemma when the investigation of a corrupt senior officer calls into question the conviction of Edward Monroe.

She believed him to be guilty of murdering her old work partner. Pre-empting an appeal, UCOS must carry out preliminary investigative work for Strickland. As things begin to look like someone else could be guilty of the crime in question. Rehearsing: Nicholas quickly looked over his script before the pair began acting in the new scenes Concentration: The men all walked down the road with their scripts in hands to make sure they knew their lines for the next scenes Secretive: Nicholas emerges from a house on the street with a look of confusion on his face In the new scenes it appears that the two characters are looking for someone along the street, and were spotted practising their lines ahead of filming. Later, Nicholas was seen coming out of a door on the street, insinuating that he was looking for a person in question. Meanwhile Dennis was seen enjoying a quick cigarette while on a short break from filming.

Planning: There were a lot of crew members surrounding both Nicholas and Dennis during the day Searching for clues: Nicholas, aka Dan Griffin, must have been down the street looking for clues Tamzin Outhwaite New Tricks was a British procedural comedy-drama that follows the work of the fictional Unsolved Crime and Open Case Squad (UCOS) of the Metropolitan Police Service . Originally led by Detective Superintendent Sandra Pullman, it is made up of retired police officers recruited to reinvestigate unsolved crimes . There have been cast changes, but the squad always consists of three men with a female boss. The series title is taken from the proverb " You can't teach an old dog new tricks ". In February 2015, BBC One announced the show would end after series 12, which comprises 10 episodes. [3] [4] Series New Tricks began as a one-off episode broadcast on 27 March 2003. This attracted sufficient viewers for the BBC to commission a series of six episodes, which began on 1 April 2004. Eight-episode series were subsequently commissioned for 2005, 2006 and 2007.

A fifth series was commissioned by the BBC after the audience share rose week upon week for the previous series. [5] In 2007, an episode from the fourth series received viewing figures of 9.25 million, becoming the second most watched programme on BBC One that week, and the most watched New Tricks episode to that point. [6] The fifth series continued this good run - on two occasions it was the most watched programme in Britain for the week, and the seventh episode gained a new series high rating of 9.36 million - second only to the X Factor that week. The fifth series aired from 7 July to 25 August 2008. The sixth series finished location filming on 8 May 2009 in Central London and began airing on 16 July 2009. [7] The opening episode of series six was watched by 8.07 million, despite clashing with Five's The Mentalist (1.64m) and ITV's Living With Michael Jackson (3.64m). The second episode clashed with The Mentalist and the relaunch of The Bill on ITV, and was watched by 7.59 million.

Series 7 and 8 were commissioned by the BBC in September 2009, ensuring that the show would run until 2011. [8] The seventh series began airing on 10 September 2010 and completed its run on 12 November. The eighth series opened on 4 July 2011 with 9.2 million viewers, the show's highest rating for three years, and the first since the fifth series to break the 9 million barrier. [9] The third episode of series 8, "Lost in Translation", was the show's highest rated episode to date with 9.7 million viewers, becoming the most watched television programme of the week in the UK. [2] Episode 7, "The Gentleman Vanishes," surpassed this figure with 9.87 million viewers, and was again the top programme of the week. [2] The BBC confirmed in September 2011 that a further two series, each of ten episodes, had been commissioned, to be broadcast in 2012 and 2013.

[2] James Bolam , who played the part of Jack Halford, left the show, claiming that it had "become stale", [11] making his final regular appearance in the first episode of Series 9 and a guest appearance in Series 10, episode 8. In the fourth episode, Denis Lawson joined the cast, as the new character of retired DI Steve McAndrew. [12] Prior to the ninth series premiere, both Amanda Redman [13] and Alun Armstrong [14] announced that they would be leaving the show after the tenth series. The first programme of series nine was broadcast on 27 August 2012, and gained 8.52 million viewers, which was the highest rating of the week. [2] Only Fools and Horses star Nicholas Lyndhurst and EastEnders star Tamzin Outhwaite appeared in Series 10, which was broadcast in Britain between 30 July and 1 October 2013. [2] The opening episode of the tenth series gained an audience of 8.86 million viewers, making it the twelfth most watched programme of the year.

[2] Filming for Series 11 began in late 2013, [3] and Episode 1 of the series was broadcast at 21:00 GMT on BBC One and BBC One HD on 18 August 2014. Ratings fell considerably from season 10 to season 11; season 10 had an average per-episode viewership of 8.35 million, while season 11 managed an average per-episode viewership of 5.75 million. A twelfth series of the show began filming in the Autumn of 2014, and started broadcasting on 4 August 2015. It was also revealed that Dennis Waterman would be leaving the series in the early episodes. In February 2015 it was announced that the twelfth series would be the last. [4] The series is broadcast in at least twenty-five countries, and is also available on DVD and via online streaming. New Tricks is produced by Headstrong Pictures for the BBC . It was formerly produced by Wall to Wall Television between 2003 and 2014.

Characters Main characters Brian Lane (Ex- Detective Inspector ) ( Alun Armstrong ) (2003–2013): Born in 1946, Brian 'Memory' Lane is an exceptional detective, possessing a keen attention to detail and a remarkable instant recall memory for obscure details regarding cases and officers who investigated them. He often gets around by bicycle . He is married to long-suffering but caring Esther; they have an adult son called Mark. Brian is socially inept and eccentric, a recovering alcoholic with obsessive-compulsive personality disorder . He therefore has a tendency to get himself into trouble, despite good intentions. He left the force under a cloud, having been held partly responsible for the death of Anthony Kaye, a prisoner in Brian's custody at the height of his alcoholism. Brian maintained that it was a conspiracy against him, and was initially consumed with discovering who was behind it; his colleagues believed that he simply made a mistake and would not admit it. In Series 5, following Jack's temporary disappearance and several bad experiences on cases, Brian resumes drinking, and attends Alcoholics Anonymous meetings again. When she finds out, Esther walks out, and later forces Brian into treatment; he has not been shown to have suffered lapses since.

Brian is an AFC Wimbledon fan, and he once misses a celebratory drink with his UCOS mates to support his team. A keen war-gamer , in one episode he digs out his old board and figurines and wins a tournament. In the first episode of Series 10, Brian assaults the last serving officer that he believes to be involved in the conspiracy following Kaye's death, in a final effort to achieve justice. In the second episode, Brian at last proves that three policemen in charge of the custody suite, whose failure to check on Kaye allowed him to die from drug-related complications, then conspired to cover up their own culpability and pin blame on the arresting officer, Brian. Rather than risk another cover-up, Brian passes on a taped confession by the senior officer to Kaye's mother, which in turn forces Strickland to fire Brian. Actor Alun Armstrong left the show after filming the tenth series.

[14] John 'Jack' Halford (Ex- Detective Chief Superintendent ) ( James Bolam ) (2003–2012, 2013): The highest-ranking retired officer on the team, and the first to be approached by Sandra when setting up UCOS, Jack Halford is the unofficial second-in-command. He is Sandra's mentor on numerous occasions, having been her boss on the murder squad. Jack retired to care for his dearly-loved wife Mary, who had been the victim of a hit-and-run . He is still haunted by her death, partly because nobody was charged in connection with it, although in Series 4 it becomes common knowledge that Ricky Hanson was responsible. After being frustrated by Hanson's acquittal in his trial for attempted murder, Jack briefly disappears, but is found by Brian, and later returns to UCOS. Hanson is eventually charged with killing Mary and imprisoned. Jack still speaks to Mary's memorial in his garden, seeking her help with solving cases. A softly-spoken and gentle man, he nevertheless possesses a quick and sometimes violent temper that he unleashes on suspects, although he will often become calm when he has reached the endgame, further unsettling suspects to achieve a confession.

Jack has little time for the internal politics of the force, and is openly disdainful of those who lie, obstruct or mislead the police. Jack later leaves, giving only a day's notice, claiming that he has decided to retire to France and does not want to provide his colleagues time to talk him out of it. Brian correctly deduces that Jack has a terminal illness, and only has a short time to live, but promises not to tell the others until after Jack's death. [11] [18] He returned as an illusion conjured by Sandra in series 10, episode 8 in the UCOS office, encouraging her in her decision to move on and broaden her horizons elsewhere. Detective Superintendent Sandra Pullman ( Amanda Redman ) (2003–2013): Born in 1961, Sandra is the original head of the unit, being the only currently serving police officer - and at the time the only woman - in UCOS. Sandra was a high flyer in Greater London 's Metropolitan Police Service until the shooting of a dog during a hostage rescue, which is a running joke during the early series.

Her career consequently stalled; and she is made to take charge of UCOS, initially against her will. Ambitious and competitive, she has sacrificed personal life in pursuit of a career and likes to be in control of every situation. A running sub-plot involves Pullman's unsuccessful love life, which is mostly shown as a string of unsatisfactory relationships and numerous failed efforts at romance, including an attempt at speed dating . Sandra is often exasperated by her colleagues' eccentricities and their willingness to bend the rules, although she doesn't always play by the rulebook herself. Initially reluctant to lead the squad, she warms to her colleagues and views them as her friends. She believed her father, Detective Inspector Gordon Arthur Pullman, who was awarded the Queen's Medal for Bravery, who passed away in 1975, suffered a heart attack. It is only during her career at UCOS that she learns he committed suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning , as he was about to be arrested by Jack Halford for attempting to cover up killing a small-time criminal and pimp. Her friendship with Jack is only damaged for a time, but her father's legacy continues to haunt her life and her career.

She leaves UCOS after episode 8 of series 10. [13] Gerry Standing (Ex- Detective Sergeant ) ( Dennis Waterman ) (2003–2015): Born Gerard Lestade, the son of Smithfield Market butcher Norman Lestade, Gerry changed his name as he did not get along with his father. He loudly protests against his French Huguenot background, preferring to be known as a Cockney , raised in Bermondsey . He is nicknamed "Last Man Standing", because of his refusal to take backhanders (bribes) when his squad were paid off by a gangster. A ' Jack the Lad ', Gerry is an old-school police officer. He was a 'thief-taker', who passionately enjoyed catching criminals, but nevertheless mixed easily with them, leading to allegations of corruption. The final straw occurred when his boss, Don Bevan, wrongly accused him of sabotaging a stake-out by beating a young girl, prompting Gerry to break Bevan's jaw. Although he always denied corruption, he quit before he could be disciplined, with no remorse for hitting Bevan.

He has three ex-wives, all of whom remain on amicable terms; he still occasionally seduces them, and is devoted to his daughters, although he regularly complains about financial strain. Despite becoming a grandfather, he maintains his devil-may-care lifestyle, insisting that he is "a naughty boy, not a bastard". Along with his familial commitments, he has a continuing interest in gambling, and thus joined UCOS for financial reasons. Gerry owns a 1977 Triumph Stag roadster (1974 in the pilot episode), [19] and has a passion for cooking fine food for his extended family and colleagues. After a tense beginning, he and Sandra share a mutually respectful but barbed friendship. They sometimes pose as husband and wife when undercover. In Series 10, Gerry is eventually left as the last original member of UCOS, and his first impressions of his two new colleagues are not favourable; he believes Dan Griffin was planted by the Murder Squad, and his new boss Sasha Miller only got the job due to her husband's rank in the force.

Gerry even threatens to leave when Sasha responds to his accusations by revealing that she attempted to get forensic evidence without informing her new team, but by the end of the case he has come to respect her. In September 2014, Dennis Waterman announced that he would be leaving the show in November after filming two new episodes of the next series. As a result of a cold case in which Gerry is unsuccessfully framed for murder, a major gangster is convicted despite several attempts on Gerry's life, and he decides to fake his death to protect his family. At his funeral, a text to Sasha reveals he has retired to America. The title of his final episode, "Last Man Standing", refers to his surname, and also that he is the last original member of the team from the first series. Steve McAndrew (Ex- Detective Inspector ) ( Denis Lawson ) (2012–2015): Retired Detective Inspector Steve McAndrew from Glasgow joins the team following Jack Halford's departure in A Death in the Family, after helping the team with a reopened case involving a missing girl.

Described as "a bundle of energetic optimism with a tendency to get personally involved in the cases he's working on", and "the antithesis of Brian Lane's eternal pessimism", Steve has a reputation for being a whirlwind, and bringing anarchy to otherwise calm proceedings. [12] During the course of the series, he is revealed to have an ex-wife called Trisha, who had an affair with a corrupt detective from Glasgow named Frank McNair. In an argument with his wife, Steve lost his temper and threw a radio across the room, which led to Trisha getting custody on their son Stuart, and Steve became desperate to reunite with his son. He is in a relationship with girlfriend Charley, although it is implied in Series 10 that it has suffered following his move to London. Steve is considered to be the polar opposite of Brian, as he prefers a more hands-on approach to work. He and Gerry got to bond and became fast friends. Despite being a year older than Gerry, he is a lot fitter and healthier. At the conclusion of the series, with his son having moved to Australia, Steve decides to get his private investigator's licence and move there himself.

Dan Griffin (Ex- Detective Sergeant ) ( Nicholas Lyndhurst ) (2013–2015): A retired Detective Sergeant with experience in both the Murder Squad and the Diplomatic Protection Group, recommended by Brian Lane following his departure. He is a reserved character who can nevertheless provide surprising insights. His aloof manner rubs the team up the wrong way in his first case. While Sandra admires his abilities and knowledge, Gerry is initially convinced that he has been planted by the Murder Squad to find out about the case. He has a disabled teenage daughter, Holly, who enjoys jazz music. Dan's wife Sarah is in a secure unit at a mental hospital - Danny eventually tells Sasha that she suffered a neuropathic condition that caused her delusions, which eventually led to her harming herself, Dan and people in the street. Medication failed to ease her illness and she was committed after trying to drown Holly, who was then aged 13. Although he loved her deeply, Dan had long abandoned hope of ever being with her again, and is thus deeply conflicted when she finally begins to respond to new medicine.

At the conclusion of the series, although initially reluctant to leave Sarah as he is all that she has left despite her condition, Dan decides to take a new job offer to be a criminal analyst for Interpol, moving to Aberdeen to be with his new lover. Detective Chief Inspector Sasha Miller ( Tamzin Outhwaite ) (2013–2015): Fresh from her role as a DI in the Kidnap Unit, newly promoted DCI Miller is firm, feisty and fair with an inclusive and modern management style. She did not expect such a posting as her first role as a DCI, but she is intrigued by the UCOS success rate. Winning the respect of Gerry, Dan and Steve proves a challenge; she is initially accused by Gerry of doing nothing, and when she reveals that she has been secretly working to locate where a murder weapon was found, the team react angrily at being kept out of the loop. She is married to a fellow Met officer and has two children away at university. After cracking her first UCOS case, Sasha discovers that her husband has been having an affair, which brings her stable home life to a sudden end.

Sasha is shot in Series 12 by someone trying to kill Gerry Standing, leaving her confined to a wheelchair for the first few episodes of Series 12. Outhwaite previously appeared in Series 9 episode 6, playing the mother of a young rising tennis star who died in suspicious circumstances. At the conclusion of the series, despite Strickland's promotion saving UCOS, Sasha decides to accept a promotion to head a new Honour Killing unit. Ted Case (Ex Detective Chief Inspector Ex Head of Operation Trident Command Unit (Gun Crime)) ( Larry Lamb ) (2015): Ted Case first appears when Gerry Standing visits him to gain evidence of Ronald Sainsbury's corruption. After Gerry's supposed death, Ted was asked to stand in as temporary Head of UCOS while the team's current leader Sasha Miller recovered from a shooting. Ted is extremely superstitous and has many quirky tendences. He is in a relationship with a man named Pat. At the conclusion of the series, he decides to use his retirement to go travelling in a camper van with Pat as they had planned before he was assigned to UCOS.

Recurring characters Deputy Assistant Commissioner Donald Bevan ( Nicholas Day / Tim Woodward in the Pilot) (2003–2004): Deputy Assistant Commissioner Donald Bevan is the founder of UCOS, originally intending it as a public relations gesture, to prevent an ex-convict from suing the Met for wrongful arrest. In contrast to the team, he is stereotypically obsessed with modern bureaucracy and buzzwords. Relations between him and the team are strained: UCOS's successes anger him as they are achieved in the 'wrong' way, and sometimes show serving officers and the respectable people Bevan wishes to associate himself with to be careless and even corrupt. He knows both Jack Halford and Gerry Standing personally, and strongly opposes Standing's inclusion in the team. Bevan claimed that Standing had taken a bribe for deliberately fouling up a stake-out of a gangster he knew through greyhound racing. Standing, meanwhile, blamed Bevan for the mistake, saying that his superior's choice of position meant that everyone knew the police were there, and so when Gerry left to tend to a badly beaten girl found in a nearby flat, and his partner absconded, the gangster got away with the money.

Bevan then accused Standing of beating the girl himself, which was what caused Gerry to break his jaw. In his final appearance, he tries to get Sandra Pullman hired by SO10 (covert operations), and suffers politically as a result. PC Izzy Clark ( Chiké Okonkwo ) (2003–2004): PC Izzy Clark is assigned to the team to help them with their IT needs and administration, though he soon becomes a valued member of the team. Unlike the retired members of the team, Izzy relies completely on modern policing techniques, an asset valued highly by DAC Donald Bevan. When Bevan's attempt to hire Sandra Pullman onto S010 fails, he pulls Izzy out of UCOS and instead offers him a place training with a firearms unit. Esther Lane ( Susan Jameson ) (2003–2013): Esther is Brian Lane's long-suffering wife: they have been married for nearly thirty years. Esther and Brian met when he arrested her for attempting to steal a copy of Lady Chatterley's Lover from a library.

Brian once suspected Esther of being a spy sent to report on his activities, when he discovered a link between her and a high-profile protest group. They have an adult son, Mark, who is rarely spoken about, but who often attends AFC Wimbledon football matches with his father. Esther often offers Brian advice and help with the cases he is working on. Susan Jameson, who plays Esther, is married to co-star James Bolam. Jayne Standing (Natalie Forbes) (2003-2007) Jayne is Gerry Standing's ex-wife and his most frequent on-off lover. She appears to be good friends with his other two ex-wives and of the three of them is the one who finds herself most often seduced by Gerry. She was last seen visiting him in hospital after a car accident at the beginning of the fourth series. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Robert Strickland ( Anthony Calf ) (2005–2015): Deputy Assistant Commissioner Robert Strickland is the team's boss. A political animal who enjoys basking in reflected glory of UCOS's clean up rate, his choice of cases is influenced by a desire to make his department look good.

Despite this, he is a strong supporter of the UCOS team, and has used his influence to protect them when necessary. He has two unseen children from a past marriage. Although he worked with Whitehall intelligence operative Stephen Fisher before the force, Strickland is always wary of him and will defend his officers when Whitehall attempts to manipulate them in socially sensitive cases. Despite being a somewhat self-serving officer, he has nonetheless been quite supportive of their actions. He adamantly refused to allow Fisher to strongarm the team into working for him despite the fact that Fisher could seriously damage his career. In another instance, wherein the team made a collar and got a less-than-desirable result that would possibly cause a small political storm, Strickland made it clear that he had wanted the case investigated regardless, aware that it was unlikely to end happily. In more recent series, Strickland's political motives are outweighed by his desire to let UCOS do its work, and he uses his political savvy to navigate through the quagmire of potential landmines. Though he will still discipline the team when they blatantly break rules, he is willing to accept their actions if a result is achieved.

Strickland even subtly gave Brian a chance to explain himself when he was forced to fire him, and it was only when Brian made it clear that he stood by his actions that Strickland finally told him to go. At the end of the eleventh series, Strickland reveals he has fathered a third child. The finale sees him promoted to Assistant Commissioner , saving UCOS from the political machinations of his predecessor. Emily Driscoll ( Hannah Waterman ) (2006–2010): Emily Driscoll is a trainee police officer who turns up at Gerry's house saying that she thinks he is her father. Unbeknown to her, he performs a DNA test that proves he is not, though does not have the heart to tell her. She later realises that he has lied when he gives evidence in court relating to Ricky Hanson, when he hesitates before claiming that Emily is his daughter. Emily ignores his phone calls when he tries to apologise, although she eventually allows Gerry to continue as a fatherly figure in her life.

Emily is eager to be an excellent police officer like Gerry, and proves successful, although she does become annoyed when Jack and Brian are temporarily placed under her command and both choose not to follow modern procedure. Hannah Waterman, who plays Emily, is Dennis Waterman's daughter. Ricky Hanson ( David Troughton ) (2006–2009): Ricky Hanson is a career criminal whom Jack and Sandra were investigating for at least three murders in Jack's last case before he retired. This was no coincidence, as an investigation by UCOS several years later eventually revealed that Hanson had run over Jack's wife, Mary. Jack retired to care for Mary, although she did not live very long after the incident, which was thought to be a simple hit-and-run. When Jack confronts Hanson, he cruelly confesses the crime in detail, prompting Jack to attempt revenge by running the criminal down, but Jack is prevented from doing so. Hanson later attempts to murder Jack in hospital by smothering him with a pillow, but is stopped by Brian. When Hanson attempts to strangle Brian, Jack strikes him with an oxygen cylinder.

Hanson is subsequently found not guilty on the charge of attempted murder, although in an apparent continuity error no reference is made to a ward nurse having been attacked by him during the incident. Later, in the sixth series, Hanson is linked to the disappearance of two Anti-Fascist activists. UCOS discover from Frank Patterson that Hanson's son, Luke, was in the car that ran down Mary. Luke admits this when it is revealed that Ricky has had an incestuous relationship with his secret daughter. Luke also had a relationship with the girl, although neither knew they were half-siblings at the time. Ricky is arrested for running down Mary, as well as the murder of the activists, and is sent to prison. Grace Pullman ( Sheila Hancock ) (2007–2011): Grace is Sandra Pullman's mother and the widow of Sandra's father, Gordon, who committed suicide by carbon monoxide inhalation. She is reunited with Sandra when she asks her to help choose a care home because of her recent battle with Ménière's disease . Their decision uncovers a murder which prevents Grace from moving into her desired home, prompting Jack, Brian and Gerry to investigate undercover without Strickland's knowledge.

She later suffers a stroke, causing her to reveal to Sandra the truth about her father's death after Sandra looks into a closed file. Their attempts to heal their rift throughout the series fail; when briefly living with Sandra, Grace reflects that instead of bringing them together, Gordon's death drove them further apart. Frank Patterson ( Phil Daniels ) (2009–2010): Patterson is a short-tempered, old-fashioned copper, a former police colleague of Gerry's. He and Gerry fell out over a woman. They reunite when Frank is interviewed over an investigation of the disappearance of two student activists, which leads to UCOS's old enemy Ricky Hanson. Frank provides information crucial in Hanson's arrest for killing the activists, and then assists in securing his conviction for the attack on Mary Halford. Frank returns to have the team reinvestigate an armed robbery and several murders in the 1980s—he suspects that a now senior officer might have tipped off the robbery's ringleader for a cut and then conspired to cover it up.

Stephen Fisher ( Tim McInnerny ) (2011-2012): Fisher is a high-ranking Whitehall intelligence operative (and old acquaintance of DAC Strickland) who frequently uses UCOS operatives to serve his own ends, usually involving shady government deals. He first appears in "The Gentleman Vanishes", ostensibly as a supporter of UCOS advising Strickland to avoid a professional hitman. However, he does not always follow his orders, as he gives information that allows the team to attempt to arrest the hitman, although the operation does not go according to plan. In "A Death in the Family", Fisher blackmails the reluctant ex-cops into helping him with a case relating to government dealings with the Chinese by unearthing personal secrets, and consolidates his minimal respect for the team with jibes about the detectives' weaknesses, particularly Brian Lane's alcoholism. However, he shows some regard for Jack Halford, calling him 'professional to the last'.

When Jack passes sensitive documents regarding the case to a contact in the press, it was revealed that this was Fisher's intention all along—the information will now enter the public domain with only Halford at risk of being charged under The Official Secrets Act, and the scandal's seriousness will ultimately protect him from recriminations. In the final episode of the ninth series, "Part of a Whole", it transpires that Strickland first knew Fisher at Sandhurst and was part of a covert 'black bag' operation (a robbery) that went awry—a dark secret that places all the former agents in mortal danger. Fisher nearly loses his life when shot by a gunman on a motorcycle and is last seen in hospital, already plotting revenge against those responsible. Holly Griffin ( Storme Toolis ) (2013-2014): Dan Griffin's daughter. She is very close to her father, owing to her mother's absence, and often prompts him in the right direction towards solving a case. She is a jazz fanatic and a bright student studying law at university. She leaves home during Series 10, her absence causing problems for Dan's personal life.

Unlike her father, Holly has no contact with her mother at the mental hospital, since her delusions caused her to try and drown Holly when she was 13. Although no one ever thought her mother had any idea what she was doing when she attacked, Dan implies that the incident left Holly unable to ever trust her mother again. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ned Hancock ( Barnaby Kay ) (2013-2014): The ex-husband of Sasha Miller, he and his wife were initially viewed as the golden high-flying couple of the police force until she divorced him owing to his infidelity. Despite this, he still harbours feelings for his ex-wife and does make attempts to win her back in the eleventh series. Fiona Kennedy ( Tracy-Ann Oberman ) (2014-2015): Fiona first arrived as a pathologist and love interest for Danny Griffin. Fiona is a smart, independent and feisty woman. She is great at her job, highly respected in her field and brings a positive balance to the dark nature of her work with her sharp wit and open, friendly personality. She also becomes partner to Danny Griffin, whom she met while they were investigating the death of a personal trainer together.

Now, a loving and stable couple, they support one another through the various trials of their jobs and Danny’s somewhat complex family life. Change In cast In 2011, James Bolam announced to the producers that he would be leaving the show; he was replaced by Denis Lawson. In 2012, both Alun Armstrong and Amanda Redman announced to the producers that they would be leaving the show; they were replaced by Nicholas Lyndhurst and Tamzin Outhwaite respectively. In September 2014, Dennis Waterman announced that he would be leaving the show after filming two episodes of the next series; Larry Lamb replaced him for the rest of the final series. Overview Detective Chief Inspector Main A significant supporting character. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Robert (sometimes Bob) Strickland is directly responsible for both the operation and actions of UCOS, but is not involved in most cases. He does, however, engage the team in cases with a political aspect, and sometimes becomes involved in other sensitive cases. Episodes Themes Inspirations Roy Mitchell, Creator of the series; being a supporter of the English football team West Bromwich Albion , named numerous characters after past and then-current players.

The original three main male characters derived their names from the club's oldest stand, "The Halfords Lane Stand", at The Hawthorns football ground in West Bromwich . [3] Music The theme tune of the program is sung by cast member Dennis Waterman . The song is "It's Alright" (written by Mike Moran ). Production music was composed by father and son team Brian and Warren Bennett . The British release of the first season DVD contains a cover version of " End of the Line " sung by Dennis Waterman at the end of the pilot episode. DVD releases Series one to ten of New Tricks are available on DVD on Region 2 (UK). These titles are distributed by Acorn Media UK . DVD Title

Question: Who plays ex-Detective Sergeant Gerry Standing in the long-running BBC 1 series New Tricks?
Answer: DENNIS WATERMAN