Dempsey and Makepeace

Go you You tube and Google Dempsey and Makepeace and you will find all 30 show available to watch...

...This series wasn't so bad. I used to hate it, when shown during the mid '80s. But seeing it again on one of the UK satellite channels at the moment, I realise how good they were. Almost comparable to The Professionals, in style and content, as that show also had two leads ((both male) who antagonised one another. I especially like Dempsey's sexist bit of banter towards Makepeace. Spikings makes for a good Cowley too.

I remember one episode title (Makepeace, Not War) very clearly.

Dempsey & Makepeace.

This series can be considered to be the original Remington Steele. Dempsey & Makepeace had great chemistry, Makepeace with the brains and Dempsey with the mouth. If you are not too much into serious police procedures and details, you will enjoy this show. Most of the shooting (both with camera and guns) takes place on location in London city.

Glynis Barber, as Sgt. Harry Makepeace, was extremely beautiful, always smartly dressed and from an aristocratic background while Michael Brandon, as Lt. James Dempsey, was handsome and witty with his accent and the love for his weapon, sent over from NYPD on an exchange.

This little 80's-era cop series was elevated by the performance and (obvious) skillful additional writing done by the cast. It was one of the earlier U.K. imports to be played on commercial TV for U.S. audiences (as opposed to public TV like PBS). Those that saw it loved the over-the-top action and smooth, seductive style of Michael Brandon's no-nonsense Brooklyn cop, Dempsey. His counterpart, Makepeace, is the Sloaney skirt who is annoyed by the brash New Yorker's style, but can't quite seem to hate him because he's not only witty, but has good police skills. The chemistry between the Bensonhurst Badboy and the Upper Crusty Lady Makepeace heats up as the seasons progress. The other critical ingredient to the success of this project was (Ray Smith) Gordon Spikings character who is consistently yelling and dropping the hammer on one person or another, as the commander of the unit. Lots of gunplay, explosions, and stunts. Character-wise, it has a flavor not wholly unlike Scarecrow and Mrs. King, which is of a similar vintage. Ironically, the Brits espouse an anti-gun sensibility and create a cop character that fires his .357 revolver at absolutely EVERYTHING - even if he doesn't have a clean shot. As of 2010, there is no region 1 (USA) DVD commercially available from the series. An unfortunate oversight on the part of the owners, since even a small fan base here in the U.S. is as big as a large fan base in another country. They are overlooking the opportunity to re-purpose this content.

My brother first introduced me to this show in 1996 when I was 13 and I have been a hardcore fan ever since!!

From the first episode I watched, I was hooked. I dont think I can praise Michael and Glynis enough for their performances in the show. And Ray and Tony played their parts well too. Even though the show was supposed to be serious - I found the humour and one liners from James and Harri very funny and memorable. Its part of what made the show likable.

I had the great pleasure of meeting Glynis this year and she is really nice and polite, and I am thankful that she agreed to let me meet her as she could have easily had said no. (So thank you Glynis!!)

I could sit and watch this show all day, and I hope that Granada Plus will continue to replay it very soon, as there are still a few episodes that I havent seen.

If there are any hardcore fans out there that read this please get in touch by leaving a message on the message board!!

Ciao