The Gentle Touch

The previous review of this show by "Simon from London", (itself now nearly a decade ago!) pretty much sums up all that needs to be said about this fine series, so all I will add is please release it on DVD - the whole thing! No question there are enough of us out here who remember this superb quality show, made when quality was still a relevant word. Forget "Cagney & Lacey" which came out in the US around the time that the "Gentle Touch" ended, this show had it all. Gritty stories, well acted that kept you hooked in right to the end. I recently purchased the entire 18 disc box set of "The Sweeney" and could think of no better companion piece than a similar set of "The Gentle Touch"

Simon from London summed it up well in his 2000 review...

The first series' theme song sounded like the opening to 'A Touch Of Frost' and the second series intro theme sounded like 'The Sweeney'! From the third series on, they settled for scene intros.

As popular as this was back in the early eighties, the evolution of TV has exposed its flaws. Jill Gascoine frequently drifts in and out of a terrible cockney accent, the 'crim-speak' ("E's got a shooter, guv?") is straight out of a comic book and the dramatic dialog is very wordy and borders on pretentious and preachy... but back then we were easily fooled and it's unfair to base a very old drama based on precepts and expectations of today.

There's a lot of nostalgic value to be had by watching the re-runs. Britain was going through a seismic social and cultural update and many episodes reflect these changes well. The interesting thing about this series (which probably kept it afloat long past it's 'sell-by date') was the diversity of the topics it covered. Although the central players remained the same, the 'song' didn't. Each week would toss out a surprise of its own.

William Marlowe and the other actors were a treat to watch, as they managed to play it straight-faced despite some bizarre lines they had to mete out.

Interestingly, the BBC came out with an almost identical police procedural featuring a lead woman detective which ran for the same amount of time: Juliet Bravo. The BBC version had a better theme song, better graphics and even better guest actors... Inspector Jean Darblay, though, was a business-like copper rather than the flawed and much more interesting Det. Insp. Maggie Forbes.

Nonetheless, it was still the same dreary and depressing view of the 1980s! There's not much to choose between the two. Check them out on YouTube!

(See my review for the first series). The show is currently running every Monday night, 10pm, on the UK's Talking Pictures (Freeview Channel 81).

Back in 1980, the second series started airing less than four months after the first finished, probably to capitalise on its success and to not allow the BBC's Juliet Bravo to take all the limelight. Anybody who was worried that they were rushing the next series out would most likely have been relieved that it was better than the first, fleshing out the characters a little more, particularly our heroine Detective Inspector Maggie Forbes.

I can say that Jill Gascoine's portrayal of the embattled Detective Inspector is truly exceptional and although I was quite young at the time, I'm sure she didn't get the recognition she deserved. The pressure on her must have been immense and yet it doesn't show one bit. She manages to find a perfect portrayal of a woman doing a hard job in tough conditions whilst also showing her to be a mother and a human being. Some of this was down to the quality of writing and the excellent support she got from the cast, but plaudits must go to the late Jill Gascoine.

Regarding the second series, I'm pleased to say we see the more memorable opening credits with the faster music that the first series missed out on. Perhaps there is a little more polish to the second series, the writers and the cast feeling more confident and comfortable in their work. The stories are interesting and keep you hooked from start to finish, bearing in mind that these episodes are an hour long with two short advert breaks. If my attention wanders, it's brief, and I'm often engrossed until the final credits start running, leaving me looking forward to the next week.

The second series strikes a good balance between presenting Maggie at work and in her private life, although the two are often linked. It does a good job of showing the human side of our leading lady, plus some interesting but minor development of other major characters. For instance, it's becoming clear that the chill between Maggie and Detective Inspector Bob Croft is thawing as well as the fact that her teenage son is doing some growing up.

It goes without saying that some episodes are stronger than others with my personal favourites being 'Something Blue', 'Decoy', 'Menaces', 'Chance' and 'Shame', with the episode 'Hammer' being the one that didn't click for me. Always interesting as well, as you often get when watching old TV shows, is seeing the familiar faces popping up in roles, quite often before they were famous. The second series has more than its fair share of these.

That's now seventeen Mondays on the trot that I have tuned in at 10pm and my desire to continue watching 'The Gentle Touch' is still unabated. I hope to watch all 56 episodes on this one a week basis and I'm finding it thoroughly enjoyable.

Series 3 will start at 10pm on Monday (5th October 2020), Freeview, Ch81 Talking Pictures. It's not too late to start following the show. There are still 39 episodes to come.

Series 1 - 8/10 Series 2 - 9/10

The complete dvd boxed set of this is out this month Sept 2018. Just watching,it is addictive.

I had enjoyed this series on tv in the early 1980s.

As another reviewer said this is an underrated drama which covers social issues and trends from 1980s Britain.

People go on about The Sweeney for example but this series is just as 1980s as The Sweeney was 1970s.

But often this is better than the Sweeney because it is better written and better acted and is more realistic I think.

In the first couple of episodes we see police officers ranting about society's changing views of the police.

People write books about The Sweeney and they study it at university but I hope they study this and The Bill as well.

D.I. Maggie Forbes played by Gill Gascoigne and some familiar faces that have graced our screens for over 30 years. I forgot how good this program is! I haven't seen it since the series since it first aired & I have been currently watching series 1 on Talking Pictures TV channel on cable. It makes a nice change from watching the reruns of the sweeney on ITV4! 😉