The Cops

This was a drama that refused to allow you any easy entertainment, had you quite disorientated at regular intervals, made 'minor' dramatic events absolutely absorbing, and was transfixing from the start nearly to the finish, which I felt slackened off a bit. There are hardly any clear moral rights and wrongs. The actors are mostly completely amateur, but obviously brilliantly schooled by the producers/director in how to be realistic. Just every so often the BBC can come with work such as this, like 'Bodies' which make standard police/hospital/etc. dramas seem absurdly unreal by comparison. I came out of these programmes feeling genuinely stirred, and, as if I'd really been involved in something.

The world is full of TV cop shows; 'The Cops' is my favourite, and in some senses, it's barely a cop show at all. Instead, it's a raw, funny, character-led drama, about lonely people trying to hold it together on both sides of the law. It is a bit grim: we rarely see anyone happy, but the portraits that are painted are very rounded: it forces us to sympathise in one episode with someone who has acted unforgivably in the previous one. The cast are all great; the hand-held camera work feels a bit dizzying at times but adds to the air of realism. But above all else, there's a willingness to leave the audience discomfitted on display which few programes since had the courage to emulate. In my opinion, it's one of the best drama series ever made.

I recently got to see this classic, short-lived TV series again for the first time in seven or eight years, and had forgotten how brilliant it really was. Intelligently scripted, convincingly performed by a largely unknown cast, and filmed with a gritty realism that brings to mind the works of great British directors like Ken Loach and Alan Clarke.

Much of the drama came from mundane, everyday situations, and it always avoided over-blowing story lines for dramatic effect. At times, though, it pulled no punches, and had the power to really bring home the harsh realities of modern-day urban life.

Watching this again highlights how far down the pan shows like 'The Bill' have gone over recent years, playing more and more like soap opera trash. I can't remember this show ever being repeated by the BBC and it's never had an official DVD release - with the rubbish that's cluttering up our TV screens lately, it must surely be ripe for rediscovery!

The Cops is one of the most forceful drama series produced in the UK in recent years. In essence a documentary-style police drama, its real triumph lies in its deep characterisation (no good cops, no bad cops - just people) and its stunning method acting. John Henshaw's Roy is a particularly devastating example of the power of this series. This is TV that pulls no punches - gripping storylines and amazing camerawork are just a part of it.

The Cops is a British television police procedural drama series created by Jimmy Gardner, Robert Jones, and Anita J. Pandolfo, that first broadcast on BBC Two on 19 October 1998....