Van der Valk

I saw this British TV series a few times on PBS and I loved it. I love the theme song as well. It features Barry Foster as a detective in Amsterdam (it's all in English) investigating various crimes. One I remember is some Yugoslavs were ripped off by a tractor salesman who dies, and they are the suspects.

I think I must have seen a few episodes as reruns in the late seventies,always after News at Ten. After a recent visit to Amsterdam I remembered the original and wanted to see it again so bought the box set. Barry Foster is very good and was clearly a fine actor. He has some really good scenes that exploits to the full Filmed in Amsterdam in colour you get to see the sights. The plots are complex and some scenes may seem a little laboured by modern standards but the show really holds up well against Wallender, Montalbano etc. If there is a production company out there looking for the next European detective they couldn't do much better than resurrect one of the originals, Commissaris Piet van der Valk and pay tribute to the excellent Barry Foster who made the part.

Has the distinction (IMHO) of being the TV show with the best ever theme music. Track it down on the net if you haven't heard it.

Oh, and it was a great detective show also.

I am really enjoying the 1972-1992 episodes on Talking Pictures, Freeview channel 81, Friday nights, 9-10pm. UK Very nostalgic to enjoy Barry Foster as the lead Comisaris in these original episodes. Have enjoyed each one. I rate them with full marks. No recent remaking of V d V with other actors can compare to Barry ... so I have turned the TV over.

Years ago, when there were excellent TV channels, they used to make 60 minute episodes ... And Van Der Valk was one of the best made by Thames Television. It was filmed in Holland, and I mean even the interiors ! So a considerable expense was involved with crews, actors etc unlike cheap sets of today's. Excellent acting, script, theme music and plots ... what more can one ask for !