Burnside

I can't believe it's taken me over 20 years to watch this shortlived series, seeing that I was a huge fan of The Bill, and hardly missed an episode between 1985 and 2002!

As with many fans of The Bill, I loved the antihero character of Frank Burnside - the old-school detective who gets his results by not always using the most orthodox methods.

When I heard there was going to be a Burnside spinoff show, I wasn't sure it was a good idea, and maybe it would stretch the character too much by taking him out of his usual setting, with completely new characters.

But, after seeing this excellent series, I'm now very glad to be proved wrong. What amazed me is how fresh and modern the show looks - as if it were made in 2020, not 2000!

Burnside has now in charge of a unit in the National Crime Squad, and works with two sidekicks, Sam and Dave.

Sam is an attractive young Scottish woman, and Dave a mixed-race gay man - which all sounds very 'woke' by today's standards, but these are no 'token' characters... they both have fully fleshed-out personalities and have real and meaningful input into the stories, and the whole set-up feels authentic and in tune with today's special forces.

There are three stories, each a two-parter, and all very different - although, as the shoe progresses, it's clear Burnsife has a score to settle with smarmy and ageing gangster Ronnie 'the razor' Buchan, played by Paul Nicholas.

The standard is very high, and the stories are violent, action-packed and suspenseful. If you've never seen this show, then I'd urge you to give it a try and see for yourself.

I've no idea why it was cancelled after only 6 episodes - this is a series that should have been around for years.

Burnside is an old style CID copper made famous in hit crime series such as The Bill. Life on Mars come to mind but this is realism. Now working for the crime investigation squad, Burnside investigates when a gang of drug dealers start gun running. He also investigates a serial killer, again copied in new crime programs. The Russian Mafia also feature, all copied by lesser coppers! When a trial ends in disaster, Burnside and his team find themselves investigating a Gangland murder. When a group of women are killed one by one, Burnside and his team race against the clock to find the killer before he strikes again.

Watch out for Ronnie "The Razor" Buchan, a former London gangster and Burnside's nemesis.

Wonderful acting by Ellison as Burnside and good stories.

Highly recommended good old fashioned crime stories.

Tough anti hero .

I agree, this series was a disappointment. Chris should stick at what we know him best for.

An attempt to capitalize on Burnside without Burnside... I mean who could have thought of that, an undoubtedly popular character that if returning today (13 years later) would be much like Hilda returning to Corry.

Burnside needs to get back into "The Bill", after all, he MADE the show.

After he left it sadly went downhill, not surprising given the strength of his character and charisma (can't believe I said that).

Was it really 1993?

"Burnside" is a spin-off from famous and long-running U.K. police drama "The Bill", made by the same company and starring possibly that show's most popular character, DCI Frank Burnside (Chris Ellison).

There the similarities end.

Part of The Bill's longevity has been its quality scriptwriting, standout acting and fly-on-the-wall documentary style photography, even lacking a music soundtrack. You believe you are there.

"Burnside" introduces a hip new style, cool soundtrack, sassy characters and gritty plots. Unfortunately it also introduces odd dialogue, stereotypically non-stereotypical police officers (more like NYPD Blue) and stretched-out, convoluted plots.

The premise that Frank has moved up to the National Crime Squad (cf FBI) is a good one, but his team (DC Sam Philips and DS Dave Summers) are a waste of space. They don't do anything. How did they manage to get promoted up to that level? Sam spends most of her time talking dirty - maybe the character is trying to assert herself in a male world - or maybe it's just moronic scriptwriting. And her mother is an alcoholic? Oooh, gritty. And I'm sure there must be millions of gay, black detectives in the police.

Burnside as DCI spends a lot of time asking his junior officers what is going on, obviously a device to inform the audience but it makes Frank seem like he isn't doing anything. In the second story (episode 3), he bizarrely dismisses Sam's idea that the photographer is the culprit and then changes his mind, making most of the episode a waste of time. He whines about having "facts" although there weren't many "facts" against the other suspect, either. And Frank was never much of a "facts" man, anyway.

Why it takes the three of them to solve the crimes they do is a mystery. Reg Hollis could sort them out on his own, between tending Sun Hill's garden to building his model trains.

Putting Frank Burnside into his own show was an excellent idea but it still needs "Bill"-like scripts and production values. As it is, they seem to have inserted a character called Burnside played by the same guy into a fairly generic, unextraordinary police drama. It's actually a testament to Chris Ellison and the wonderful character he has given life to that this show is worth watching; because despite everything it doesn't occur to you that he's an actor playing a role: Burnside lives and breathes and every nuance conveys volumes.

Burnside is still one of the great dramatic characters, but "Burnside" could have been so much more.

Burnside is a great action-drama with punch, and "The Bills" Christopher (Chris) Ellison puts into a brilliant performance as Frank Burnside.

This man is looking for revenge against an infamous media personality who killed his partner and great friend years earlier, and like a desperado he would do anything to achieve his objective!

This series is a classic, and should be enjoyed and looked upon as one of the great modern-day series from Britain for many years to come!