Care and Protection

Personally am a big fan of 'A Touch of Frost', if more so the earlier-mid-show episodes than the later ones (though there isn't an unwatchable episode of the lot). Love the mix of comedy and dark grit, the tension between rebellious Jack Frost and by-the-book Mullet which has led to some humorous moments, how Frost solves the cases, the production values, music and of course David Jason in one of his best roles.

Some may have had doubts at the time of 'A Touch of Frost' working, with a mostly comedic actor in a more serious dramatic role in a very different kind of programme to other roles and shows he's famous for. Scepticism very quickly evaporated, 'A Touch of Frost' turned out to be a hit and Frost is one of Jason's most famous roles for very good reason. "Care and Protection" is a great start, perhaps not one of the show's best episodes but unlike a lot of shows tone and characterisation is quite well-established and there isn't as much of a still settling in feel.

Of course there were lighter in tone and funnier episodes since, with "Care and Protection" being one of the darkest and grittiest 'A Touch of Frost' episodes, and maybe there is a little bit of Del Boy in Jason occasionally (understandable, being a role that he played for a long time and was still portraying at the time of when 'A Touch of Frost' first started). In no way are these problems though.

Visually, "Care and Protection" looks great, matching the dark, gritty tone of the episode beautifully with atmospheric lighting and the stylish way it's shot. The music is haunting without being over-bearing while the theme tune is one of the most iconic in the detective genre (or at least to me it is).

"Care and Protection" is very well written too. Tension, emotional poignancy and a little humour (if not as much as later) are very well balanced. The story, with as said a darker and grittier to what was to come, is riveting, with Frost's subplot making one really feel for his situation and the two cases are interesting and harrowing, never falling into the trap of being disjointed. Frost is a remarkably well-established character for so early on, and one cannot help love his chemistry with Barnard (appealingly played by Matt Bardock) and with Mullet (a suitably stern Bruce Alexander).

Jason gives an excellent performance and went on to do even better. The supporting cast do very well too, if nobody quite outstanding.

In conclusion, great start to a personal favourite. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Review of: A Touch of Frost (Series 1, Episode 1: Care and Protection)

Frost character returns home (similar to myself at previous employment) Accident cover up (feeling to ignore) but frost did ignore (tut) Familiar scenario of line manager avoidance Frost Groomed or trained assistant into informality (would hope for encouragement for assistants to formality and initiative) Frost refers to contraception being called condom. When prompted assistant to open bath panel. I thought of poetry and thought to trust his character as wise and experience. However hope scenes of dishonesty get fair judgement on screenplay

Well documented, amazed by arrangement, as I managed to think about next steps at the finding of human remains.

Dialogue varies though the network warns of .... language.

Though later wondered about why radios aren't utilised (assuming the team i.e. Police present at briefing all work on, or are assigned to cases)

In this inaugural episode we are introduced to Detective Jack Frost who is living a life of pain, dealing with a wife who is terminal and a police captain who finds him a threat to the department, despite his great successes. We also meet a young man who is to become his partner as well as host of other characters. There are two focuses in this episode. The first involves a little girl who goes missing. Her mother is prostituting herself to make ends meet. Because her John comes late (so to speak), she fails to pick the girl up. Because the head detective has medical issues, Frost ends up with the case. We see both his compassion and his insightful way of investigating. There is a second case of a severed arm, handcuffed to a metal box (like the kind in a safe deposit box). This leads to an investigation of a thirty-year-old murder. At the same time Frost is dealing with his dying wife who is in the care of a woman. We understand that Frost has all he can do to involve himself. We know immediately that this is going to be a fun, complex series with great characters, good guys and villains, and intriguing cases.

The first episode of A Touch of Frost sets the tone for the show. Frost is old-fashioned, cynical, curmudgeonly, untidy and rubs his superiors up the wrong way...but he is very good at his job. With a hard-nosed attitude and an incredible work ethic his ability to solve crimes is uncanny.

We also get to see Frost's personal life and it's hardly a bed of roses.

You also discover that this is not your usual crime drama where the evidence and pieces to the puzzle are all neatly presented to the detective but one where much of the solving is done through good old-fashioned police work.

The introduction to D. I. Jack Frost and his Nemesis Superintendent Mullett, as well as the team at Denton Nick, we see a glimpse of his home life with his ailing wife and a lady friend Shirley Fisher.

Mullett is revealed to be a mean spirited vindictive penny pincher, whinging of money spent on overtime in searching for a missing child.

A new Copper joins the detective team a young D. C. Barnard who on his first day on the job, draws the short straw and gets teamed up with D. I. Frost, and gets used as his secretary and general dogsbody.

A schoolgirl Tracy goes missing after her mum turns up late to pick her up from school, and D. I. Frost gets put in charge of the investigations.