The Last Detective

The Last Detective tv show is made after books by the author Leslie Thomas, I only know it from catching it on the box.

It's become a favourite show of mine,and something of a must see programme.

I have scarcely seen Peter Davison in anything else but I really like him in this show, he seems to fit the character like the proverbial glove.

So much so one might imagine that it could have almost been written for him.

I have not seen enough of Sean Hughes comedy routine to know if he is actually funny, but he certainly fits in well as Mod. There is great rapport between his character and Dangerous, such that its easy to imagine them hanging out together.

DC Davies is frankly something of a soft touch certainly, his ex spouse and work colleagues consider him as such. A regular doormat someone to walk all over, and clean their shoes on.

Any self respecting individual would get out from under PDQ, leave both the parasitical ex and the prats he is lumbered with at work.

But although they all dislike him they wouldn't ever dispense with his services, because he is too useful to them. Plus they are all mean spirited and spiteful, and he is too handy a target.

I don't like violence or sudden nasty surprises in my watching, but I do like well-written drama/comedies/series and so have taken to this to the extent that I'm binge watching the whole lot at the moment - about to start season 4. I love that authenticity of the settings, the characters (there really isn't anyone who doesn't stand scrutiny) and the dialogue. It's very well written, in that while you know the good will out and a solution will be found (usually by Dangerous) , you are not spoon fed the answer and have to try and work it out yourself. I agree with the other reviewers, it's a pity there were only four series, but best to leave us wanting more. Excellent. I must try and find the books. Did they change the dog?

The Last Detective is a British series that combines good detective stories with a character study and a fair bit of humor especially for the genre.

Detective "Dangerous" Davies (Peter Davison) has the lowly rank of Constable despite having reached his middle years, he is kind and considerate to everyone, but his colleagues have mockingly nicknamed him Dangerous and his superiors have overlooked him. In fact Davies boss Detective Inspector Aspinall has said he will consider Davies to be last detective, the last to be considered for any investigation unless it meaningless and boring, in which case he will be first.

Davies in the midst of an amicable divorce from his wife and they share custody of their massive dog. His closest friend Mod is both philosophical and underemployed, because of this he often acts as a sounding board for his friend both for aspects of his work and his personal life.

The cases are often lesser crimes as befits his rank but sometimes they develop into other cases altogether, it's also somewhat refreshing to see something other than a murder being investigated. Davies despite his poor reputation amongst his colleagues is a fairly good detective mostly as a result of hard work as opposed to intuitive leaps.

Overall the cast is quite good, the bulk of the screen time goes to Peter Davison and he is very effective in low-key role, Sean Hughes as the eccentric Mod is also quite good and next in screen time.

I believe the series is best appreciated by those who are well acquainted with the British Police/Detective series although it's certainly not necessary. The majority of those series place considerable emphasis on rank, feature crusty or disagreeable detectives who are tolerated for their abilities and have little humor.

The series has thus far run four seasons, all of which are now available on DVD.

I'm currently watching the latest series on ITV1 in the UK. This show works for me because of its treatment of the 'everyman' character of Dangerous Davies.

This is a man who you'll usually find in every workplace: the chap who just doesn't fit in. But that doesn't mean that he's not good at his job, only that his colleagues assume that he can't be very good at it because he's not 'one of the lads' at work.

He doesn't have the 'nasty' qualities (nor the ambition) that would help him to rise above the rank of detective constable in the CID. And it's this niceness that seems to be the reason why his marriage has failed.

Peter Davison does a great job of showing that 'nice guys finish last' most of the time, but not all of the time. Meanwhile the script has an appropriate balance of humour and drama. Sean Hughes, as Mod, is also a good character, not only laying on the comedy, but also as a device that allows us to see a bit more of Dangerous's character through their conversations.

I plan to read the books (although they were published a long while back), and will have a look at the Bernard Cribbins film version from the early 80s. But please, please keep this version going for at least another series ITV!!

When I say THE LAST DETECTIVE is a fairly lightweight show this is in no way meant as a criticism . It's the sort of hhhmmmm how can I put it ? not a comedy but neither is it a heavy serious detective drama like A TOUCH OF FROST or INSPECTOR MORSE . Starring the blandest Doctor Who ever Peter Davison ( Again by no means a criticism ) as DC Davies the episodes revolve more around the character's chaotic home life than the cases he solves . Sean Hughes steals the show as Mod Lewis a sort of Celtic huggy bear who walks dogs and gives Davies good advice .....

DAVIES : I think I'm being stalked

MOD : I knew a woman who wouldn't leave me alone . She'd follow me everywhere , buy me clothes and give me money

DAVIES : Did you go to the police ?

MOD : No . It'd be a cruel man who'd turn in his own mother

If you thought the above line was amusing you'll certainly like the show , but my major criticism is to do with the fact that it's shown on a peak time Friday night when much of the potential audience is down the pub . THE LAST DETECTIVE feels more like a show that would be far more successful shown on a late Sunday evening slot

Update: As of 2005 it's now shown on Sunday evenings . Thanks for listening ITV