Van der Valk

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.

I am a keen admirer of the creativity, old world charm and classical things relating to those countries between Germany and France: Luxembourg, The Netherlands and Belgium. ''Van der Valk'' caught the zeitgeist in the jaded '70s with its depictions of Amsterdam's urban settings. The bars, pubs and clubs and transport network ca. 1972 are recorded well. Fair-haired, prudent, rational and witty actor: Barry Foster - a man of the East Midlands is very good. Good to see talented English actors such as Ian Hendry, John Stride and David Wood involved. The stirring theme tune ''Eye Level'' played by The Simon Park Orchestra was a major hit on the international pop charts in 1973. Well done to the Talking Movies channel for airing this series again.

I watched this on TV tiny screen at home in the seventies. FOSTER was made for the Character, great captivating stories, the old cars and flared trousers and of course a pint, a whole corona cigar, herrings and almost everybody smoked, camel ot Marlbara. My favourite was with Patrick Allen in death on the beach. Van de valk just couldn't pin his missing wife's death at sea was committed by him. His g/f lover the late. Joanna Dunham gave a good performance in this. Excellent series I have on a 12 disc set. Mines a Heineken and some nice fresh Herrings please!! 👍👍

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.