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The Case for the Defense of British Grittiness

Thursday, April 16th, 2009

I’ve just seen another talking head piece where it was said that Britain doesn’t make gritty police shows. I like The Wire but there isn’t any need to get into self flagelation that all we ever make is Dixon of Dock Green and Heartbeat.
If I swore on this blog I’d use a single word to say just what rubbish that is but I don’t so instead I’d suggest the lazy look at a few shows that make their case look frankly stupid…

  • Z Cars
  • The Sweeney
  • Edge of Darkness
  • Between the Lines
  • Cracker
  • Dead Head
  • Rebus
  • Waking the Dead
  • Red Riding

And thats without being able to remember the titles of a couple of British shows including the one where a witness had his nipples ripped off using pliers at the end of the first part…

Ok some of them look tame now, especially the older ones, but for their day they were gritty. I just hope the talking heads who are making their penny today complaining will keep their traps shut and not spout moral indignation when someone makes a British cop show or mystery that sets the bar way past The Wire.

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