Following the airing of every surviving episode of Dixon of Dock Green, Talking Pictures TV has secured the rights to another British police procedural classic.
It has been announced that Talking Pictures TV will be airing existing episodes of Z Cars, a groundbreaking police drama from the 1960s and 1970s.
What is Z Cars?
Z Cars was created by Troy Kennedy Martin. It ran for 801 episodes over 12 series from 1962 to 1978 on the BBC, and offered a gritty portrayal of police work in Newtown, a fictional town in the North of England. At the time of writing, approximately 462 episodes of the show are believed to be missing.
“The stories revolve around pairs of officers patrolling that week. Riding on changing social attitudes and television, the social realism, with interesting stories, garnered popularity for Z Cars. The cast rotated mostly from episode to episode, but some actors played recurring characters, such as James Ellis, Frank Windsor, Joss Ackland, Leonard Rossiter, John Thaw, Brian Blessed and even future Monkee Davy Jones.” Talking Pictures TV
Following on…
In the past year, Talking Pictures TV has broadcast a number of rare television series. Many of these were unseen on broadcast television for decades. Titles have included Dixon of Dock Green, Worzel Gummidge, Out of Town with Jack Hargreaves and Love for Lydia.
Jamie’s Reaction: it has been such a delight to discover the joy of Dixon of Dock Green over the last six months. I have observed a feeling on social media that Z Cars was a different kind of animal, offering a grittier approach to depicting the police. I am glad that this wonderful channel has picked up the rights to this show because once again I get to make my own mind up. I look forward to seeing what Z Cars brought to the table.
