Forget Morse’s Jag and Bergerac’s Triumph, TV detectives should drive ‘boring’ cars, says writer of new BBC crime drama The Responder – saying most real police officers ‘drive Focuses or Mondeos’
- First-time writer and former cop Tony Schumacher has written new BBC comedy-drama The Responder based on his own working life in the force
- He told audience at the Edinburgh TV Festival he got frustrated by shows that portrayed detectives with fancy cars and ‘Grand Designs houses’
- Martin Freeman, who plays officer Chris, will drive a ‘boring car’ in the show
The writer of an upcoming BBC crime drama has ridiculed the idea that detectives should be given flash cars to drive.
Tony Schumacher, whose latest series The Responder airs in the autumn and stars Martin Freeman, says it’s a myth that police officers have nice cars.
Television history would have you think otherwise; Inspector Morse (played by the late John Thaw) famously drove a Jaguar Mark II and Jersey crime fighter Jim Bergerac (John Nettles) whizzed around the Channel Island in a maroon 1947 Triumph Roadster.
Martin Freeman filming scenes for new crime comedy drama The Responder in Liverpool earlier this year. The new BBC show’s writer, ex-cop Tony Schumacher said it was unrealistic that TV detectives have plush houses and fancy cars
Schumacher said TV shows have to reflect real life, saying that most police officers he worked with drove a ‘Ford or a Mondeo’
Schumacher told audiences at the Edinburgh TV Festival that he got frustrated by shows that portrayed detectives with fancy cars and ‘Grand Designs houses’. Pictured: John Thaw as Chief Inspector Morse with his burgundy Jaguar Mark II
However, addressing an audience at the Edinburgh TV Festival, ex-cop Schumacher said it’s unrealistic to have characters living in posh houses with regal motors on the drive.
He said: ‘One of my bugbears is that every copper in a crime drama drives an interesting car. Most of the lads I worked with had Ford Focuses and Mondeos.’
Martin Freeman plays urgent response officer Chris in the six-part series about the Liverpool front-line police force and Schumacher said he was adamant Freeman’s character in the comedy-drama would drive a normal car.
He told the panel: ‘If we don’t reflect reality, people will say, “This is ridiculous. We’re not Starsky and Hutch.”‘
Schumacher said that too many TV series about life in the police force put key characters in houses that look ‘like being in an episode of Grand Designs – amazing, Nordic, glass-fronted houses. I said, “No, put him on a council estate, because that’s where these guys live.”‘
Martin Freeman was spotted filming the series in Liverpool earlier this year alongside co-star Adelayo Adedayo, who plays rookie cop Rachel.
The upcoming BBC box-set follows crisis-stricken, unconventional officer Chris as he works a series night shifts while on the beat.
Jersey crime fighter Bergerac whizzed around the Channel Island in a maroon 1947 Triumph Roadster when the hit show aired in the 80s
The character is seen battling to keep things together both professionally and personally as his marriage is on the rocks, while he’s also struggling with his mental health.
With Chris forced to work with new partner Rachel, both officers learn that in order to survive the high pressure environment of the night shift, they’ll have to work together – with scenes highlighting both comical and challenging aspects of the job.
The new show is based around the real-life experiences of ex-Merseyside officer and first-time writer Schumacher and aims to ‘holdup a mirror up to the emotional, heartbreaking extremes of modern day policing.’
Speaking of the BBC commission, he said: ‘If you had told me six years ago that I would be working with the BBC, a company of the calibre of Dancing Ledge, and an actor with the talent of Martin Freeman, I would have thrown you out of my taxi for being drunk.’