Softly, Softly (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Softly, Softly is a British television
drama series, produced by the BBC
and screened on BBC 1
from January 1966. It centred around the work of regional crime squads, plain-clothes CID
officers based in the fictional region of Wyvern - supposedly in the Bristol
and Chepstow
area of the UK. The series (which took its name from the proverb
'softly, softly, catchee monkey') was designed as a vehicle for Detective Chief Inspector Charles Barlow and Detective Inspector John Watt (played by Stratford Johns
and Frank Windsor
respectively) from the popular police series Z-Cars
, which had just finished its original run. Also joining them in the early series was Robert Keegan as Blackitt, the police station sergeant from Z-Cars
, now retired and acting as a freelance helper. The series introduced characters like Sgt. Harry Hawkins (Norman Bowler
) who would become very popular and well known. Promoted over the years to Detective Chief Inspector, Hawkins stayed with the show for its entire run.
Other shorter-lived regular characters in the series early years included Alexis Kanner
as DC Matt Stone. Although popular with audiences, Kanner appears to have alienated cast and crew with erratic behaviour during live recordings, and the character was dropped after only 9 episodes. He later played the recalcitrant Number 48 in The Prisoner
.
The first two series continued the trend set by producer David Rose
with Z-Cars
, and transmitted the majority of episodes live. This was one of the last long-running British TV series to do this. From series three onwards all episodes were pre-recorded.
The original theme music was, like Z-Cars
, a folk-song arrangement by Fritz Spiegl
. It was released as a single (credited to the London Waits) on Andrew Loog Oldham
's "Immediate
" record label in 1966.
In 1969, to coincide with the BBC's move to colour broadcasting on BBC 1, the series changed again. Barlow, Watt and Hawkins were promoted and moved to the South East of England, to the (again) fictitious Thamesford, where they were in charge of Taskforces, groupings of police expertise and manpower drawn together for special operations. The series was to have changed its name to Taskforce, but the BBC were reluctant to drop a popular brand, and so it became Softly, Softly: Taskforce
.
Johns left the Taskforce series in 1972 (Barlow had his own spin-off series Barlow at Large
) but it continued until 1976 with Watt in command. During the 70s Windsor also appeared as Watt in Jack the Ripper, in which he and Barlow reopened the Jack the Ripper
murder casebook, and a similar series Second Verdict
in which they looked into unsolved mysteries and miscarriages of justice from history.
All episodes of Taskforce survive, but much of the original Softly, Softly is lost, especially the first 2 seasons.
Others -
British television
Public television broadcasting started in the United Kingdom in 1936, and now has a collection of free and subscription services over a variety of distribution media, through which there are over 480 channelsTaking the base Sky EPG TV Channels. A breakdown is impossible due to a) the number of...
drama series, produced by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
and screened on BBC 1
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
from January 1966. It centred around the work of regional crime squads, plain-clothes CID
Criminal Investigation Department
The Crime Investigation Department is the branch of all Territorial police forces within the British Police and many other Commonwealth police forces, to which plain clothes detectives belong. It is thus distinct from the Uniformed Branch and the Special Branch.The Metropolitan Police Service CID,...
officers based in the fictional region of Wyvern - supposedly in the Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
and Chepstow
Chepstow
Chepstow is a town in Monmouthshire, Wales, adjoining the border with Gloucestershire, England. It is located on the River Wye, close to its confluence with the River Severn, and close to the western end of the Severn Bridge on the M48 motorway...
area of the UK. The series (which took its name from the proverb
Proverb
A proverb is a simple and concrete saying popularly known and repeated, which expresses a truth, based on common sense or the practical experience of humanity. They are often metaphorical. A proverb that describes a basic rule of conduct may also be known as a maxim...
'softly, softly, catchee monkey') was designed as a vehicle for Detective Chief Inspector Charles Barlow and Detective Inspector John Watt (played by Stratford Johns
Stratford Johns
Stratford Johns, born Alan Edgar Stratford-Johns, was a popular British stage, film and television actor who is best remembered for his starring role as Detective Inspector Charlie Barlow in the innovative and long-running BBC police series Z-Cars, created by Troy Kennedy-Martin.-Early life:Johns...
and Frank Windsor
Frank Windsor
Frank Windsor is an English actor, mainly on television.He attended Queen Mary's Grammar School, Walsall. He began his career on radio and made an appearance in a 1953 film of Henry V...
respectively) from the popular police series Z-Cars
Z-Cars
Z-Cars is a British television drama series centred on the work of mobile uniformed police in the fictional town of Newtown, based on Kirkby in the outskirts of Liverpool in Merseyside. Produced by the BBC, it debuted in January 1962 and ran until September 1978.-Origins:The series was developed by...
, which had just finished its original run. Also joining them in the early series was Robert Keegan as Blackitt, the police station sergeant from Z-Cars
Z-Cars
Z-Cars is a British television drama series centred on the work of mobile uniformed police in the fictional town of Newtown, based on Kirkby in the outskirts of Liverpool in Merseyside. Produced by the BBC, it debuted in January 1962 and ran until September 1978.-Origins:The series was developed by...
, now retired and acting as a freelance helper. The series introduced characters like Sgt. Harry Hawkins (Norman Bowler
Norman Bowler
Norman Clifford Bowler is a British actor.Born in London, son of a watch repairer in Mill Lane, NW6, he became a member of the 1950s Soho set alongside the likes of John Minton, Francis Bacon and Daniel Farson. There he met Henrietta Moraes, who divorced her first husband, Michael Law, and...
) who would become very popular and well known. Promoted over the years to Detective Chief Inspector, Hawkins stayed with the show for its entire run.
Other shorter-lived regular characters in the series early years included Alexis Kanner
Alexis Kanner
Alexis Kanner was a French-born Anglo Canadian actor, most notable for appearing in the ground-breaking TV series The Prisoner....
as DC Matt Stone. Although popular with audiences, Kanner appears to have alienated cast and crew with erratic behaviour during live recordings, and the character was dropped after only 9 episodes. He later played the recalcitrant Number 48 in The Prisoner
The Prisoner
The Prisoner is a 17-episode British television series first broadcast in the UK from 29 September 1967 to 1 February 1968. Starring and co-created by Patrick McGoohan, it combined spy fiction with elements of science fiction, allegory and psychological drama.The series follows a British former...
.
The first two series continued the trend set by producer David Rose
David Rose (producer)
David E. Rose is a retired television producer and commissioning editor.Following war service as a RAF pilot of Lancaster Bombers on 34 missions, he trained as an actor at the Guildhall School of Drama, but following graduation pursued a career in stage management...
with Z-Cars
Z-Cars
Z-Cars is a British television drama series centred on the work of mobile uniformed police in the fictional town of Newtown, based on Kirkby in the outskirts of Liverpool in Merseyside. Produced by the BBC, it debuted in January 1962 and ran until September 1978.-Origins:The series was developed by...
, and transmitted the majority of episodes live. This was one of the last long-running British TV series to do this. From series three onwards all episodes were pre-recorded.
The original theme music was, like Z-Cars
Z-Cars
Z-Cars is a British television drama series centred on the work of mobile uniformed police in the fictional town of Newtown, based on Kirkby in the outskirts of Liverpool in Merseyside. Produced by the BBC, it debuted in January 1962 and ran until September 1978.-Origins:The series was developed by...
, a folk-song arrangement by Fritz Spiegl
Fritz Spiegl
Fritz Spiegl was born at Zurndorf, Austria, the son of an agricultural merchant and his Jewish wife. He became a musician, journalist, broadcaster, humorist and collector who lived and worked in England from 1939....
. It was released as a single (credited to the London Waits) on Andrew Loog Oldham
Andrew Loog Oldham
Andrew Loog Oldham is an English producer, talent manager, impresario and author. He was manager and producer of The Rolling Stones from 1963, and was noted for his flamboyant style.-Biography:...
's "Immediate
Immediate
Immediate may refer to:* Immediacy * Immediate Records, a British record label* The Immediate, an Irish rock group* Immediate Music, a music composition company...
" record label in 1966.
In 1969, to coincide with the BBC's move to colour broadcasting on BBC 1, the series changed again. Barlow, Watt and Hawkins were promoted and moved to the South East of England, to the (again) fictitious Thamesford, where they were in charge of Taskforces, groupings of police expertise and manpower drawn together for special operations. The series was to have changed its name to Taskforce, but the BBC were reluctant to drop a popular brand, and so it became Softly, Softly: Taskforce
Softly, Softly: Taskforce
Softly, Softly the popular BBC television police drama series, was revamped in 1969, partly to coincide with the coming of colour broadcasting to BBC 1...
.
Johns left the Taskforce series in 1972 (Barlow had his own spin-off series Barlow at Large
Barlow at Large
Barlow at Large is a British television programme broadcast in the 1970s, starring Stratford Johns in the title role.Johns had previously played Barlow in the Z-Cars, Softly, Softly and Softly, Softly: Taskforce series on BBC television during the 1960s and early 1970s...
) but it continued until 1976 with Watt in command. During the 70s Windsor also appeared as Watt in Jack the Ripper, in which he and Barlow reopened the Jack the Ripper
Jack the Ripper
"Jack the Ripper" is the best-known name given to an unidentified serial killer who was active in the largely impoverished areas in and around the Whitechapel district of London in 1888. The name originated in a letter, written by someone claiming to be the murderer, that was disseminated in the...
murder casebook, and a similar series Second Verdict
Second Verdict
Second Verdict was a six-part BBC television series from 1976, of dramatised documentaries in which classic criminal cases and unsolved crimes from history were re-appraised by fictional police officers...
in which they looked into unsolved mysteries and miscarriages of justice from history.
All episodes of Taskforce survive, but much of the original Softly, Softly is lost, especially the first 2 seasons.
Series Run Down
- 1/ 5 Jan - 29 June 1966, 26 50min Black & White episodes
- 2/ 2 Nov 1966 - 31 May 1967, 31 50min Black & White episodes
- 3/ 4 Oct 1967 - 4 Apr 1968, 26 50min Black & White episodes
- 4/ 12 Sept 1968 - 13 Mar 1969, 27 50min Black & White episodes
- 5/ 11 Sept 1969 - 13 Nov 1969, 10 50min Black & White episodes
Cast
- Stratford JohnsStratford JohnsStratford Johns, born Alan Edgar Stratford-Johns, was a popular British stage, film and television actor who is best remembered for his starring role as Detective Inspector Charlie Barlow in the innovative and long-running BBC police series Z-Cars, created by Troy Kennedy-Martin.-Early life:Johns...
— DCS Charlie Barlow /... (1966-1969 / Series 1-5 / 91 episodes) - Frank WindsorFrank WindsorFrank Windsor is an English actor, mainly on television.He attended Queen Mary's Grammar School, Walsall. He began his career on radio and made an appearance in a 1953 film of Henry V...
— DI/DCI John Watt /... (1966-1969 / Series 1-5 / 84 episodes) - Robert Keegan — Mr. Bob Blackitt /... (1966-1967 / Series 1-2 / 42 episodes)
- John WelshJohn Welsh (actor)John Welsh was an Irish actor.After an early stage career in Dublin, Welsh moved into British film and television in the 1950s. His roles included James Forsyte in the 1967 BBC dramatisation of John Galsworthy's The Forsyte Saga, as well as the butler Merriman in The Duchess of Duke Street, Sgt...
— ACC Bill Calderwood /... (1966-1967 / Series 1-2 / 24 episodes) - Garfield MorganGarfield MorganGarfield Morgan was an English actor who appeared mostly on TV and occasionally in films.Born in Birmingham, Morgan was apprenticed as a dental mechanic before going to drama school. He started his acting career with the Arena Theatre, Birmingham...
— DCI Gwyn Lewis /... (1966 / Series 1 / 19 episodes) - Norman BowlerNorman BowlerNorman Clifford Bowler is a British actor.Born in London, son of a watch repairer in Mill Lane, NW6, he became a member of the 1950s Soho set alongside the likes of John Minton, Francis Bacon and Daniel Farson. There he met Henrietta Moraes, who divorced her first husband, Michael Law, and...
— DS Harry Hawkins /... (1966-1969 / Series 1-5 / 75 episodes) - Gilbert Wynne — DC Reg Dwyer /... (1966-1967 / Series 1-3 / 43 episodes)
- Cavan Kendall - PC Greenly /... (1966 / Series 1 / 14 episodes)
- Dan Meaden — DC Ben Box /... (1966-1968 / Series 1-4 / 49 episodes)
- Eric McCaine - Insp. CI Laird /... (1966-1969 / Series 1-4 / 18 episodes)
- John BarronJohn Barron (actor)John Barron was an English actor.-Biography:Born in Marylebone, London, Barron was interested in acting from an early age. For his 18th birthday his godfather paid his entry fee to RADA. After serving as a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy during the Second World War, he returned to stage acting...
— ACC Austin Gilbert /... (1966-1969 / Series 2-5 / 52 episodes) - David QuilterDavid QuilterDavid Quilter is an English actor who has made numerous appearances in UK television plays and series since the mid 1960s.He was born in Northwood, London and attended Bryanston School, Dorset...
— PC Tanner /... (1966-1967 / Series 2-3 / 29 episodes) - Chrys Salt - Gwenda Lloyd /... (1967-1968 / Series 3 / 15 episodes)
- Peggy Sinclair — P/W DS Barbara Allin /... (1967-1969 / Series 3-5 / 38 episodes)
- Philip Brack — DI Jim Cook /... (1968-1969 / Series 3-5 / 29 episodes)
- Gavin Campbell — PC/DC William Digby /... (1968-1969 / Series 3-5 / 25 episodes)
- Howell Evans — DC Morgan /... (1968-1969 / Series 4-5 / 15 episodes)
Others -
- Alexis KannerAlexis KannerAlexis Kanner was a French-born Anglo Canadian actor, most notable for appearing in the ground-breaking TV series The Prisoner....
- DC Matt Stone (1966 / Series 1 / 9 episodes) - Colin DouglasColin Douglas (actor)Colin Douglas was an English actor. Born in Newcastle upon Tyne, Douglas was educated at the Farm School in Cumberland...
- DCI Rawlings (1966 / Series 1 / 3 episodes) - Barry LettsBarry LettsBarry Leopold Letts was a British actor, television director, writer and producer best known for his work on the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who, and for producing the BBC's Sunday Classic drama serials in the late 1970s and early 1980s...
- DS Reed (1966 / Series 1 / 4 episodes) - Glyn HoustonGlyn HoustonGlyn Houston , is an actor best known for his television work. He is the brother of the late film actor Donald Houston.-Early life:...
- D Supt. Arthur Jones (1966-1969 / Series 2, 4 / 7 episodes) - Gay HamiltonGay HamiltonGay Hamilton is a Scottish actress. Her filmography notably includes Stanley Kubrick's Barry Lyndon and Ridley Scott's The Duellists. In the late 1960s/early 1970s, she was love interest and later wife of Detective Chief Superintendent John Watt in the TV series Softly, Softly and its Taskforce...
- Dr. Jean Morrow (1969 / Series 4-5 / 5 episodes) - Walter GotellWalter GotellWalter Gotell was a German actor, known for his role as General Gogol, head of the KGB, in the James Bond film series.Gotell was born in Bonn, Germany; his family emigrated to the United Kingdom after the Nazis came to power...
- Chief Con. Arthur Cullen (1969 / Series 5 / 1 episode)
External links
- Softly, Softly at Television Heaven