THE LIBRARIAN IV

New Tricks - It Smells of Books (Series Seven, Episode Two - BBC One). Brian Lane (Alun Armstrong) is barred from his noisy, disorderly local public library because he loudly expressed his disapproval. His wife Esther (Susan Jameson) takes him to the more old-fashioned, respectful and calm London Library.

When Brian discovers that a London Library membership card is listed among the personal affects of a cold case victim, he wastes no time volunteering to go undercover there. The Unsolved Crime And Open Case Squad (UCOS) reinvestigates the death of Dr Richard Symes, a university professor who died falling from the roof of his college three years ago.

« Silence! This is a bloody library! » (Brian)

Symes was the head of the Department of the History and Philosophy of Science, London Municipal University and an authority on Botanical sciences in the 18th century (« I've solved this already. He died of boredom. » - Gerry). This allows scriptwriter J.C. Wilsher to have some great fun on a territory which is familiar to him. Wilsher, actually Dr John Charles Wilsher, was a researcher at Lancaster University before becoming a writer and the creator of the acclaimed police drama Between the Lines (1992-1994).

« That's a bit posh. I've never met a rich widow.
- She doesn't own the business, she just works here.
- Well, maybe someday. » (Gerry and Sandra)

Brian Lane reinvents himself as "another member of the intelligentsia", much to his wife's irritation (« Why not go the whole hog and become a monk! You already got the haircut. ») as she's worrying about cracks (!) in their house. Jeremy Ventham, the college principal (Jonathan Cullen), claims that the victim was caught stealing valuable books and Symes'widow, Paula (Beth Goddard), is an antiquarian bookseller.

Gerry (Dennis Waterman) is skeptical: « Nicking library books is hardly a criminal conspiracy, is it? I can't see middle class professional people killing each other over it. » Especially when Brian says he's being spied on (« This is not about my medication! ») But a Traité des arbres fruitiers by Henri Duhamel was sold for 4.5 million dollars, explains Lane to his colleagues (« Worth nicking, eh? ») He finds the key of the enigma in a book of Edgar Allan Poe, there's a very medieval use of rolling stacks, and Jack Halford (James Bolam) wants to apply to a university as a mature student.

Directed superbly by veteran director Martyn Friend, It Smells of Books is a brilliant episode written with style and balance, where each main character has its share of great lines and moments. And it's always a treat to watch such talents like Anne Reid and David Ryall. New Tricks won the 9pm slot yesterday with 7 million viewers against ITV1's new chat show Paul O'Grady Live (3,5 million) (1). We'll see to what extent budget arbitration can allow more episodes of this quality in this 10-episode seventh series.

« You know, when we were still on the job, Brian applied to a university as a mature student.
- Really? What happened?
- They interviewed him.
- Oh. » (Jack and Sandra)

(1) http://www.atvnewsnetwork.co.uk/today/index.php/atv-today/3941-friday-ratings-new-tricks-beats-paul-ogrady-live

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/impact-without-crashbangwallop-no-screaming-tyres-no-sawnoffs-barely-a-shot-fired-yet-between-the-lines-is-the-best-police-drama-on-tv-sabine-durrant-talks-to-its-creator-j-c-wilsher-and-star-neil-pearson-1399734.html
http://www.mobot.org/mobot/osgl/addinfo.asp?relation=Duhamel13a

WHITE GHOST

Preceded by a superb tribute to EastEnders's legendary Peggy Mitchell (Barbara Windsor), New Tricks came back yesterday on BBC One for a seventh series.

Douglas Anderson, a financier based in Hong Kong before retiring back in the UK, died of a heart attack after disturbing a burglar and an ensuing struggle at his home two years ago. When psychic Sebastian Carter (Paul Rhys) reveals to Anderson's daughter (Alice Patten) that there's some unfinished business surrounding her father's death, UCOS reluctantly reopens the investigation. And DS Pullman (Amanda Redman) is stunned when Carter challenges her about her newly discovered brother, Tom (Jo Stone-Fewings).

A suprisingly slow and disappointing premiere. Dead Man Talking is written and directed by Julian Simpson, who yet wrote The Truth is Out There, one of the best episodes of series six. Fortunately Brian's antics save the episode, thanks to the talented Alun Armstrung - who shares one of those wonderful scenes with Susan Jameson (Brian's wife). And there's also a great Sandra/Gerry moment (« Not you, Gerry! The bloody car! ») But guest David Bradley is regrettably underused.

The intrigue itself was Bergerac without the charms of Jersey and the series needs more outdoor location scenes before it starts feeling claustrophobic. We'll see next week if everything is still "alright and OK" or if New Tricks is now the ghost of its former self.

NEW NEW TRICKS

It's not a franchise, BBC Worldwide doesn't license the characters for action figures. There's no media frenzy around the actors and no "trendy" showrunner or writer. But New Tricks is one of the BBC's biggest hits and the show returns for a seventh series on September 10 (BBC One).

Launched in 2003 with a pilot episode and shown since 2004, New Tricks is a "cold case" comedy/drama show with a difference. Headed by Detective Superintendent Sandra Pullman, played by Amanda Redman, UCOS (Unsolved Crime and Open Case Squad) is a very special unit composed of retired and burnout aged police officers.

Jack Halford (James Bolam, of the Likely Lads fame) is haunted by the death of his beloved wife. Brian "Memory" Lane (the fabulous Alun Armstrong) is a recovering alcoholic with OCD. And Gerry Standing is a gambler and a ladies man, with three ex-wives and three daughters. Standing is played by the legendary Dennis Waterman (The Sweeney, the original Minder).

Faithful to his own myth, Waterman sings It's alright, "da feem toon" (as his parody by comedian David Walliams would say in Little Britain) of the show. Unfortunately French viewers were deprived of the song when pubcaster France 3 started to air New Tricks in 2008. Someone had the bad idea to replace it by Rien n'est écrit, a song in French performed by... Murray Head. Anyway, Flics toujours is a flop in France!

Both the humour and the sensibility of the show come from the simple idea of these men dealing with their personal demons but proving you "can't teach old dogs new tricks" when they're back on the job. And they are with virtuosity in spite of a total lack of discipline and professional orthodoxy. Plus the weaknesses of age but the strength of experience.

In 2009 the BBC commissioned series seven (with an extended 10-episode run) and eight simultaneously, allowing the comedy/drama to go on at least until 2011. Produced by Wall to Wall and distributed by BBC Worldwide, New Tricks is an enjoyable, funny and intelligent crime series with a splendid ensemble cast.

http://www.lastbroadcast.co.uk/drama/spoilers/v/14479-new-tricks-series-7-episode-guide.html

OLD DOGS WITH 8 MILLION NEW TRICKS

Ageism seems to be amongst the latest issues tormenting the BBC these days, with the expenses of its executives (1) and the state of its dramas - catalyzed by the debate between eminent producer Tony Garnett and Ben Stephenson, the controller of BBC drama commissioning (2). After the controversial replacement of Arlene Phillips, 66, a veteran choreographer, by pop star Alesha Dixon, 30, as a judge in the popular Strictly Come Dancing show (3), the return of the acclaimed New Tricks on BBC1 for a sixth series comes with an unsuspected irony.

Launched in 2003 with a pilot episode and shown since 2004, New Tricks is a "cold case" comedy/drama show with a difference. Headed by Detective Superintendent Sandra Pullman, played by Amanda Redman, UCOS (Unsolved Crime and Open Case Squad) is a very special unit composed of retired and burnout aged police officers: Jack Halford (James Bolam, of the Likely Lads fame) - haunted by the death of his beloved wife, Gerry Standing (the legendary Dennis Waterman) - a gambler and a ladies man with three ex-wives and three daughters, and Brian Lane (the wonderful character actor Alun Armstrong) - a recovering alcoholic with OCD.

Both the humour and the sensibility of New Tricks come from the simple idea of these men coping with their personal demons but proving you "can't teach old dogs new tricks" when they're back to the job. And they are with virtuosity but also with a total lack of discipline and professional orthodoxy, plus the weaknesses of age (but the strength of experience). The ensemble cast of this great show is solid and it's a treat to watch British television legend Dennis Waterman (the original Minder) ageing well in the shoes of John Thaw - his former "Guv" in The Sweeney.

Faithful to his own myth, Waterman sings It's alright, "da feem toon" (as his parody by comedian David Walliams would say in Little Britain) of the show. Unfortunately French viewers were deprived of the song when New Tricks arrived on French public channel France 3 in 2008, with It's alright replaced by Rien n'est écrit, a song in French performed by Murray Head (whose brother Anthony played in one episode). With all the respect due to the talented Murray Head, say it ain't so, Joe please... (sorry, couldn't help).

The sixth series of New Tricks, launched with more than 8 million viewers on July 16, claimed 34% share in 9pm slot, beating nearest rival by more than 4 million viewers (http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/jul/17/bbc1-new-tricks-tv-ratings). In many respects the ratings of the series premiere echo with a poetic irony not only to the Arlene Phillips replacement but also to the "Hollyoaksing" of the cast of Doctor Who - Matt Smith (the new Doctor) being 26 and Karen Gillan, the Doctor's new assistant, 21.

New Tricks star Amanda Redman, 49, fears she could lose out on top jobs because of her age, in the wake of the Phillips situation (http://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/news/2009/07/14/exclusive-new-tricks-star-amanda-redman-fears-the-sack-after-bbc-ageism-row-115875-21518495/). This would be a terrible mistake because Redman is all charm, class and talent. Anyway the Beeb can argue that the main character of its flagship franchise is 905 years old, which is far far more older than the Strictly Come Dancing iconic presenter Bruce "Brucie" Forsyth, 81.

« It's alright, its OK
It doesnt matter if you're old and grey... »
(Dennis Waterman, the Guv of British television)

(1) http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/jul/17/bbc-expenses-christmas-dinner-flowers
(2) http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/organgrinder/2009/jul/15/tony-garnett-bbc-drama + http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/jul/15/tony-garnett-email-bbc-drama + http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/organgrinder/2009/jul/16/ben-stephenson-tony-garner
(3) http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/celebritynews/5844671/Strictly-Come-Dancings-Arlene-Phillips-is-a-victim-of-ageism-says-Harriet-Harman.html