New Tricks is a UK police procedural, based around one very simple premise: what if the Metropolitan Police used retired policemen to try and close unsolved cases? It ran for eight seasons without a major cast change until James Bolan left the show in 2012.
That would be where Denis Lawson comes in.
I’m of the firm belief that you can start watching the show with his first episode and you’ll be just fine—his character’s introduction means everything you need to know about everyone else in the show is explained as you go. I certainly watched it all completely out of order when I started and managed along just fine. But in case you’d like to know a little bit more about the show’s history and the characters we’ll be meeting, please read on.
The Show
The Unsolved Crime and Open Case Squad—UCOS for short—is a unit set up within the London Metropolitan Police to try and tackle the large number of cold cases on file. Det. Supt. Sandra Pullman is charged with setting it up and is given precious few resources with which to do so. She reaches out to her old mentor, Jack Halford, to join her, and they sign up two more retired detectives to help him.
What initially was intended to be a punishment for Sandra and a token effort to show movement on cold cases on the Met’s behalf soon turns into a hugely successful venture. They tackle cases with a combination of old-fashioned sleuthing and modern policing developments, and have a clean-up rate far above average.
The Characters
Detective Superintendent Sandra Pullman (Amanda Redman) is the head of UCOS. A former high-flyer, she’s assigned to UCOS after a hostage situation went wrong. She’s ambitious, tough and competitive, dedicated to her career above everything else. Her father was a Detective Inspector, and his legacy—both his right-and-wrongdoings—looms large over Sandra. She has the sometimes unenviable task of attempting to keep her colleagues in line and obeying the rules.
Gerry Standing (Dennis Waterman) is known notably for two things; his associations with the criminal element, and his three ex-wives. Despite his criminal associations and accusations of corruption that dog him, he’s actually clean, refusing to take bribes or not do the right thing. He’s also a devoted family man, being on amicable terms with all his ex-wives and being devoted to his daughters and grandson. A jack-the-lad who never quite toes the line, his relationships with newcomers are often tense; but once accepted, Gerry is fiercely loyal.
Brian Lane (Alun Armstrong) is a recovering alcoholic with obsessive-compulsive disorder. He left the force after a young man died in custody whilst in his charge—but Brian has always maintained this was the fault of the other officers, whilst accepting his partial responsibility for being drunk at the time. This case continues to haunt him as do many of his past mistakes. He has a long-suffering wife Esther who displays near infinite patience with him as he bumbles his way through life.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Robert Strickland (Anthony Calf) is a senior officer responsible for UCOS. Introduced as a self-serving bureaucrat he grows quite fond of the team and uses his influence to innoculate them against political interference where he can. He navigates the murky political world for them, occasionally getting involved in assigning cases or investigations where the case is politically sensitive.