The entire team is on alert when Strickland’s past comes back to haunt him. Troubles in the present seem to link to an unsolved case which the team tackles, while Strickland, alongside his olde ‘friend’ Stephen Fisher, attempts to get to the bottom of just why they have been targeted now.

About

The eighth episode of series nine of New Tricks, ‘Part of a Whole’ aired 22nd October 2012 on BBC One. The series was created by Roy Mitchell and Nigel McCrery and this episode was written and directed by Julian Simpson.

It stars Denis Lawson as ‘Steve McAndrew’, Alun Armstrong as ‘Brian Lane’, Amanda Redman as ‘Sandra Pullman’ and Dennis Waterman as ‘Gerry Standing’. Guest starring this episode are Anthony Calf as ‘Robert Strickland’, Tim McInnerny as ‘Stephen Fisher’, Jana Carpenter as ‘Ruth Bisley’ and Gabrielle Glaister as ‘Sarah Maitland.’

As mentioned, this was the ninth episode of the series to air, but is labelled on the DVD as episode ten. As it nicely bookends with the first episode of the series—not reviewed on this blog as it doesn’t contain Denis Lawson—I think it’s best seen as the last episode of the series. If you’d like to understand a little more about Stephen Fisher’s relationship with the team, I’d recommend watching that first episode, but you’ll be fine if you don’t.

Availability: Available for purchase in the UK on DVD and digitally. Episodes also occasionally pop up on iPlayer, and television reruns are common—be aware that broadcast reruns are often cut down to fit in the hour timeslot with advertisements. Also available on DVD and digitally in the US.

Continue reading “New Tricks, Series Nine, Episode Ten: Part of a Whole”

Steve and Gerry head to Glasgow for a week to help set up a new cold case division there. Steve’s past comes back to haunt him as they tackle the case of a man murdered in 1993, and everyone they meet seems to be hiding some piece of information concerning the case. Will they find out the truth?

About

The ninth (or tenth, if you are going strictly by air date) episode of series nine of New Tricks, ‘Glasgow UCOS’ aired 29th October 2012 on BBC One. The series was created by Roy Mitchell and Nigel McCrery and this episode was written by Roy Mitchell and directed by Philip John.

It stars Denis Lawson as ‘Steve McAndrew’ and Dennis Waterman as ‘Gerry Standing’. Guest starring this episode are Anthony Calf as ‘Robert Strickland’, Kate Dickie as ‘DCI Fiona MacDougall’, Neve McIntosh as ‘Cathy Sinclair’, Hilton McRae as ‘Frank McNair’, Kathleen McDermott as ‘Charlene Scott’ and Sandy McDade as ‘Helen Wray’.

Viewers may remember Hilton McRae from The Kit Curran Radio Show: The Big Break, as well as Star Wars and The Justice Game.

This episode is notable for being the first without Alun Armstrong or Amanda Redman. Their unavailability for filming was known early on in the writing process and this is a good solid episode without them. It’s also the tenth episode aired of the series, due to the plot closely resembling actual news allegations at the time. However, the DVD labels it as episode nine and as ‘Part of a Whole’—the other remaining episode of the series—feels like a series finale, with higher stakes, I’ve retained the DVD order.

Availability: Available for purchase in the UK on DVD and digitally. Episodes also occasionally pop up on iPlayer, and television reruns are common—be aware that broadcast reruns are often cut down to fit in the hour timeslot with advertisements. Also available on DVD and digitally in the US.

Continue reading “New Tricks, Series Nine, Episode Nine: Glasgow UCOS”

UCOS tackles the case of a Max Klein; an East German former Stasi agent who was stabbed to death in London whilst looking for his long lost daughter. Only nothing is quite as it seems as they dig into the murky web of half-truths and misinformation that surround his life.

About

The eighth episode of series nine of New Tricks, ‘Blue Flower’ aired 15th October 2012 on BBC One. The series was created by Roy Mitchell and Nigel McCrery and this episode was written by Simon Allen and directed by Philip John.

It stars Denis Lawson as ‘Steve McAndrew’, Alun Armstrong as ‘Brian Lane’, Amanda Redman as ‘Sandra Pullman’ and Dennis Waterman as ‘Gerry Standing’. Guest starring this episode are Anthony Calf as ‘Robert Strickland’, Elizabeth Berrington as ‘Grace Cusack’, Kate Bracken as ‘Mia Adler’ and Edward Baker-Duly as ‘Max Klein’.

Availability: Available for purchase in the UK on DVD and digitally. Episodes also occasionally pop up on iPlayer, and television reruns are common—be aware that broadcast reruns are often cut down to fit in the hour timeslot with advertisements. Also available on DVD and digitally in the US.

Continue reading “New Tricks, Series Nine, Episode Eight: Blue Flower”

The team investigates the death of promising young poet Sean Doherty, who’s body was found burnt to a crisp inside the scrap yard of a heroin dealer. It’s a tricky case, with motives seemingly a plenty for wanting Sean dead, and the team tackles the murky and unexpectedly complicated world of poetry.

About

The seventh episode of series nine of New Tricks, ‘Dead Poets’ aired 8th October 2012 on BBC One. The series was created by Roy Mitchell and Nigel McCrery and this episode was written by Marston Bloom and directed by Philip John.

It stars Denis Lawson as ‘Steve McAndrew’, Alun Armstrong as ‘Brian Lane’, Amanda Redman as ‘Sandra Pullman’ and Dennis Waterman as ‘Gerry Standing’. Guest starring this episode are Susan Jameson as ‘Esther Lane’, James Murray as ‘Luke Oswald’ and Simone Lahbib as ‘Sarah Powell’.

Availability: Available for purchase in the UK on DVD and digitally. Episodes also occasionally pop up on iPlayer, and television reruns are common—be aware that broadcast reruns are often cut down to fit in the hour timeslot with advertisements. Also available on DVD and digitally in the US.

Continue reading “New Tricks, Series Nine, Episode Seven: Dead Poets”

The UCOS team investigate the death of British junior tennis prodigy Alice Kemp, after new evidence comes to light that she may not have been alone when she died. Gerry has family concerns, and Steve gets into a spot of trouble regarding his Glaswegian approach to policing.

About

The sixth episode of series nine of New Tricks, ‘Love Means Nothing in Tennis’ aired 1st October 2012 on BBC One. The series was created by Roy Mitchell and Nigel McCrery and this episode was written by Lisa Holdsworth and Julian Simpson and directed by Robin Sheppard.

It stars Denis Lawson as ‘Steve McAndrew’, Alun Armstrong as ‘Brian Lane’, Amanda Redman as ‘Sandra Pullman’ and Dennis Waterman as ‘Gerry Standing’. Guest starring this episode are Susan Jameson as ‘Esther Lane’, Tamzin Outhwaite as ‘Victoria Kemp’, Alexei Sayle as ‘Anthony Marshall’ and Benjamin Wilkin as ‘Nick Hoyle.’

Tamzin Outhwaite’s appearance here is notable as she will later replace Amanda Redman as series regular playing an entirely different character.

Availability: Available for purchase in the UK on DVD and digitally. Episodes also occasionally pop up on iPlayer, and television reruns are common—be aware that broadcast reruns are often cut down to fit in the hour timeslot with advertisements. Also available on DVD and digitally in the US.

Continue reading “New Tricks, Series Nine, Episode Six: Love Means Nothing in Tennis”

It’s Steve McAndrew’s first day on the job as a fully fledged UCOS officer, and a body has been found in mysterious circumstances. The UCOS team might be just a little out of their depth investigating an online hacking group, but even more challenging is their struggle to adapt to a new member of the team. Will they accept Steve as one of their own? Who knows.

About

The fifth episode of series nine of New Tricks, ‘Body of Evidence’ aired 24th September 2012 on BBC One. The series was created by Roy Mitchell and Nigel McCrery and this episode was written by Lisa Holdsworth and Julian Simpson and directed by Robin Sheppard.

It stars Denis Lawson as ‘Steve McAndrew’, Alun Armstrong as ‘Brian Lane’, Amanda Redman as ‘Sandra Pullman’ and Dennis Waterman as ‘Gerry Standing’. Guest starring this episode are Anthony Calf as ‘Robert Strickland’, Susan Jameson as ‘Esther Lane’, Andy Rush as ‘Xander Levine’ and Sarah Smart as ‘Catherine Green’.

Availability: Available for purchase in the UK on DVD and digitally. Episodes also occasionally pop up on iPlayer, and television reruns are common—be aware that broadcast reruns are often cut down to fit in the hour timeslot with advertisements. Also available on DVD and digitally in the US.

Continue reading “New Tricks, Series Nine, Episode Five: Body of Evidence”

We’re jumping in to New Tricks with Denis Lawson’s first episode, part-way through the ninth season. If you’d like a little bit of background about the show and the characters who we’ll meet, I’ve written up some introductions, but honestly—you could start here, and be fine. It’s a solid procedural, with excellent characters, great writing and some fab directing—for most of its run, it was a BBC flagship show and that shows in the production quality. This is a great introductory episode, where Steve McAndrew joins the team to investigate a case he failed to solve nine years ago: the disappearance of Georgia Wright.

About

The fourth episode of series nine of New Tricks (the first one containing Denis Lawson and therefore, the first relevant to this blog), ‘The Girl Who Lived’ aired 17th September 2012 on BBC One. The series was created by Roy Mitchell and Nigel McCrery and this episode was written by Roy Mitchell and directed by Matthew Evans.

It stars Denis Lawson as ‘Steve McAndrew’, Alun Armstrong as ‘Brian Lane’, Amanda Redman as ‘Sandra Pullman’ and Dennis Waterman as ‘Gerry Standing’. Guest starring this episode are Anthony Calf as ‘Robert Strickland’, Sean McGinley as ‘Ken Wright’, Daniel Ryan as ‘Barry Flint’ and Michelle Duncan as ‘Georgia Wright’. Readers will remember Sean McGinley for playing a grieving father in slightly different circumstances in The Ambassador: Cluster of Betrayals.

Availability: Available for purchase in the UK on DVD and digitally. Episodes also occasionally pop up on iPlayer, and television reruns are common—be aware that broadcast reruns are often cut down to fit in the hour timeslot with advertisements. Also available on DVD and digitally in the US.

Continue reading “New Tricks, Series Nine, Episode Four: The Girl Who Lived”