''Cribb'' (''Sergeant Cribb'' in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

) is a television police drama, which debuted in 1979 as a 90-minute TV film from

Granada Television ITV Granada, formerly known as Granada Television, is the ITV franchisee for the North West of England and Isle of Man. From 1956 to 1968 it broadcast to both the north west and Yorkshire but only on weekdays as ABC Weekend Television was it ...

in the United Kingdom. Later, thirteen 50-minute episodes were produced, which ran from 1980 to 1981. Adapted from Peter Lovesey's Sergeant Cribb historical mystery novels and set in

Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literature ...

London around the time of the Jack the Ripper murders in 1888, Alan Dobie starred as the tough Detective Sergeant who worked for the newly formed Criminal Investigation Department (CID), determined to remove crime from the streets of London using the latest detection methods. The series portrayed life in Victorian England, and the programmes included many real historical events such as the publication of Jerome K. Jerome's '' Three Men in a Boat'' and the sale of

London Zoo London Zoo, also known as ZSL London Zoo or London Zoological Gardens is the world's oldest scientific zoo. It was opened in London on 27 April 1828, and was originally intended to be used as a collection for science, scientific study. In 1831 o ...

's famous elephant, Jumbo, to

Barnum and Bailey's Circus The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus (also known as the Ringling Bros. Circus, Ringling Bros., the Barnum & Bailey Circus, Barnum & Bailey, or simply Ringling) is an American traveling circus company billed as The Greatest Show on Ear ...

. The stories included issues such as bare-knuckle

prize fighting Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional bouts are supervised by a regulatory autho ...

, spiritualism and Irish terrorism. Assisting Cribb was Detective Constable Thackery, played by William Simons. The 1979 pilot episode was entitled "Waxwork" and featured Carol Royle and Susie Blake and was produced and directed by

June Wyndham-Davies June Wyndham Davies (born 27 June 1929) is a British television producer and director. For her work as Co-Producer (with Pippa Cross) of the film ''August'' starring, and directed by Sir Anthony Hopkins, she won the BAFTA Wales award for Best Dram ...

Main cast

* Alan Dobie as Sergeant Daniel Cribb * William Simons as Constable Edward Thackeray * David Waller as Inspector Jowett

Episodes

Series 1

Series 2

DVD

''Cribb'' is available on Region 2 DVD as a box set, distributed by

Acorn Media UK RLJE International Ltd, d/b/a Acorn DVD, a British company that publishes and distributes DVDs, as well as selling home-video products and streaming videos with a particular focus on British television. History Launched in 1997, Acorn Media U. ...

. The series has been released in Region 1 by BFS Video.

Radio dramatizations

Six of the stories from Series 1 have also been dramatized for radio by Geoffrey M Matthews as part of the BBC ''Saturday Night Theatre'' strand.

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 0080208
''Cribb'' on DVD Verdict
1970s British crime television series 1970s British drama television series 1970s British mystery television series 1979 British television series debuts 1980s British crime television series 1980s British drama television series 1980s British mystery television series 1981 British television series endings English-language television shows ITV television dramas Television shows produced by Granada Television Television series set in the 1880s Television shows set in London