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''Dixon of Dock Green'' was a BBC
police procedural The police show, or police crime drama, is a subgenre of procedural drama and detective fiction that emphasizes the investigative procedure of a police officer or department as the protagonist(s), as contrasted with other genres that focus on eit ...
television series about daily life at a fictional London police station, with the emphasis on petty crime, successfully controlled through common sense and human understanding. It ran from 1955 to 1976. The central character, George Dixon, first appeared in the film ''
The Blue Lamp ''The Blue Lamp'' is a 1950 British police procedural film directed by Basil Dearden and starring Jack Warner as PC Dixon, Jimmy Hanley as newcomer PC Mitchell, and Dirk Bogarde as criminal Tom Riley. The title refers to the blue lamps that t ...
''. Dixon is a mature and sympathetic police constable, played by Jack Warner in all of the 432 episodes. Dixon is the embodiment of a typical "bobby" who would be familiar with the area in which he patrolled and its residents and often lived there himself. The series contrasted with later programmes such as ''
Z-Cars ''Z-Cars'' or ''Z Cars'' (pronounced "zed cars") is a British television police procedural series centred on the work of mobile uniformed police in the fictional town of Newtown, based on Kirkby, near Liverpool. Produced by the BBC, it deb ...
'', which reflected a more aggressive policing culture. It retained a faithful following throughout its run and was voted second-most popular programme on British television in 1961.


Jack Warner

Warner's success as Dixon was well received by police forces. He was made an honorary member of both the Margate and Ramsgate Police Forces in the 1950s. Warner said of ''Dixon of Dock Green'': "It has been a very good meal ticket for twenty-one years—although the taxman has never been far behind."''
Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily Tabloid journalism, tabloid. Founded in 1903, it is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its Masthead (British publishing), masthead was simpl ...
'', 14 April 1976
In his autobiography, ''Jack of All Trades'', Warner tells of a visit by the Queen to the studios where the series was made, where she commented "that she thought ''Dixon of Dock Green'' had become part of the British way of life". The regard in which Warner's portrayal of a fictional policeman was held was seen at the actor's funeral at Margate Crematorium on 1 June 1981. Six Margate constables stood as guards-of-honour outside the chapel while delegations of officers attended (some coming from
Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...
and
Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...
), including 16 from the
Metropolitan Police The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), formerly and still commonly known as the Metropolitan Police (and informally as the Met Police, the Met, Scotland Yard, or the Yard), is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement and ...
, led by Deputy Assistant Commissioner George Rushbrook and Commander John Atkins.


Character and name origins

The character of
Police Constable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in criminal law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. A constable is commonly the rank of an officer within the police. Other pe ...
George Dixon was based on an old-style British "
bobby Bobby or Bobbie may refer to: People * Bobby (given name), a list of names * Bobby (actress), from Bangladesh * Bobby (rapper) (born 1995), from South Korea * Bobby (screenwriter) (born 1983), Indian screenwriter * Bobby, old slang for a constabl ...
"—a
slang Slang is vocabulary (words, phrases, and linguistic usages) of an informal register, common in spoken conversation but avoided in formal writing. It also sometimes refers to the language generally exclusive to the members of particular in-gr ...
term for policeman. Dixon first appeared in the
Ealing Studios Ealing Studios is a television and film production company and facilities provider at Ealing Green in West London. Will Barker bought the White Lodge on Ealing Green in 1902 as a base for film making, and films have been made on the site ever ...
film ''
The Blue Lamp ''The Blue Lamp'' is a 1950 British police procedural film directed by Basil Dearden and starring Jack Warner as PC Dixon, Jimmy Hanley as newcomer PC Mitchell, and Dirk Bogarde as criminal Tom Riley. The title refers to the blue lamps that t ...
'' (1950) as a typical bobby on the
beat Beat, beats or beating may refer to: Common uses * Patrol, or beat, a group of personnel assigned to monitor a specific area ** Beat (police), the territory that a police officer patrols ** Gay beat, an area frequented by gay men * Battery (c ...
, an experienced constable working out of the
Paddington Green police station Paddington Green Police Station was a Metropolitan Police Service station located in Paddington, Central London, England, and closed in 2018. History Building work on the station was completed in 1971. As well as providing local services, th ...
and nearing retirement. The film was produced by Michael Balcon, who had been educated at George Dixon School in
Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the We ...
, named after a local politician: this inspired the character name. In ''The Blue Lamp'', Dixon has a wife named Em ( Gladys Henson). It is mentioned that their only son, Bert, was killed in the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
—hence Dixon adopts a paternal aspect towards PC Andy Mitchell (
Jimmy Hanley Jimmy Hanley (22 October 1918 – 13 January 1970) was an English actor who appeared in the popular Huggetts film series, and in ITV's most popular advertising magazine programme, ''Jim's Inn'', from 1957 to 1963. Early life Born in Norwich, N ...
), a young policeman on his first day. Dixon comes across a raid and is shot. The rest of the film focuses on catching the perpetrator, a thug named Tom Riley (played by
Dirk Bogarde Sir Dirk Bogarde (born Derek Jules Gaspard Ulric Niven van den Bogaerde; 28 March 1921 – 8 May 1999) was an English actor, novelist and screenwriter. Initially a matinée idol in films such as '' Doctor in the House'' (1954) for the Rank Org ...
). This gears up hugely once Dixon, who was said to be rallying in hospital, unexpectedly and suddenly dies, and Mitchell embarks on a perilous quest to find and bring Tom Riley to justice.


Series conception

In 1955, the BBC Television Service was preparing to face competition from the forthcoming launch of the Independent Television network of commercial TV companies. The BBC therefore resurrected George Dixon for a new series featuring "everyday stories of a London policeman". The series came with an already familiar hero, played (as in the film) by a much-loved entertainer. The image of Jack Warner in police uniform with helmet made for an effective symbol of policing in Britain. Despite being a drama, the series was produced in its early years by the BBC's
light entertainment Light entertainment encompasses a broad range of television and radio programming that includes comedies, variety shows, game shows, quiz shows and the like. In Great Britain In the early days of the BBC virtually all broadcast entertainment w ...
department. It was originally produced at the BBC's Riverside and Lime Grove studios. Episodes in series 1 to 7 ran to 30 minutes. From series 3 to 7 each series' final episode was extended to 45 minutes. From series 8 (1961) onwards all episodes were 45, then 50, minutes in duration.


Early series

There were some changes made before the first series aired.
Paddington Green police station Paddington Green Police Station was a Metropolitan Police Service station located in Paddington, Central London, England, and closed in 2018. History Building work on the station was completed in 1971. As well as providing local services, th ...
became the fictitious Dock Green police station in the
East End of London The East End of London, often referred to within the London area simply as the East End, is the historic core of wider East London, east of the Roman and medieval walls of the City of London and north of the River Thames. It does not have univ ...
. The character of PC Andy Mitchell became raw new constable PC Andy Crawford ( Peter Byrne). According to the first series episode "Needle in a Haystack" Dixon is a widower, his wife having died in an air raid during the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
, though they had an only daughter, Mary (played by
Billie Whitelaw Billie Honor Whitelaw (6 June 1932 – 21 December 2014) was an English actress. She worked in close collaboration with Irish playwright Samuel Beckett for 25 years and was regarded as one of the foremost interpreters of his works. She was a ...
in early episodes, later replaced by Jeanette Hutchinson). They lived in a small mid-terrace house on a busy road. Dixon would remain basically the same character as in the film; he could be relied on to be friendly with a lot of heart, a cornerstone of which was his honesty with which you knew he would be absolutely dependable and cool in a crisis. The actor's age meant Dixon was always an older bobby and the viewer was left to wonder why promotion hadn't come his way earlier. Dixon's mentoring of Crawford was seen from ''Dixon of Dock Green's'' first series opener, "PC Crawford's first Pinch", broadcast on Saturday 9 July 1955. Dixon was portrayed as having a paternal and steadying influence on his colleagues and episodes often highlighted the family-like nature of life in the station as well as Dixon's actual family life at home. With his experience as a
police constable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in criminal law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. A constable is commonly the rank of an officer within the police. Other pe ...
frequently in evidence, he was often shown as being able to solve crimes and to keep the
peace Peace is a concept of societal friendship and harmony in the absence of hostility and violence. In a social sense, peace is commonly used to mean a lack of conflict (such as war) and freedom from fear of violence between individuals or groups. ...
using his knowledge of human behaviour and of the Dock Green area. The initial run of six episodes ended on 13 August with the "London Pride" segment and was deemed a success; a further series of 13 episodes was commissioned to start broadcasting on 9 June 1956. Plots often focused on the role of the police in dealing with low-level, community-based crimes. The last five episodes from series two are the earliest episodes of ''Dixon'' known to exist. One of those is "The Rotten Apple" (broadcast 11 August 1956), a story which illustrates Dixon's belief in the honour of wearing the police uniform. A young constable, Tom Carr (
Paul Eddington Paul Clark Eddington (18 June 1927 – 4 November 1995) was an English actor best known for playing Jerry Leadbetter in the television sitcom '' The Good Life'' (1975–78) and politician Jim Hacker in the sitcom '' Yes Minister'' (1980–84) ...
) appears to be enjoying a lifestyle that was more lavish than would be expected on his salary. His life begins to unravel after Dixon gets a visit from a local (legal) horse
bookmaker A bookmaker, bookie, or turf accountant is an organization or a person that accepts and pays off bets on sporting and other events at agreed-upon odds. History The first bookmaker, Ogden, stood at Newmarket in 1795. Range of events Bookm ...
, Harry Ross, to whom Carr owes a lot of money: Ross needs it back but knows Carr will lose his job if he makes his complaint official. With the force's reputation at stake, Dixon visits a nervous Carr in his flat changing into his uniform. Carr agrees to settle the debt, but as Dixon prepares to leave, accidentally knocks over a box, sending silverware clattering across the floor. The items, it transpires, are stolen, and the proceeds of a series of mysterious burglaries in the area. Dixon is affronted by this betrayal of trust, and orders the disgraced Carr to remove his uniform before he will escort him through the streets to Dock Green Station. Series two ended on 1 September 1956 with the episode "Father-in-Law". Dixon is the father-in-law of the title, with Andy Crawford marrying his 23-year-old daughter, Mary. Dixon gets to sing a few songs at the wedding, but a small matter of a missing wallet emerges. At the end of the episode, with the mystery solved, Dixon wishes the viewers goodbye while the happy couple go off, to move to a flat in Chelmsford. An indicator of the series' success is that the start of series three was a mere four months away. In the early days, a subtitle declared the series to be "Some Stories of a London Policeman", with each episode starting with Dixon speaking directly to the camera (breaking the "
fourth wall The fourth wall is a performance convention in which an invisible, imaginary wall separates actors from the audience. While the audience can see through this ''wall'', the convention assumes the actors act as if they cannot. From the 16th cen ...
"). He begins with a salute and the greeting "Good evening all", which was changed to "Evening all" in the early 1970s, which has lived on in Britain as a jocular greeting. In similar fashion, episodes finished with a few words to camera from Dixon in the form of philosophy on the evils of crime, before saluting and wishing the viewers "Goodnight, all". Some felt Dixon to be a real person; at the end of a series, he would inform the audience that he was "going on holiday for a few weeks" so they shouldn't worry about not seeing him around. As Ted Willis noted, in bringing Dixon to the small screen, he sought to portray "an ordinary, working-class policeman on the beat" with focus more on people, with the tendency to "concentrate on the smaller everyday type of crime, and put the emphasis on people rather than problems." Willis talked in 1957 about seeking "to break away from the accepted formula for police and crime stories ��The average policeman might go through a life-time of service without being involved in one murder case. His life is one of routine ��Would iewerstake simple, human stories about a simple ordinary copper and the people he meets?" Change for the central character was slow, and it took until the opening episode of series 11 before George Dixon earned his stripes and was promoted to sergeant in "Facing the Music" (S11, E01, 19 September 1964).


Later series

The series evolved, though slowly, Ted Willis ensuring that the familiarity of the format remained its greatest strength for many years. The procedural detail formed a backbone on top of which the dramatic story played out, allowing the whole to make perfect sense. Often delivered at a genteel pace, this approach led to criticism from some quarters in the face of faster-paced (and sometimes more violent) contemporaries such as ''
The Sweeney ''The Sweeney'' is a 1970s British television police drama focusing on two members of the Flying Squad, a branch of the Metropolitan Police specialising in tackling armed robbery and violent crime in London. It stars John Thaw as Detective Insp ...
'' and even ''Z-Cars''. Overall, the show ran for 22 series. Fans continued their support for the character with each new series. When Dixon was shot in one episode, the BBC received 4,000 letters of anxious inquiry and had it announced on television that Jack was all right. Other characters were not forgotten; indeed, PC Andy Crawford —- as well as being the main character's son-in-law —- would go on to rise through the ranks of the CID to become chief inspector in Dock Green. ''Dixon of Dock Green'' is sometimes unfavourably compared with later police procedural series (such as ''Z-Cars'' in the 1960s, ''The Sweeney'' in the 1970s and ''
The Bill ''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, first broadcast on ITV from 16 August 1983 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, '' Woodentop'', broadcast in August 1983. The programme focused o ...
'' in the 1980s) which were seen as having a higher degree of realism due to their harder-hitting and more dynamic nature. However, the style of the programme did evolve over time, and some of the 1970s episodes which have been preserved demonstrate little of the homely nature for which the show was often criticised. Plot lines in this period included the suspected suicide of a police officer, a gangland killing, and the shooting of a suspect by police officers using firearms. Police in the UK do not routinely carry firearms, and in the 1970s guns were rarely ever seen in their hands. "Firearms Were Issued" (20 April 1974, one of the surviving episodes) examines that last point. A notorious gang of bank robbers has performed a raid locally, and Dock Green police are tipped off "from a reliable source" that they have retreated into a suburban house on their patch. Taking no chances, the go-ahead for a raid is given, and Sergeant George Dixon issues firearms to D.I. Andy Crawford and his team. With the gang attempting to flee under cover of darkness, shots are fired, including two from Crawford. At least one of these apparently hits and kills the target in the dark, the truth of which only comes to light later during the investigation that is quickly launched back at Dock Green police station. All officers are quizzed and re-quizzed by a senior external CID officer, going over the rights and wrongs of each step, looking for accountability. Everyone involved is left in no doubt as to the consequences of their actions, should they prove to be truthfully theirs. In retrospect, the process can be seen as primitive compared to the in-depth procedural investigations of the 21st century, but was rarely touched on in contemporary productions. The detail ensured that neither characters nor viewers could be completely sure about the outcome, ensuring gripping television drama. By the final years of the series in the 1970s, Warner was getting elderly and looking increasingly implausible in uniform. He had increasing difficulty moving about, which was helped slightly by a treatment involving bee stings. When it became known that the 1976 series of eight episodes would be the last, some changes saw familiar faces including long-standing and popular cast member Peter Byrne leave, bringing in some new blood. The final series was shown in 1976 when Warner was 80 and the producers saw the opportunity to make some changes to the format. George Dixon was shown as retired from the police and being re-employed as a civilian as the collator, a temporary appointment which allowed him to train up whoever would be the next permanent collator. The introductory monologue and winding-up speech continued to be delivered by George Dixon, now out of uniform and behind his collator's desk. There was an increase in action whilst retaining detailed storytelling with Dixon's values at the core. The last series of eight episodes ended on Saturday 1 May 1976 with "Reunion", with Dixon retiring completely from Dock Green. Lord Willis said, "I knew it had to come to an end sometime and I thought something was in the wind. They usually renew my Dock Green contract in February and it hasn't been renewed this time". There were thoughts about continuing with the current cast using the revamped format, though any continuation would have been under a different title. Any ideas and plans were never seriously followed up and after 21 years of ''Dixon of Dock Green'', with its lead character out of the picture, the series came to a natural end.


Criticism

Over the two decades-plus that ''Dixon'' was broadcast, it came in for increasing criticism, especially in its later years. ''The Guinness Book of Classic Television'' described the programme as "an anachronism by the time it ended and a dangerous one at that". Ted Willis summarised the changing critical reception for ''Dixon'' in an article published in the ''
TV Times ''TV Times'' is a British television listings magazine published by Future plc. It was originally published by Independent Television Publications, owned by the participating ITV companies. The magazine was acquired by IPC Media in 1989, which ...
'' in 1983. "In the first years, the critics were almost unanimous in their acclaim for ''Dock Green'', hailing it as a breakthrough, praising its realism. But slowly, the view began to change. We were accused of being too cosy and the good word was reserved for series like ''No Hiding Place'', ''Z Cars'' and '' Softly, Softly''. These, in turn, were superseded by the violent, all-action type of police drama like ''The Sweeney''." He also stated that: "Eighty per cent of police work is ordinary and unsensational." Ted Willis made some observations. He found that, in fact and fiction, characters akin to Jack Regan in ''The Sweeney'' were to be underplayed by the police who sought to restore their place in modern communities. The surviving episodes (with an emphasis on the latter years of the programme) which saw DVD releases allowed ''Dixon'' to be seen less deserving of its reputation as a "cosy" stereotype, and more as a programme that tells the stories honestly and entertainingly. Willis noted that it would be harder for the police to build relationships with the public if they were continually to go around beating up every suspect. Indeed,
Alan Plater Alan Frederick Plater (15 April 1935 – 25 June 2010) was an English playwright and screenwriter, who worked extensively in British television from the 1960s to the 2000s. Career Plater was born in Jarrow, County Durham, although his family ...
, who was a writer for ''Z-Cars'' early in his career, argued in 1976 (published in the police publication ''Context''); "It is just as irresponsible to portray the police as always chasing murderers and big-time criminals as it is to show them as boy scouts like George Dixon. ''The Sweeney'' is ridiculous. It's James Cagney and the Sundance Kid rolled into one and given a British background."


Locations

The police station featured in the original opening titles was the old
Ealing Ealing () is a district in West London, England, west of Charing Cross in the London Borough of Ealing. Ealing is the administrative centre of the borough and is identified as a major metropolitan centre in the London Plan. Ealing was his ...
police station, at 5 High Street, just north of Ealing Green. The opening and closing moments of each episode originally had PC Dixon deliver the famous lines "Evening, all" and "Goodnight, all", and a suitably moral homily, from outside Dock Green police station. However, most of these sequences were not filmed at Ealing police station—then still operational—but on the front steps of the (1902) Ealing Grammar School for Boys on Ealing Green. The BBC would attach a blue lamp next to the double doors, and the front oak-floored vestibule of the old school would warmly glow behind. During later series, Dixon addressed the audience standing in front of a painted backdrop of a London skyline. The 1973 episode "Eye Witness" shows a shot of a derelict warehouse complex with a sign identifying it as part of the Metropolitan & New Crane Wharves; these are located in
Wapping Wall Wapping Wall is a street located in the East End of London at Wapping. It runs parallel to the northern bank of the River Thames, with many converted warehouses facing the river. On this street is the Wapping Hydraulic Power Station, built in 18 ...
. This episode also shows the
bascule bridge A bascule bridge (also referred to as a drawbridge or a lifting bridge) is a moveable bridge with a counterweight that continuously balances a span, or leaf, throughout its upward swing to provide clearance for boat traffic. It may be single- o ...
across the entrance to
Shadwell Basin Shadwell Basin is a housing and leisure complex built around a disused dock in Wapping, London. The old dock was formerly part of the London Docks, a group of docks built by the London Dock Company at Shadwell and Wapping as part of the wider d ...
in
Wapping Wapping () is a district in East London in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Wapping's position, on the north bank of the River Thames, has given it a strong maritime character, which it retains through its riverside public houses and steps, ...
. The warehouse is long gone; a supermarket now occupies the site. At the end of the 1975 episode "Conspiracy", the exterior of Dock Green police station is represented by the Metropolitan Police's then recently built
Chiswick Chiswick ( ) is a district of west London, England. It contains Hogarth's House, the former residence of the 18th-century English artist William Hogarth; Chiswick House, a neo-Palladian villa regarded as one of the finest in England; and F ...
police station, on
Chiswick High Road Chiswick High Road is the principal shopping and dining street of Chiswick, a district in the west of London. It was part of the main Roman road running west out of London, and remained the main road until the 1950s when the A4 was built acros ...
in west London.


Broadcast dates

(1955–1976, 22 series, 432 episodes)


Cast

Main cast Other cast members


Missing episodes

Most of the original 432 episodes of ''Dixon of Dock Green'' are still missing due both to the programme being broadcast live and not recorded in the early days, and the BBC's later policy of
reusing Reuse is the action or practice of using an item, whether for its original purpose (conventional reuse) or to fulfill a different function (creative reuse or repurposing). It should be distinguished from recycling, which is the breaking down of u ...
video tapes for new programmes. Only 32 episodes still exist in full and extracts exist for a further 19. The existing episodes are as follows: An out-take sequence also exists from "It's a Gift" (Series 21, Episode 3 – 1 March 1975) involving two criminals in which one of them, played by
Victor Maddern Victor Jack Maddern (16 March 1928 – 22 June 1993) was an English actor. He was described by ''The Telegraph'' as having "one of the most distinctive and eloquent faces in post-war British cinema." Life and career Born in Seven Kings, ...
, finds himself unable to deliver correctly the required line "It's down at Dock Green nick!" – referring to a stolen necklace. After two failed attempts, in which the line is spoken both as "It's down at Dock Green dick!" and "It's down at Dick Green dock!", Maddern asks the unseen director (
Vere Lorrimer Vere Lorrimer (8 June 1920 – 1 October 1998) was a British television producer and director. His work as director included many BBC dramas including ''Compact'', '' Dixon of Dock Green'', '' Doomwatch'' and ''Blake's 7''. He later moved on t ...
) "Couldn't I just say 'It's down at the nick'?"


Music

The British music hall song " Maybe It's Because I'm a Londoner" is used as the theme song. It was composed by Hubert Gregg, but this was replaced with an instrumental theme composed by Jeff Darnell later released as a single under the name "An Ordinary Copper". Darnell was Warner's original piano act partner in the 1940s. The harmonica was played by Tommy Reilly. Original incidental music for the early (1950s) series was written by Alan Yates (1912–1991).


DVD release

A collection of six of the seven surviving colour episodes across series 17-thru-20 (the omitted one being Series 18, Episode 7, ''Molenzicht'') was released 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. ...
on DVD in July 2012, with the following episodes; * 1. ''Waste Land'' (Series 17, Episode 1 – 14/11/70) * 2. ''Jig-Saw'' (Series 18, Episode 1 – 20/11/71) * 3. ''Eye Witness'' (Series 20, Episode 1 – 29/12/73) * 4. ''Harry's Back'' (Series 20, Episode 3 – 12/01/74) * 5. ''Sounds'' (Series 20, Episode 16 – 13/04/74) * 6. ''Firearms Were Issued'' (Series 20, Episode 17 – 20/04/74) A second collection of six episodes, comprising the entire penultimate 21st series, was released by Acorn Media UK on DVD in July 2013, with the following episodes: *1. ''Target'' (Series 21, Episode 1 – 15/02/75) *2. ''Seven for a Secret – Never To Be Told'' (Series 21, Episode 2 – 22/02/75) *3. ''Baubles, Bangles & Beads'' (Series 21, Episode 5 – 15/03/75) *4. ''Looters Ltd'' (Series 21, Episode 7 – 29/03/75) *5. ''A Slight Case of Love'' (Series 21, Episode 10 – 19/04/75) *6. ''Conspiracy'' (Series 21, Episode 13 – 10/05/75) A third collection of eight episodes, comprising the entire final 22nd series, was released by Acorn Media UK on DVD in March 2015, with the following episodes: *1. ''Domino'' (Series 22, Episode 1 – 13/03/76) *2. ''The Job'' (Series 22, Episode 2 – 20/03/76) *3. ''Vagrant'' (Series 22, Episode 3 – 27/03/76) *4. ''Everybody's Business'' (Series 22, Episode 4 – 03/04/76) *5. ''Alice'' (Series 22, Episode 5 – 10/04/76) *6. ''Jackpot'' (Series 22, Episode 6 – 17/04/76) *7. ''Legacy'' (Series 22, Episode 7 – 24/04/76) *8. ''Reunion'' (Series 22, Episode 8 – 01/05/76) This release also includes the following special features:- *Picture gallery *Audio Commentary on "Domino" with actor Stephen Marsh .C. Harry Dunne*Audio Commentary on "Legacy" with actor Ben Howard .C. Len Clayton*Audio Commentary on "Alice" with director Michael E. Briant *The Final Cases: Documentary on the making of this last series, with actors Nicholas Donnelly gt. Johnny Wills Richard Heffer .S. Alan Bruton Stephen Marsh .C. Harry Dunne Gregory de Polnay .S. Mike Brewerand production assistant Vivienne Cozens. *Good Evening All: A tribute to Jack Warner, with Nicholas Donnelly, Richard Heffer, Stephen Marsh, Gregory de Polnay and Vivenne Cozens. *Personnel Files: Extended Interviews with Nicholas Donnelly, Richard Heffer and Gregory de Polnay.


Remake for BBC Radio

In 2005, the series was revived for
BBC Radio BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927). The service provides national radio stations covering ...
, adapted by Sue Rodwell, with David Calder as George Dixon,
David Tennant David John Tennant (''né'' McDonald; born 18 April 1971) is a Scottish actor. He rose to fame for his role as the tenth incarnation of the Doctor (2005–2010 and 2013) in the BBC science-fiction TV show ''Doctor Who'', reprising the rol ...
as Andy Crawford, and
Charlie Brooks Charlene Emma Brooks (born 3 May 1981) is a British actress. Known for the role of Janine Butcher in the BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders'', she has received numerous awards since her first appearance on the soap in 1999, with storylines inv ...
as Mary Dixon: * 1. London Pride * 2. Needle in a Haystack * 3. Crawford's First Pinch * 4. Dixie * 5. Rock, Roll and Rattle * 6. Roaring Boy A second series followed in 2006, with
Hamish Clark Hamish Clark (born 26 July 1965) is a Scottish actor and entertainer. He has performed widely as a supporting actor in a variety of media including motion picture, stage, television and radio. Clark is well known as the kilt-wearing Duncan McK ...
replacing Tennant owing to the latter's ''
Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the ...
'' recording commitments: * 1. Little Boy Blue * 2. The Gentle Scratcher * 3. The Captain ''(based on the episode "The Rotten Apple")'' * 4. Andy Steps Up * 5. Give a Dog a Good Name * 6. The Key of the Nick


Dixon in other shows

''The Black and Blue Lamp'' by Arthur Ellis was screened in the BBC2 ''Screenplay'' series of drama plays on 7 September 1988. In the play – which begins with a montage of key scenes from ''The Blue Lamp'' – Tom Riley (
Sean Chapman Sean, also spelled Seán or Séan in Irish English, is a male given name of Irish origin. It comes from the Irish versions of the Biblical Hebrew name ''Yohanan'' (), Seán (anglicized as '' Shaun/Shawn/ Shon'') and Séan (Ulster variant; anglic ...
) and PC Hughes ( Karl Johnson) are projected forwards into a violent parody of 1980s police procedurals called ''The Filth''. Once there, they meet the corrupt Superintendent Cherry (
Kenneth Cranham Kenneth Cranham (born 12 December 1944) is a Scottish film, television, radio and stage actor. Early life Cranham was born in Dunfermline, Fife, the son of Lochgelly-born Margaret McKay Cranham (née Ferguson) and Ronald Cranham, a London-bor ...
) and Superintendent Hammond (
John Woodvine John Woodvine (born 21 July 1929) is an English actor who has appeared in more than 70 theatre productions, as well as a similar number of television and film roles. Early life Woodvine was born in Tyne Dock, South Shields, Tyne & Wear, Engla ...
) and discover just how much policing has changed between the two periods. One of Dixon's closing monologues from ''Dixon of Dock Green'' was recycled for the final scene of '' Ashes to Ashes'' in 2010. Like ''The Black and Blue Lamp'', characters in ''Ashes to Ashes'' and its predecessor, ''
Life on Mars The possibility of life on Mars is a subject of interest in astrobiology due to the planet's proximity and similarities to Earth. To date, no proof of past or present life has been found on Mars. Cumulative evidence suggests that during the ...
'', were seemingly sent into different eras of policing. Moreover, Dixon's resurrection for ''Dixon of Dock Green'', after having been killed in ''The Blue Lamp'' and the fact that he apparently continued to serve as a police officer well past the usual retirement age parallel the stories of the principal characters in ''Life on Mars'' and ''Ashes to Ashes'', having been explained in the final episode. The ending credits to the show were seen in the 2016 animated film '' Ethel & Ernest''.


References


External links

*
Encyclopedia of Television





BBC Treasure Hunt



Richard Heffer recalls a great time on the set of ''Dixon of Dock Green''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dixon Of Dock Green 1955 British television series debuts 1976 British television series endings 1950s British police procedural television series 1960s British police procedural television series 1970s British police procedural television series Lost BBC episodes Live action television shows based on films Television shows set in London Fictional British police officers Black-and-white British television shows English-language television shows Cultural depictions of Metropolitan Police officers