''Hazell'' is a British television series that ran from 1978–1979, about a fictional

private detective A private investigator (often abbreviated to PI and informally called a private eye), a private detective, or inquiry agent is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. Private investigators of ...

named James Hazell.

Overview

James Hazell was a cockney private detective character created by journalist and novelist Gordon Williams and footballer

Terry Venables Terence Frederick Venables (born 6 January 1943), often referred to as El Tel, is an English former football player and manager, and an author. During the 1960s and '70s, he played for various clubs including Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Queen ...

, who wrote under the joint pseudonym of P.B.Yuill. The first book, ''Hazell Plays Solomon'', appeared in 1974. "Hazell Plays Solomon" was also the first episode of the TV series. The wise-cracking private detective was played by Nicholas Ball. Hazell was a smart parody of earlier film-noir detectives such as

Philip Marlowe Philip Marlowe () is a fictional character created by Raymond Chandler, who was characteristic of the hardboiled crime fiction genre. The hardboiled crime fiction genre originated in the 1920s, notably in ''Black Mask'' magazine, in which Dashiel ...

or Sam Spade, the casting of Ball in the title role made for a younger TV Hazell than the printed Hazell. A

Thames Television Thames Television, commonly simplified to just Thames, was a Broadcast license, franchise holder for a region of the British ITV (TV network), ITV television network serving Greater London, London and surrounding areas from 30 July 1968 until th ...

Network Production, ''Hazell'' ran for 22 one-hour-long episodes (50 minutes without adverts). Its theme music was composed by Andy Mackay; the end credits incorporated the theme music with added lyrics, written by Judy Forrest and sung by

Maggie Bell Margaret Bell (born 12 January 1945 in Maryhill, Glasgow, Scotland) is a Scottish rock vocalist. She came to fame as co-lead vocalist of the blues-rock group Stone the Crows, and was described as the UK's closest counterpart to American singe ...

. An academic work, ''Hazell: The Making of a TV Series'' by Manuel Alvarado and Edward Buscombe (BFI Publishing) appeared in March 1978.

Cast

The main and most frequent cast members were: * Nicholas Ball as James 'Jim' Hazell *

Roddy McMillan Roddy McMillan OBE (23 March 1923 – 9 July 1979) was a Scottish actor and playwright, possibly most famous for his comedy role as Para Handy for BBC Scotland's television series, ''The Vital Spark''. He also played the lead role in Edwa ...

as Detective Inspector 'Choc' Minty *Desmond McNamara as Cousin Tel *Peter Bourke as Graham Morris * Barbara Young as Dot Wilmington (Series 1 only) *

Maggie Riley Maggie Riley was an English actress, best known for her roles as Maureen in '' Hazell'' and Mrs. McMahon in children's television series ''Grange Hill ''Grange Hill'' is a British children's television drama series, originally produced by the B ...

as Maureen (Series 1 only)

Episodes (by series)

*Series 1 **1. "Hazell Plays Solomon" (16 January 1978) **2. "Hazell Pays a Debt" (23 January 1978) **3. "Hazell and the Walking Blur" (30 January 1978) **4. "Hazell Settles the Accounts" (6 February 1978) **5. "Hazell Meets the First Eleven" (13 February 1978) **6. "Hazell and the Rubber-Heel Brigade" (20 February 1978) **7. "Hazell Goes to the Dogs" (27 February 1978) **8. "Hazell and the Weekend Man" (6 March 1978) **9. "Hazell Works for Nothing" (13 March 1978) **10. "Hazell and the Maltese Vulture" (20 March 1978) *Series 2 **1. "Hazell and the Baker Street Sleuth" (19 April 1979) **2. "Hazell and the Deptford Virgin" (26 April 1979) **3. "Hazell Bangs the Drum" (3 May 1979) **4. "Hazell Gets the Boot" (10 May 1979) **5. "Hazell Gets the Bird" (17 May 1979) **6. "Hazell and the Big Sleep" (24 May 1979) **7.(*) "Hazell and the Suffolk Ghost" (31 May 1979) **8. "Hazell and Hyde" (7 June 1979) **9. "Hazell and the Happy Couple" (14 June 1979) **10. "Hazell Gets the Part" (21 June 1979) **11. "Hazell and the Greasy Gunners" (28 June 1979) **12.(*) "Hazell and the Public Enemy" (5 July 1979) (*) = Although broadcast as listed, continuity involving the destruction of Hazell's original

Triumph Stag The Triumph Stag is a 2+2 sports tourer which was sold between 1970 and 1978 by the Triumph Motor Company, styled by Italian designer Giovanni Michelotti. Design and styling Envisioned as a luxury sports car, the Stag was designed to compete ...

car and its replacement with a

Jaguar Mark 2 The Jaguar Mark 2 is a mid-sized luxury sports saloon built from late 1959 to 1967 by Jaguar in Coventry, England. The previous Jaguar 2.4 Litre and 3.4 Litre models made between 1955 and 1959 are identified as Mark 1 Jaguars.Eric Dymock, Th ...

, indicates that episode 7 should have been twelfth, and episode 12 should have been ninth (after "Hazell and the Happy Couple", when the Stag is attacked by an angry client).

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 0077020, Hazell
Hazell at BFI Screenonline
1970s British crime television series 1978 British television series debuts 1979 British television series endings ITV television dramas Fictional private investigators English-language television shows Television shows produced by Thames Television Television series by Fremantle (company) Television shows shot at Teddington Studios