''Sergeant Cork'' is a British

detective A detective is an investigator, usually a member of a law enforcement agency. They often collect information to solve crimes by talking to witnesses and informants, collecting physical evidence, or searching records in databases. This leads th ...

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...

which first aired between 1963 and 1968 on

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...

. It was a

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 eith ...

show that followed the efforts of two police officers and their battle against crime in Victorian

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. In all 66 hour-long episodes were aired during the five-year run, although the last episode was not broadcast until January 1968, 16 months after the others. Journalist Tom Sutcliffe has credited it as a first example of the use of the Victorian-era policeman in a television crime series. A 1969 review in ''

The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria (Australia), Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Austral ...

'' opined that rather than suspense, the strengths of the series were its " cellent period settings and wonderfully thick pea-soupers" which "add up to splendid evocative stuff", as well as the performance of star John Barrie. At no time during the whole series is Sergeant Cork's first name given.

Cast

* John Barrie as Sergeant Cork *

William Gaunt William Charles Anthony Gaunt (born 3 April 1937 in Pudsey, West Riding of Yorkshire) is an English actor. He became widely known for television roles such as Richard Barrett in ''The Champions'' (1968–1969), Arthur Crabtree in '' No Place ...

as Robert 'Bob' Marriott * Charles Morgan as Superintendent Rodway *

Arnold Diamond Arnold Diamond (18 April 1915 – 18 March 1992) was an English character actor, regularly cast in small parts on television. He graduated from RADA in 1936, and his stage work included the RSC, and three years in Agatha Christie's '' The Mo ...

as Detective Joseph Bird * John Richmond as Superintendent Billy Nelson * Freddy Fowler as Chalky White Other actors appearing in two or more episodes included: *

Carmen Silvera Carmen Blanche Silvera (2 June 1922 – 3 August 2002) was a British comic actress. Born in Canada of Spanish descent, she moved to Coventry, England, with her family when she was a child. She appeared on television regularly in the 1960s, and ...

IMDB Sgt Cork
/ref> *

Alan Haines Alan Haines (6 June 1924 – 17 April 2011) was a British actor and playwright who spent four years in the Royal Navy during World War II — including at D-Day on his 20th birthday and appeared in many West End shows and touring productio ...

DVD Releases

Network has released the entire series on Region 2, PAL DVD in the UK. The second series was an exclusive two-disc set on their website which has since been re-released on 3 September 2012. The third set was also a four disc set and is available through the Network website. Series 4 became available from both the Network website and other retailers on 6 August 2012.http://www.networkdvd.net/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=cork&x=0&y=0 Series 5 was released on 19 November 2012, and Series 6 on 18 March 2013.

References

1963 British television series debuts 1966 British television series endings 1960s British drama television series 1960s British crime television series ITV television dramas Television shows set in London Detective television series Television shows produced by Associated Television (ATV) Black-and-white British television shows English-language television shows Television shows shot at ATV Elstree Studios {{UK-tv-prog-stub