''Sharman'' is a British television

crime In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definit ...

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...

series, based on the Nick Sharman books by London-based author

Mark Timlin Mark Timlin (born 15 June 1944, in Cheltenham) is a British author best known for his series of novels featuring Nick Sharman, a former Metropolitan Police officer who takes up the profession of private investigator in South London. The Sharma ...

, that first broadcast on 5 April 1995. Broadcast 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 ...

, the series stars

Clive Owen Clive Owen (born 3 October 1964) is an English actor. He first gained recognition in the United Kingdom for playing the lead role in the ITV series '' Chancer'' from 1990 to 1991. He received critical acclaim for his work in the film '' Close ...

in the title role of Sharman, a private detective operating out of a private office in South London. The series began in the form of a pilot, based on the novel ''The Turnaround'', before being developed into four further feature-length stories, each based upon one of Timlin's novels; only the final episode, "Pretend We're Dead", differs from the plot of the original novel; aside from the final scene, the remainder of the plot is an original composition by writer

Mick Ford Mick Ford (born 1 August 1952) is a British actor, screenwriter and playwright, best known for his portrayal of intellectual convict Archer in the cinema version of ''Scum (film), Scum''. Early life and education Ford was born on 1 August 19 ...

. Aside from Owen, the series featured two other regular cast members in the form of

John Salthouse John Salthouse (born John Lewis; 16 June 1951) is a British actor and producer. His best-known screen roles are those of Tony in Mike Leigh's ''Abigail's Party'' and DI Roy Galloway in ''The Bill'' from 1984 to 1987. He has also appeared in " C ...

, who appears as

Detective Inspector Inspector, also police inspector or inspector of police, is a police rank. The rank or position varies in seniority depending on the organization that uses it. Australia In Australian police forces, the rank of inspector is generally the ne ...

Jack Robber, a seedy but cunning police officer; and

Roberta Taylor Roberta Alexandra Mary Taylor (''née'' Roberts; born 26 February 1948) is an English actress and author. She is known for her roles of Irene Raymond in ''EastEnders'' (1997–2000), and Inspector Gina Gold in ''The Bill'' (2002–2008). Career ...

who appears as Aggie, Sharma's secretary. Guest cast featured in the series include the likes of

Ray Winstone Raymond Andrew Winstone (; born 19 February 1957) is an English television, stage and film actor with a career spanning five decades. Having worked with many prominent directors, including Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg, Winstone is perha ...

, Keith Allen, and

Samantha Janus Samantha Zoe Womack (''née'' Janus; born 2 November 1972) is an English actress, singer, model and director who has worked in film, television and stage. Womack initially planned a career in singing and she represented the United Kingdom in ...

, who is also pictured on the series DVD cover, despite only appearing in a single episode. ''The Turnaround'' was first released on VHS in 1995, before the entire series, was released on

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...

via Network on 1 October 2012. Timlin's novels were also reprinted to feature images of Clive Owen on the cover.

Cast

Regular Cast

as Nick Sharman *

Jack Robber *

as Aggie

Supporting Cast

The Turnaround

* Bill Paterson as James Webb *

Rowena King Rowena in the Matter of Britain was the daughter of the purported Anglo-Saxon chief Hengist and wife of Vortigern, " King of the Britons". Presented as a beautiful '' femme fatale'', she won her people the Kingdom of Kent through her treachero ...

as Fiona * Matthew Marsh as Tony Hogan

Take the A-Train

Samantha Womack Samantha Zoe Womack ('' née'' Janus; born 2 November 1972) is an English actress, singer, model and director who has worked in film, television and stage. Womack initially planned a career in singing and she represented the United Kingdom i ...

as Jane * Clarence Smith as Cedric *

Gina Bellman Gina Bellman (born 1966) is a New Zealand-born British actress best known for her performances as grifter Sophie Devereaux on the 2008-12 TNT television series '' Leverage'' and in the revival '' Leverage: Redemption'' when the series moved to ...

as Kiki *

Patrick Baladi Patrick Bashir Baladi (born 25 December 1971) is an English actor and musician. He is best known for playing Neil Godwin in the BBC sitcom ''The Office'', Michael Jackson in the Sky 1 drama '' Stella'' and Stephen Holmes in the ITV thriller ' ...

as George

Hearts of Stone

* Keith Allen as Brady *

Julie Graham Julie Graham (born 24 July 1965) is a Scottish television and film actress. Career Graham has appeared in the Channel 4 ''Blood Red Roses'' (1986, filmed in East Kilbride). She also appeared in 1986 in an episode of ''Taggart'', “Death Call� ...

as Kylie *

Steven Hartley Steven Hartley (born 12 August 1960, in Shipley) is an English actor who has appeared in television, film, and theatre. Early life Hartley grew up in Yorkshire. He was a successful amateur boxer for York and Yorkshire in the late 1970s and ...

as Paul O'Dowd *

Grant Masters Grant Masters (born 2 January 1965) is an English actor and comedian known for playing the role of Martin Campbell in the Channel 4 Soap Opera ''Hollyoaks.'' An early role came in ''Cider with Rosie'' (1998). He also played Dan in ''Casualty'', st ...

as Joe Lancer

A Good Year for the Roses

Marianne Jean-Baptiste Marianne Raigipcien Jean-Baptiste (born 26 April 1967) is an English actress. She is known for her role in the 1996 comedy-drama film '' Secrets & Lies'', for which she received acclaim and earned nominations for the Academy Award for Best Sup ...

as Precious *

Mark Moraghan Mark Stephen Moraghan (born 27 January 1963) is an English actor and singer. He has appeared in many British drama series including ''Peak Practice'', '' London's Burning'' and '' Heartbeat''. He is most famous for being the narrator for the ...

as Dicks *

Cliff Parisi Cliff Parisi (born Clifford R Manley; 24 May 1960) is an English actor, known for his roles as Minty Peterson in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' and Fred Buckle in the BBC period drama ''Call the Midwife''. In 2019, he participated in the nin ...

as Terry Southall *

Kelly Reilly Jessica Kelly Siobhán Reilly (born 18 July 1977) is an English actress. She first appeared on screen in 1995 on the series '' The Biz''. Her other television work includes starring roles in the British crime drama '' Above Suspicion'' (2009– ...

as Sophie Bright *

Hugo Speer Hugo Alexander Speer (born 17 March 1968) is an English actor and director. Early life and education Hugo Speer was born in Harrogate in the then West Riding of Yorkshire and educated at Harrogate Grammar School. He studied acting at the Arts E ...

as Mayles *

as George Bright

Pretend We're Dead

Adie Allen Adie Allen (born in 1966) is a British actress who graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, RADA in 1987. She has appeared in new plays at the Royal Court, the Almeida, the Bush and the Tricycle Theatre(s). She frequently appears on B ...

as Dawn *

Anton Lesser Anton Lesser (born 14 February 1952) is an English actor. He is well known for his roles as Qyburn in the HBO series '' Game of Thrones'', as Thomas More in ''Wolf Hall'', as Prime Minister Harold Macmillan in ''The Crown'', as Prime Ministe ...

as Galilee *

Colette Brown Colette Brown is an English actress. In 1994, she was a presenter of the children's television series, ''Hangar 17''. Brown appeared in an episode of the ITV drama ''A Touch of Frost'' in 1996. Her other television credits include ''Casualty (TV ...

as Tracey * Danny Webb as Durban

Episodes

Pilot (1995)

Series (1996)

References

External links

* * {{IMDb title, id=0131684, title=Sharman
Nick Sharman
1995 British television series debuts 1996 British television series endings 1990s British drama television series ITV television dramas Television shows based on British novels Carlton Television 1990s British crime television series Television series by ITV Studios English-language television shows Television shows set in London