Detectives on the Edge of a Nervous Breakdown

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''Detectives on the Edge of a Nervous Breakdown'' is a short comedy film made by

The Comic Strip The Comic Strip are a group of British comedians who came to prominence in the 1980s. They are known for their television series ''The Comic Strip Presents...'', which was labelled as a pioneering example of the alternative comedy scene. The ...

for the

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...

, first broadcast in the UK in 1993. The film employs techniques of metafictional

parody A parody, also known as a spoof, a satire, a send-up, a take-off, a lampoon, a play on (something), or a caricature, is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satiric or ironic imitation. Often its sub ...

to make overt critical comparisons between 1990s TV detective shows and their 1970s counterparts. The editorial line taken throughout the film presents a very affectionate portrayal of several of these 1970s shows, despite acknowledging their use of styles and methods that had since become somewhat clichéd. The title parodies the title of the 1988 film ''

Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown ''Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown'' ( es, Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios) is a 1988 Spanish black comedy film written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar, starring Carmen Maura and Antonio Banderas. The film brought Almodóvar to ...

''.

Major characters

Bonehead and Foyle

Writer-directors Keith Allen and Peter Richardson revive their characters Bonehead and Foyle from the 1984 Comic Strip film ''

The Bullshitters ''The Bullshitters: Roll Out the Gunbarrel'' is a spoof of the TV series '' The Professionals''. It was first broadcast in 1984 on Channel 4. Although it was made by many people behind ''The Comic Strip'', it did not feature the Comic Strip tit ...

'', which was itself a parody of '' The Professionals''. As in the previous film, Bonehead and Foyle attach great importance to guns, witty one-liners and self-conscious efforts at looking un-self-consciously good on-screen. They manoeuvre and park their car – a Ford Capri, as used in ''The Professionals'' – with almost exclusive use of

handbrake turn The handbrake turn (also known as the bootlegger's turn) is a driving technique used to deliberately slide a car sideways, either for the purpose of quickly negotiating a very tight bend, or for turning around well within the vehicle's own turning ...

s, and during the film's climax they concentrate on seeking out piles of boxes to drive through or puddles to splash through, in order to make their shots appear more dynamic. For the second half of the film they again appear without shirts and, finally, without trousers.

George

Introduced as "Shouting George from The Weeny", George is based on Jack Regan of '' The Sweeney''. He is played by Jim Broadbent, and his portrayal is remarkably close to the original. George uses

London slang Multicultural London English (abbreviated MLE) is a sociolect of English that emerged in the late 20th century. It is spoken mainly by young, working-class people in multicultural parts of London. As the label suggests, speakers of MLE come fr ...

extensively, shouts, chain-smokes and insists on calling his commanding officer "guv". His detective methods involve visiting East End "villains' drinkers" in search of information. In common with Bonehead and Foyle he drives and parks his car – a 1970s Ford Granada, as seen in ''The Sweeney'' – recklessly.

Jason Bentley

Jason Bentley of Department Z is a parody of '' Department S'' Jason King, and is played by Peter Richardson. Shown to be running a 1970s retro clothes shop (''Flares 'R' Us''), Bentley dresses in red and purple crushed velvet suits. Bentley drives a vintage Bentley (as does Jason King) at a very leisurely, relaxed speed, since he ofttimes has a glass of

claret Bordeaux wine ( oc, vin de Bordèu, french: vin de Bordeaux) is produced in the Bordeaux region of southwest France, around the city of Bordeaux, on the Garonne River. To the north of the city the Dordogne River joins the Garonne forming the ...

in one hand. He bemoans this may eventually become illegal. In solving crimes, Bentley prefers to make no visible effort at all, since he anticipates that all the

plot devices A plot device or plot mechanism is any technique in a narrative used to move the plot forward. A clichéd plot device may annoy the reader and a contrived or arbitrary device may confuse the reader, causing a loss of the suspension of disbelie ...

required to solve the case will arrive by themselves in due course.

Peter Wyngarde Peter Paul Wyngarde (born Cyril Goldbert, 23 August 1927 – 15 January 2018) was a British television, stage and film actor from the late 1940s to the mid 1990s. He was best known for portraying the character Jason King, a bestselling novelist ...

, interviewed on BBC TV when this episode was originally transmitted, was flattered by the parody but insisted that Jason King would never wear crushed velvet.

Dave Spanker

TV detectives of the 1990s are principally represented on-screen by Dave Spanker, played by

Phil Cornwell Philip Cornwell (born 5 October 1957) is an English actor, comedian, impressionist and writer. He is part of the '' Dead Ringers'' television and radio series, and was the voice of Murdoc Niccals in the virtual band Gorillaz. Cornwell has co- ...

and based on the eponymous lead character from '' Spender''. In appearance, he is unshaven with untidy shoulder-length hair, but he wears "expensive

Armani Giorgio Armani S.p.A. (), commonly known as Armani, is an Italian luxury fashion house founded in Milan by Giorgio Armani which designs, manufactures, distributes and retails haute couture, ready-to-wear, leather goods, shoes, accessories, and ...

suits". In action, he is dour, slow-moving and speaks very little, except in nostalgic non-sequiturs about shipbuilding on the Tyne. Upon arrival at all locations he prefers to stand gazing out of an available window. The writers draw attention to the fact that he always sensibly parks and central-locks his

Ford Sierra The Ford Sierra is a mid-size car or large family car manufactured and marketed by Ford Europe from 1982-1993, designed by Uwe Bahnsen, Robert Lutz and Patrick le Quément — and noted for its aerodynamic styling producing a drag coeffi ...

. There is some crossover between the parodying of the Spender character and the actor who played him,

Jimmy Nail James Michael Aloysius Bradford (born 16 March 1954), known as Jimmy Nail, is an English singer-songwriter, actor, film producer, and television writer. He played the role of Leonard "Oz" Osborne in the television show '' Auf Wiedersehen, Pet'' ...

, as when a musical number ends with a line from Nail's 1992 single, "Ain't No Doubt".

Plot

The film opens on the studio set of a fictional 1990s TV show, ''The Gourmet Detective''. This is depicted as a crass cross-genre detective/cookery series ("two recipes and one murder per show"), whose lead character (played by Keith Allen) presents his recipe in a style that parodies

Keith Floyd Keith Floyd (28 December 1943 – 14 September 2009) was a British celebrity cook, restaurateur, television personality and "gastronaut" who hosted cooking shows for the BBC and published many books combining cookery and travel. On televi ...

. Allen's "on-screen" Gourmet Detective character is the epitome of

politically correct ''Political correctness'' (adjectivally: ''politically correct''; commonly abbreviated ''PC'') is a term used to describe language, policies, or measures that are intended to avoid offense or disadvantage to members of particular groups in socie ...

"new man" compassion, but the actor "off-screen" is shown to be an obnoxious, drug-taking womaniser. He is subsequently murdered – the second TV detective to be killed in six months – and the rest of the film involves the search for his assassin. The police commander (played by Jim Carter) is exasperated that the detective assigned to the case, Dave Spanker, has come up with much "Northern nostalgia" but no leads.

Cheesecloth Cheesecloth is a loose-woven gauze-like carded cotton cloth used primarily in cheesemaking and cooking. Grades Cheesecloth is available in at least seven different grades, from open to extra-fine weave. Grades are distinguished by the nu ...

and the footprint of a 1970s

platform shoe Platform shoes are shoes, boots, or sandals with an obvious thick sole, usually in the range of . Platform shoes may also be high heels, in which case the heel is raised significantly higher than the ball of the foot. Extreme heights, of bo ...

are found at the scene, inspiring him to bring in 1970s-style detectives to help solve the crime – initially Bonehead, Foyle and George. When the platform shoe is revealed to be from the early 1970s, Jason Bentley is added to the team, and the commander insists that Bentley's methods alone are to be used ("no guns, no fast cars, no shouting"). Bentley consequently drives the detectives to a random country house, drinks copious claret, smokes endless cigarettes, and predictably gets nowhere with the case. The frustrated detectives have a punch-up while they are – on Bentley's advice – "waiting for a

Mini Moke The Mini Moke (styled "MOKE") is a small, front-wheel-drive utility and recreational convertible, conceived and manufactured as a lightweight military vehicle by British Motor Corporation (BMC), and subsequently marketed for civilian use under ...

to turn up". The commander gives the team a dressing-down, and explains that, with the TV-cop-killer still at large, the production of various 1990s TV cop shows is under threat. In order to highlight further the writers' views of contemporary TV detective shows, he lists these as ''The Dull as Dishwater Detective'', ''Detectives on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown'' and ''The Whistling Detective Who Lives on a Barge''. ''The Dull as Dishwater Detective'' is apparently in hiatus because "the actor's run abroad, he's scared" – a reference to the real TV series ''

Inspector Morse Detective Chief Inspector Endeavour Morse, GM, is the eponymous fictional character in the series of detective novels by British author Colin Dexter. On television, he appears in the 33-episode drama series '' Inspector Morse'' (1987–2000), ...

'', whose lead actor

John Thaw John Edward Thaw, (3 January 1942 – 21 February 2002) was an English actor who appeared in a range of television, stage, and cinema roles. He starred in the television series '' Inspector Morse'' as title character Detective Chief Inspector ...

was making ''

A Year in Provence ''A Year in Provence'' is a 1989 best-selling memoir by Peter Mayle about his first year in Provence, and the local events and customs. It was adapted into a television series starring John Thaw and Lindsay Duncan. Reviewers praised the book's ho ...

'' at this time. Thaw had previously played Regan in ''The Sweeney''. Bonehead, Foyle and George insist they be allowed to proceed with the investigation their way, complete with fast cars and guns. The commander reluctantly agrees to give them 48 hours, and they gleefully wheel-spin away to a rendezvous at an East End drinking den. Meanwhile, a sheepish Bentley asks to see the original lab reports. At the pub, George asks to see his informant, while Bonehead and Foyle order Babychams then storm the toilet cubicles the way they might storm an

embassy A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually den ...

. However, Bentley provides the breakthrough. He reveals that the forensic report proves the platform shoes were bought in

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 ...

. After Spanker confesses that he committed the crimes due to TV ratings pressure, he makes his escape. There ensues a 1970s-style high-speed car chase involving all but Bentley, based mainly in a large yard where all three cars drive around somewhat pointlessly in circles. The repeated handbrake-turns wreck Foyle's gearbox and, in frustration at missing out on the car chase, Bonehead briefly considers leaving his partner. However, the chase continues on foot into London Docklands, where Spanker takes refuge. Bonehead and Foyle – as is customary for them – remove their trousers for this final showdown, and then bemoan the Docklands redevelopment that has taken place since the 1970s: "where's all the wasteland and disused factories?". They nevertheless negotiate the area trouserlessly as if it is still full of rusty girders and rubble, to the bemusement of passing city workers. Meanwhile, George attempts to talk Spanker into a surrender. Spanker complains that, with the increased realism in TV detective shows, he has missed out on the fast cars and the "shoot a man at a hundred yards crap" enjoyed by his 1970s counterparts. To prove the point, he feels no ill effects when George shoots him from this very distance as an apparent 1970s denouement to the scene. However, Bentley now magically appears exactly where the plot requires him to appear, right alongside Spanker. In a typically relaxed and tangential fashion, he manages to capture the detective effortlessly. George devises a punishment for Spanker far worse than being shot at close range – Spanker will instead be "shot on tape". He has his scruffy hair cut to a regulation

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 peop ...

's length, in order to take his place as "a faceless copper in uniform – three nights a week". Spanker's suitably TV-based punishment is to become a member of the cast of ''

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 ...

''. The film ends on an up-beat note, with Bonehead, Foyle, George, Bentley and the commander all drinking to "the Seventies".

Quotes

*George: "Listen guv, I'm a ten-guv-a-day copper, always have been, always will be. If you want me to work on this case, I'm going to be calling you "guv" all day long. It's all I know and it's all you need to know, ''guv''." *Bentley: "Well, it's very simple. I usually drive the Bentley to a large country house belonging to some mad, rich colonel. Whereupon I drink a bottle of claret, smoke fifty cigarettes, and have everyone arrested." *Bonehead: "Is that it?" *Bentley: "Occasionally, some naughty men walk by in silver spacesuits." *Spanker: "You do it your way, and I'll do it my way." *Foyle: "Good detectives don't wash their hands – it wastes time, and film." *George: "There's no towel for Christ's sake. Can't a copper dry his hands any more? I've got wet hands here and they need drying. This place is a bloody khazi!" *Spanker bout Bonehead and Foyle "They're in the toilet, sorting out their sexuality." *Bonehead: "I wanna be driving round in circles, Foyle, like them." *Spanker: "I wanted fast cars too. I was ten years too late. All I got was marriage problems in a Northern atmosphere." *George: "I had marriage problems as well, Spanker... I had nervous tension as well. I didn't send people to sleep like you do." *George: "''Shut it!''"

Cast and crew

* Keith Allen as Bonehead/The Gourmet Detective * Peter Richardson as Foyle/Jason Bentley * Jim Broadbent as George *

as Dave Spanker * Jim Carter as Commander *

Gary Beadle Gary Beadle (born 8 July 1965) is a British actor, best known for playing Paul Trueman in '' EastEnders'' and Gary Barwick in ''Operation Good Guys''. Life and career Beadle was raised as one of five children in Bermondsey, South London, wh ...

as Ronnie *

John Forgeham John Henry George Forgeham (14 May 1941 – 10 March 2017) was an English actor known for his television work, notably the role of businessman Frank Laslett in the ITV series ''Footballers' Wives''. Born in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, For ...

as Sergeant *

Sara Stockbridge Sara Stockbridge (born Sarah Jane Stockbridge; 14 November 1965) is an English model, actress and author. In the second half of the 1980s, she was the muse of fashion designer Vivenne Westwood. Early life Stockbridge was born in Woking, Surr ...

as Sonia * Virginia Fiol as Mandy * Michael White as TV executive * Howie Nicol as TV executive * Mark Caven as TV producer *

George Yiasoumi George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Presid ...

as Writer *

Doon Mackichan Sarah Doon Mackichan (; born August 1962) is a British actress, comedian and writer. She co-created, wrote and performed in the double Emmy award winning '' Smack the Pony''. She frequently collaborates with Armando Iannucci and Steve Coogan, h ...

as Journalist * Emma Bernard as Journalist * Jimmy Fagg as East End drinker landlord * Kevin Allen as Man in East End drinker (uncredited) *

Richard Vernon Richard Evelyn Vernon (7 March 1925 – 4 December 1997) was a British actor. He appeared in many feature films and television programmes, often in aristocratic or supercilious roles. Prematurely balding and greying, Vernon settled into playi ...

as Suspect at country house (uncredited) *

Lewis Collins Lewis Collins (27 May 1946 – 27 November 2013)"Happy Birthday Richard Hastilow, 65", ''The Times'', 26 May 2010 was an English actor, best known for his career-defining role playing 'Bodie' in the late 1970s – early 1980s British television ...

as PR man at after show drinks party (uncredited) * Written and directed by Keith Allen and Peter Richardson * Producer – Lolli Kimpton * Executive Producer – Michael White

DVD availability

The film is included on the Comic Strip

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 ...

box set ''The Complete Collection'' (2005).

External links

* {{The Comic Strip The Comic Strip Presents... episodes Metafictional works 1993 television films 1993 British television episodes 1993 short films 1993 films Films directed by Peter Richardson (British director)