''Thief Takers'' is a British

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

crime drama Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combin ...

series, created by Roy Mitchell, and produced by

Central Independent Television ITV Central, previously known as Central Independent Television, Carlton Central, ITV1 for Central England and commonly referred to as simply Central, is the Independent Television franchisee for the Midlands. It was created following the rest ...

for the ITV network. The series depicts the work of a team of officers based in the Metropolitan Police Service's

Flying Squad The Flying Squad is a branch of the Serious and Organised Crime Command within London's Metropolitan Police Service. It is also known as the Robbery Squad, Specialist Crime Directorate 7, SC&O7 and SO7. It is nicknamed The Sweeney, an abbreviat ...

, which

Reece Dinsdale Reece Dinsdale (born 6 August 1959) is an English actor and director of stage, film and television. He is a Huddersfield Town fan. In 2017 he became a patron of the Square Chapel, an arts centre in Halifax. He is also an honorary patron of The ...

Brendan Coyle David "Brendan" Coyle (born 2 December 1962) is an English-Irish actor. He won the Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role for ''The Weir'' in 1999. He also played Nicholas Higgins in the miniseries '' North & South'', Robert T ...

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'', s ...

and Nicholas Ball appearing in the principal roles. The series was Carlton's attempt to rival

Thames Television Thames Television, commonly simplified to just Thames, was a franchise holder for a region of the British ITV television network serving London and surrounding areas from 30 July 1968 until the night of 31 December 1992. Thames Television broa ...

's ''

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 ...

'', after the producer unexpectedly retained the series despite a major take-over by Carlton. A total of three series were broadcast between 1 February 1995 and 18 December 1997, with a total of twenty-five episodes broadcast. Each episode features a stand-alone case, with the exception of a small number of two-part episodes. However, the personal lives of each of the officers in the team provide the backdrop for a continuing story arc throughout all three series. Reception for the third and final series was mixed, and a major shake-up in the main cast was cited as the main reason for declining viewing figures. Subsequently, the series was axed in 1998 shortly before a fourth series was set to go into production. All three series, plus the pilot episode, were released on VHS on 26 January 2000. An official book, entitled "The Inside Story", written by Geoff Tibballs, was also published to coincide with the first series. An official novelisation, written by Lee O'Keefe, was also published on 11 January 1996. Notably, the series has yet to be released on DVD.

Cast

as DI Charlie Scott (Series 1–2) *

as DI Glenn Mateo (Series 3) *

as DS Bob 'Bingo' Tate (Series 1–2) * Lynda Steadman as DS Helen Ash (Series 1) *

Amanda Pays Amanda Pays (born 6 June 1959) is an English actress. She is known for her roles as Theora Jones in the film and television series '' Max Headroom'' and as Christina "Tina" McGee in ''The Flash'' and reprised her role in the 2014 series of th ...

as DS Anna Dryden (Series 2–3) * Robert Willox as DC Ted Donachie (Series 1–3) * Gary McDonald as DC Alan Oxford (Series 1–3) *

Pooky Quesnel Joanna Gabrielle "Pooky" Quesnel (born 30 April 1966) is an English actress, screenwriter and singer. Early life Quesnel was born and raised in Eccles, Lancashire, along with her five siblings. Her father was born in Trinidad. She read English ...

as DC Grace Harris (Series 1–2) *

Simone Lahbib Simone Nicole Jean Lahbib Ould Cheikl (; born 6 February 1965) is a Scottish actress. She is known for her roles as Helen Stewart in the ITV drama series '' Bad Girls'', DCI Alex Fielding in the ITV crime series ''Wire in the Blood'' and Katy L ...

as DC Lucy McCarthy (Series 3) *

David Sterne David Sterne (born 1946) is an English actor. He has appeared in more than 90 films since 1973. After leaving the British Army, Sterne trained at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art. A former member of the Royal Shakespeare Company ...

as DCI Frank Utley (Series 1–3) * Nicholas Ball as DCI Nick Hall (Series 3) * Robert Reynolds as DI Micky Dawes (Pilot) *

Lennie James Lennie Michael James (born 11 October 1965) is a British actor, screenwriter, and playwright. His work includes playing Morgan Jones in the television series, '' The Walking Dead'' and in its spin-off, '' Fear the Walking Dead'', and starring ...

as DC Alan Oxford (Pilot) *

Sophie Dix Sophie Dix (born 3 March 1969) is an English actress, best known for her role as Captain Sadie Williams in ''Soldier Soldier''. She has also had roles in ''The Bill'', ''Benidorm'', '' Between The Lines'', and ''Holby City''. In March 2022, she ...

as DC Angela Prudhoe (Pilot)

Episodes

Pilot (1995)

Series 1 (1996)

Series 2 (1996)

Series 3 (1997)

References

External links

* *{{epguides, ThiefTakers
''Thief Takers'' entry at the British Film Institute
1995 British television series debuts 1997 British television series endings 1990s British crime television series British crime drama television series English-language television shows ITV television dramas Television series by ITV Studios Television shows set in London Television shows produced by Central Independent Television