Dempsey & Makepeace
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| Dempsey And Makepeace | |
|---|---|
 Main title card. |
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| Format | Action adventure |
| Created by | Ranald Graham |
| Starring | Michael Brandon Glynis Barber Ray Smith Tony Osoba |
| Composer(s) | Alan Parker |
| Country of origin | UK |
| No. of episodes | 30 (List of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Running time | 50 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | ITV |
| Original run | 1985 – 1986 |
| External links | |
| IMDb profile | |
Dempsey & Makepeace (1985–86) is a British television crime drama, which was made by London Weekend Television for ITV. The leading roles were played by Michael Brandon (Dempsey) and Glynis Barber (Makepeace), who later married on November 18, 1989.
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[edit] Premise
The premise of Dempsey & Makepeace is the oddball pairing of two police detectives: an elegant English noblewoman, Sgt. (Lady) Harriet Makepeace, and a streetwise working-class New Yorker, Lt. James Dempsey.
When his partner Joey dies in a botched drugs operation and he uncovers police corruption at the highest level, Dempsey is under threat of assassination. With the help of his colleagues, he hurriedly leaves New York for London, on the pretense of an undercover international police exchange programme.
Harriet "Harry" Makepeace is the daughter of Lord Winfield. Lord Winfield owns a stately manor in the English countryside. Reference is made to his having been perhaps in the army or secret service. Harry's grandfather is mentioned as an eccentric "Victorian" collector of antiques and rare items. Harry's mother is mentioned only once, by Harry's maternal uncle, Duffy and it would seem the mother had passed away some time ago. Harry has made her way up through the ranks of the police force despite male chauvanism and the physical demands of the job.
Although there is initial reluctance on both sides, Harry and Dempsey work as partners in a specialised task force, SI 10 and they make a good team. SI 10 is under the command of the 'George Cowley-esque' Gordon Spikings, played by the late Ray Smith. A fourth regular role is that of Chas, played by Tony Osoba. Chas provides useful research and communications in the SI 10 office and occasionally shoots his gun.
There were two double length episodes produced. The first was the pilot, "Armed and Extremely Dangerous" and the second was the leading episode of season three, "The Burning".
The series' three seasons attained great popularity in the United Kingdom with ratings averaging between 14 to 20 million viewers. The programme was sold to many countries in Europe and around the world, including the United States. Dempsey & Makepeace merchandise such as jigsaw puzzles, children's annuals and replica toy cars were produced. At the height of the series popularity and during season two particularly, the British tabloid press hounded the lead actors for off screen stories regarding their then budding personal relationship.
Much of the show's draw came from the good natured "will they or won't they" interplay and a suspected slowly evolving romance between the main protagonists, made possible by the obvious chemistry between the two lead actors. The show ended on a high note in an episode directed by Michael Brandon himself where Dempsey and Makepeace are forced to confront at least some of their feelings for one another.
As of March, 2008 the series was being repeated on ITV3 in the UK.
[edit] Main cast
- Glynis Barber Det. Sgt. Harriet Makepeace
- Michael Brandon Lt. James Dempsey
- Tony Osoba Det. Sgt. Charles Jarvis
- Ray Smith Chief Supt. Gordon Spikings
[edit] DVD Release
In the UK, all three series of Dempsey & Makepeace were released on DVD in 2006 from Network DVD, and include interviews and audio commentaries on selected episodes with both Michael Brandon and Glynis Barber.
In Portugal, all three series were released in 2004 by Prisvideo. There were no extras and the audio was in English with optional portuguese subtitles. This was the first time Dempsey & Makepeace was made available on DVD.
