The Thin Blue Line

The Thin Blue Line is a British sitcom which aired on BBC1 from 1995 to 1996. It was created and written by Ben Elton, and starred Rowan Atkinson. The series was popular with viewers, though it suffered in critical reviews due to "inconsistent character development" and an "overly broad plot line". It was ranked number 34 in a poll for Britain's Best Sitcom. In September 2021, the series became available on BBC iPlayer. and also on STV Player. The show, set in the fictional English town of Gasforth, is a parody of police procedurals, featuring conflicts between the uniformed squad, led by Inspector Fowler, and the CID, led by Detective Inspector Grim. The cast included Serena Evans, David Haig, James Dreyfus, Mina Anwar, Rudolph Walker, Kevin Allen, and Mark Addy, among others. Synopsis The series is set in a police station in the fictional English town of Gasforth. A general parody of the serious police procedural, one of the main themes on the show sees the uniformed squad, led by Inspector Raymond Fowler, and the CID, led by Detective Inspector Derek Grim, locking horns over similar, or even the same, issues while having conflicting views or methods of operations. Generally, the uniformed section triumphs over the detectives, although not without their own foibles. Although other PCs and staff other than the main characters are visible in the background, they generally have no speaking parts. Cast and characters