The Thin Blue Line: The Complete Line-Up
3 Disc Set
Rowan Atkinson (Mr. Bean, Black Adder) stars as Inspector Raymond Fowler, leader of a dedicatedly incompetent squad of keystone kops in a tiny British town.
Written by Ben Elton and starring Rowan Atkinson, The Thin Blue Line is one of the BBC's classic comedy shows. For the first time on DVD, all 14 episodes from Series 1 & 2 are available.
Member Reviews
Another fine series from Ben Elton - Superdave
Ben Elton, one of the creators of Blackadder, got back together with Rowan Atkinson for two seasons and twelve episodes of this unexpectedly low key situation comedy about life at a police station in a sleepy section of the U.K. Beyond arresting the occasional shoplifter or student prankster, they have next to nothing to do. This does not sit well with the action-starved CID man Grimm (whose insane tirades on the state of Great Britain are an every episode treat) but does not seem to worry anybody else. The emphasis here is, for once, not on the outrageous or the farcical, but at finding the humor in small everyday happenings.
Atkinson's comedy skills are as impeccable as ever, although after playing the Machiavellian Blackadder for years, followed by apocalyptic silent cinema throwback Bean, Atkinson had to grope around a little for the first couple of episodes to get the right subtle note with his middle aged public servant Insp. Fowler. The racially and gender mixed ensemble worked right away, and this is one of the show's strengths, along with Elton's scripts. It was as if Elton and Atkinson decided to show the world that although they had spent years redefining the boundaries of TV comedy, they could do traditional forms too, so there. This is a small gem of a series and worth discovering, especially since it is so little known beside Atkinson's other series.Fun stuff! - Komodogirl
It's not groundbreaking, or 'edgey', it's just good plain, fast paced, absolute joyful fun. Rowan Atkinson is matched with an excellent ensemble (I lurve constable Goody) and quick paced, slapstick humour that'll keep you on your toes, and giggling for hours.
The 3rd disc, or 'extras', can largely be skipped unless you're a HUGE Ben Elton fan, which I doubt anyone outside of the UK is, but rent this series, you won't regret it!Another outstanding series with Rowan Atkinson - Opinheimer
After finding great success with both Mr. Bean and Blackadder in the 1980's, Rowan Atkinson starred in this britcom as the captain of a small town police station. Ironically, his conservative character spends most of his time clashing not with criminal elements of society but rather with the pack of odd characters within the station itself, including a bitter, unstable inspector, a politically correct police woman with leftist leanings, a bumbling and flamboyantly gay new recruit, and the secretary, who also happens to be his girlfriend.
Despite how short lived this series was (only 14 episodes were made), the writing is top notch, as is the acting, particularly Atkinson and David Haig, who played the inspector.
Member Reviews
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Another fine series from Ben Elton - Superdave
Ben Elton, one of the creators of Blackadder, got back together with Rowan Atkinson for two seasons and twelve episodes of this unexpectedly low key situation comedy about life at a police station in a sleepy section of the U.K. Beyond arresting the occasional ...Fun stuff! - Komodogirl
It's not groundbreaking, or 'edgey', it's just good plain, fast paced, absolute joyful fun. Rowan Atkinson is matched with an excellent ensemble (I lurve constable Goody) and quick paced, slapstick humour that'll keep you on your toes, and giggling for hours.
The ...Another outstanding series with Rowan Atkinson - Opinheimer
After finding great success with both Mr. Bean and Blackadder in the 1980's, Rowan Atkinson starred in this britcom as the captain of a small town police station. Ironically, his conservative character spends most of his time clashing not with criminal elements ...