New Scotland Yard: We Do What We Can (ITV 29 Dec 1972)

In We Do What We Can after the revelation in the last episode that he was taking his mum on holiday Ward reveals that he does have other women in his life announcing that he is leaving her to take a girl out on a date. Of course we quickly learn that Ward isn’t on a date at all but helping out old friend Jenny Macey (Ward used to lodge with the Macey family) whose husband Donald has been in prison. On his release though Ward had helped get him a job.

This leads us into the main thrust of the story, Donald is being put under pressure by tough Jimmy Sutton who wants to pull off a robbery at the company Macey works for. Ward and Kingdom persuade Macey to co-operate allowing the opportunity to set Sutton and his gang up but as is quite usual with the series events don’t play out as planned.

There’s another nice continuation from the previous episode The Money Game too as Ward meets up with his snout Freddie once again. There is also a subplot with Kingdom visiting an old lady who he thinks has been crying wolf about being burgled. She later commits suicide after another burglary this doesn’t really go anyway other than to show that the usually sympathetic Kingdom was on this occasion not caring enough. Dennis Blanch as Detective Constable Thomas.

Dennis Blanch, who would go on to star in popular ITV crime drama Strangers, pops up here as a young detective constable.

Classic quote
Ward: “Don’t worry I’ve got friends in the police force.”
Kingdom: “Really. Who?.”

production details
UK / ITV – London Weekend Television / 1×50 minute episode / Broadcast Friday 29 December 1972 at 9.00pm

Writer: Tony Hoare / Production Design: Bryan Bagge / Director: John Reardon

Series: New Scotland Yard Season 2 Episode 11

cast
John Woodvine as Kingdom
John Carlisle as Ward
Robert Morris as Donald Macey
Stanley Lebor as Jimmy Sutton
Susan Glanville as Jenny Macey
Natalie Kent as Mrs Walton
Donald MacIver as P.C. Pilling
Dennis Blanch as D.C. Thomas
Frank Jarvis as Frank Machin
Peter Childs as Bertie Cronin
Michael Balfour as Freddy Larch
Ken Haward as P.C. Noble