King and Castle (ITV 1986, Derek Martin, Nigel Planer)

In King and Castle Detective Sergeant Ronald King, definitely not averse to taking bribes finds he is being targeted by the police corruption squad. He decides to quit while he is behind and opens up a debt collecting agency. He partners with martial arts expert David Castle. Castle doesn’t like the shadier aspects of his new line of business but desperately needs the money to fight a custody battle with his ex-girlfriend. Castle also works part time for a “genealogical investigation” firm who specialise in tracking down will beneficiaries.

Another excellent Ian Kennedy Martin series with strong scripts well to the fore (King and Castle took on a variety of cases that ran from a bitter divorce dispute to tracking down a missing floppy disc). Nigel Planer, who played Castle, also contributed a couple of scripts (in collaboration with Andy De La Tour) to the second season. Planer also sang the closing theme tune. Guest stars included the likes of Kenneth Cope, Isla Blair, Jerome Willis, Terence Rigby and Philip Madoc.

There was quite a gap between the first and second seasons and there was a few changes too most notably in the change of theme tunes – out went the Thatcher’s Britain punkish lament by Planer and in came a dixieland style jazz theme that didn’t fit at all. Also if you had never seen the show before the opening titles might lead you to think you were watching a comedy. Castle’s moped which was confined to a rubbish skip at the end of season one was now back.

The series grew out of an episode of pilot anthology series Storyboard broadcast 20 August 1985.

THE EPISODES
PILOT
Storyboard (20 Aug 1985)

SEASON ONE 3 September – 8 October 1986
1. Exodus
2. Villains
3. Partners
4. Friends
5. Romance
6. Rivals

SEASON TWO 10 May – 14 June 1988
1. Kicks
2. Dim Sums
3. Hams
4. Floppy Disc
5. Class
6. Cons

production details
UK / ITV – Thames / 13×60 minute episodes / Broadcast 20 August 1985 – 14 June 1988

Creator: Ian Kennedy Martin / Producers: Peter Duguid, Chris Burt

cast
DEREK MARTIN as Ronald King
NIGEL PLANER as David Castle
LAURA DAVENPORT as Deirdre Aitken
ANDREW CRUICKSHANK as Mr Hodinett
MARY HEALEY as Miss Wilmott
ROWENA ROBERTS as Hilary