In Victorian times Detective Sergeant Cribb works for the newly formed C.I.D; Its the time of Jack the Ripper and the streets of London are full of vagabonds and neer do wells and Cribb does his best to crack his cases without the benefits of modern day crime detection (no fingerprints, no forensics crew) helped only by the doleful Constable Thackery (William Simons).
Cribb is excellent, Alan Dobie, who had premiered the character in a one off play – Waxwork the year before, has a real laid back style. Based on the series of books by Peter Lovesey, Cribb was a series full of intricate plots (often incorporating real life events such as Jerome K. Jerome’s Three Men In A Boat and the arrival of elephant Jumbo at London Zoo).
Episodes revolve around such subjects as a long distance walking race (Wobble To Death), bareknuckle fighting (The Detective Wore Silk Drawers), the world of spiritualism (A Case of Spirits) and even terrorism (Invitation to a Dynamite Party).
There’s also plenty of well known faces cropping up including the likes of Andrew Burt, Michael Elphick, Linda Robson and Elizabeth Spriggs.
production details
UK / ITV – Granada / 1×75 minutes 13×50 minutes / Broadcast 23 December 1979 – 10 May 1981
Producer: June Wyndham-Davies / Novels: Peter Lovesey / Theme Music: Derek Hilton / Executive Producer: Peter Eckersley
cast
Alan Dobie as Sgt Cribb
William Simons as Constable Thackery
David Waller as Inspector Jowett
PILOT 1x90m-e / 19 August 1979
1. WAXWORK
SEASON ONE – 7 Episodes / 13 April – 25 May 1980
(2) 1. SWING, SWING TOGETHER
(3) 2. ABRACADAVER
(4) 3.THE DETECTIVE WORE SILK DRAWERS
(5) 4. THE HORIZONTAL WITNESS
(6) 5. WOBBLE TO DEATH
(7) 6. SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW
(8) 7. A CASE OF SPIRITS
SEASON TWO – 6 Episodes / 29 March – 10 May 1981
(9) 1. MAD HATTER’S HOLIDAY
(10) 2. THE LAST TRUMPET
(11) 3. THE HAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE
(12) 4. THE CHOIR THAT WOULDN’T SING
(13) 5. MURDER OLD BOY
(14) 6. INVITATION TO A DYNAMITE PARTY
