Operation Julie (ITV 1985, Colin Blakely and Eric Deacon)

Shown over three consecutive nights the hard hitting Operation Julie, which is set in the mid 1970’s, follows a team of dedicated (sometimes too dedicated) undercover detectives, led by Inspector Richard Lee as they spend 13 months getting evidence to bring down Britain’s biggest LSD manufacturing organisation. The operation, which is code named after one of the officers on the case covers everything from phone tapping to going deep undercover the team get ever closer to bringing the organisation, led by Hugh Brinsley Truscott and Rupert Creasey, to justice. Meanwhile Lee is under increasing pressure from his superiors to bring the case to a close.

Very well made and based on a true story (which saw those involved eventually receiving sentences totally 170 years!) three parter Operation Julie captured the seedy seventies vibe very well. The police high-ups were not very happy with the way the case was handled and the Julie team were quickly disbanded and Inspector Lee was given a transfer to the uniform traffic branch which caused him to hand in his resignation.

UK / ITV – Tyne Tees – Chatsworth / 3×60 minute episodes / Broadcast 4-6 November 1985

Writers: Bob Mahoney, Gerry O’Hara, Keith Richardson / Original Music by Ian Donaldson and Ross Alcock / Performed by H.2.0 / Production Design: Ashley Wilkinson / Producers: Peter Holmans, Malcolm Heyworth / Executive Producer: Keith Richardson / Director: Bob Mahoney

cast
COLIN BLAKELY as Detective Inspector Richard Lee
KAY ADSHEAD as “Swan”
JOHN AINLEY as Rupert Creasey
PETER BALDWIN as D.C. Paul Garrett
PETER BARNES as Patrick Grainger
DAVID BARRASS as Immigration Officer
KIM BLACK as W.P.C. Mary Robson
CLARE BONASS as D.C. Gladys Wooley
SELENA CAREY-JONES as D.C. Patricia Johnstone
MICHAEL CARTER as Hugh Truscott
JOHN CORDING as D.S. Reg Lewis
JAMES COSMO as Longfellow
ERIC DEACON as D.C. Ernie Wilson
ALAN DOWNER as C.C.R Templeton
FRANK DUNCAN as Bruce Sangster
LEON EAGLES as C.I.C
JIM FOWLER as Barry Kitson
NORA FULTON as Landlady
JAMES GADDAS as D.C. Sid Bell
NIGEL GREGORY as D.C. Arnold Baxter
ROBERT GWILYM as D.C. Dan Richard
JOHN HUG as Official 1
MELANIE HUGHES as Kathleen Bates
PAUL HUMPOLETZ as Carl
PETER HUTCHINSON as D.C. Ted Hallett
SUSIE JOHNS as Mary Evans
ARTHUR KELLY as D.S. Jim Maxted
BELINDA LANG as D.C. Joy Brookes
JON LAURIMORE as Det Insp Don Gough
ROBERT McBAIN as A.C.C. Soames
STUART McGUGAN as D.S. Ron Stapley
LIZZY McINNERNY as Erica
DENNIS McINTOSH as Alex McCoy
ALAN MECHEN as Hadley
ROBIN MEREDITH as Desk Sergeant
LESLEY NIGHTINGALE as Police Sgt Julie Thompson
BRUCE PAYNE as D.C. Malcolm Pollard
CLARE POWNEY as Girl in Field
MARTYN READ as D.C.I. Gordon Hales
LYNDA ROOKE as D.C. Gracie Gibson
SIMON ROUSE as D.S. Vernon Cooper
HELEN RUSSELL as Greengrocer
BARRY SCOTT as Billy Hill
DAVID SHAWYER as Official 2
PHIL SMEETON as Bingo
DAVID SWIFT as Det Supt David Gosling
GARY TWOMEY as D.S. Dave Roberts
LEX VAN DELDEN as Duerring
DOROTHY VERNON as Pam Lee
NED YUKOVIC as Arthur Hicks
MICHAEL YEAMAN as Young Soldier