Juliet Bravo

Juliet Bravo
Juliet Bravo Titles
Created by	Ian Kennedy Martin
Starring	Stephanie Turner Anna Carteret
Country of origin	UK
No. of series	6
No. of episodes	88
Production
Running time	50 minutes
Release
Original network	BBC1
Original release	30 August 1980 – 21 December 1985

Juliet Bravo is a British television series, which ran on BBC1 between 1980 and 1985. The theme of the series concerned a female police inspector who took over control of a police station in the fictional town of Hartley in Lancashire.

Programme Name

Despite popular misunderstanding, there never was any character named "Juliet Bravo" in the show. The name of the show is the inspector's radio call sign, "J-B", or "Juliet Bravo" in the phonetic alphabet as practised in European NATO states. In fact this call sign was only used once during Stephanie Turner's tenure, during the last episode of Series Three. However, from Series Four to Six the call sign was frequently used. The working title of the programme employed by series creator Ian Kennedy Martin was "Inspector, Ma'am", a reference to the lead character's rank and title—a title whose use she was forced to insist upon from one of her Sergeants in the first episode of series 1, due to his preference for the informal "Boss". However, "Inspector, Ma'am" was dropped during filming of the first series.

Concept

The series was devised by Ian Kennedy Martin, who had already enjoyed success with another police drama series, The Sweeney. The genre of police/crime dramas was well established on British television by 1980; however the BBC's Juliet Bravo, along with London Weekend Television's The Gentle Touch, which started a few months earlier, dealt with female officers as lead characters having to fight both crime and the prejudice of male colleagues.

Ian Kennedy Martin actually based the character of Inspector Jean Darblay on a real life Female Police Inspector Wynne Darwin. She was in charge of the Police Station in Great Harwood just outside Manchester. The fictional Lancashire town of Hartley was based on Great Harwood.

Production

Bacup police station acted as Hartley police station.

Series 1 and 2 were produced by Terence Williams. From series 3, the producer changed to Jonathan Alwyn, and was script edited by Chris Boucher. Series 4, 5 and 6 were produced by Geraint Morris.

The theme tune for the programme was arranged by Derek Goom. Bob Cosford was the initial graphic designer who matched the theme tune to the opening and closing graphics centred on a revolving police "star and crown" cap badge which bore the familiar "E II R" device of English police forces, but in place of the force name around the blue circle, it had instead the generic words "County Constabulary".

Studio scenes for Series 1 & 2 were recorded at BBC Television Centre, Wood Lane in London, and as from Series 3 to Series 6, studio scenes were recorded at the BBC`s Pebble Mill Studios in Birmingham. Exterior scenes were filmed in the Lancashire towns of Colne, Bacup, Accrington, Nelson, Burnley, and in Todmorden, West Yorkshire. Other locations around east Lancashire, West Yorkshire and the Black Country (Tipton and Dudley) were also used.

The exterior of Hartley Police Station seen throughout the entire series run of Juliet Bravo was the Police Station in the Lancashire Town of Bacup. The Station closed a few years ago, but a campaign was mounted by fans of Juliet Bravo to save it from demolition, and turn it into a museum dedicated to the series Juliet Bravo.

Regular cast

The lead role of Inspector Jean Darblay was played by Stephanie Turner between 1980 and 1982, and her replacement Inspector Kate Longton was played by Anna Carteret between 1983 and 1985.

• Stephanie Turner (Insp. Jean Darblay) (1980–82 / Series 1–3 / 44 episodes)
• David Hargreaves (Tom Darblay) (1980–82 / Series 1–3 / 24 episodes)
• David Ellison (Sgt. Joseph Beck) (1980–85 / Series 1–6 / 88 episodes)
• Noel Collins (Sgt. George Parrish) (1980–85 / Series 1–6 / 87 episodes)
• Mark Drewry (PC Roland Bentley) (1980 / Series 1 / 15 episodes)
• Tony Caunter (DCI Jim Logan) (1980–82 / Series 1–3 / 14 episodes)
• Gerard Kelly (PC David Gallagher) (1981 / Series 2 / 13 episodes)
• David Straun (PC Martin Helmshore) (1982 / Series 3 / 10 episodes)
• Anna Carteret (Insp. Kate Longton) (1983–85 / Series 4–6 / 44 episodes)
• C.J. Allen (PC Brian Kelleher) (1983-85 / Series 4–6 / 41 episodes)
• Mark Botham (PC Danny Sparks) (1983–85 / Series 4–6 / 44 episodes)
• Tom Georgeson (John Holden) (1983 / Series 4 / 10 episodes)
• Edward Peel (DCI Mark Perrin) (1983–85 / Series 4–6 / 21 episodes)

Recurring cast:

• John Ringham (Divisional Supt. Lake) (1980 / Series 1 / 3 episodes)
• Geoffrey Larder (DS Dave Melchett) (1980 / Series 1 / 5 episodes)
• Wendy Allnutt (Jennie Randall) (1980 / Series 1 / 3 episodes)
• Martyn Hesford (PC Ian Skelton) (1980–81 / Series 1–2 / 3 episodes)
• James Grout (Divisional Supt. Albert Hallam) (1981 / Series 2 / 3 episodes)
• Lloyd McGuire (DS Bernie Duckworth) (1981, 83 / Series 2 & 4 / 7 episodes)
• David Gillies (PC Peter Sims) (1982 / Series 3 / 7 episodes)
• Sebastian Abineri (DS Dick Maltby) (1983–85 / Series 4–6 / 6 episodes)
• Julie Foulds (WPC Sheila Saunders) (1985 / Series 6 / 4 episodes)

Episode list

DVD release

All six series of Juliet Bravo have now been released on DVD (region 2/4) by 2|Entertain/Cinema Club.

Novelisations

The BBC licensed three 'TV tie-in' novelisations of the show. These were authored by Mollie Hardwick.

The first two were published by Pan Books:

• Juliet Bravo 1 (1980) Novelisation of the Series 1 episodes Shot Gun, Fraudulently Uttered, The Draughtsman, The Runner and Family Unit.
• Juliet Bravo 2 (1980) Includes novelisation of the Series 1 episodes Cages, The One Who Got Away, Relief and The Anastasia Syndrome.

A third novel was published by BBC Books:

• Calling Juliet Bravo: New Arrivals (1981) Includes novelizations of the Series 2 episode New Arrivals and the Series 3 episode Cause For Complaint.

References

• Down, Richard, and Christopher Perry (eds.). 1997. The British Television Drama Research Guide 1950–1997, second, revised edition. Ashton, Bristol: Kaleidoscope Publishing.
• Tibballs, Geoff. 1992. The Boxtree Encyclopedia of TV Detectives. London: Boxtree Limited.

External links

• Juliet Bravo at the Internet Movie Database
• British Film Institute Screen Online