The Black and Blue Lamp

The story

Satirical and surreal play by Arthur Ellis, dealing with the manner in which the British police force has been represented on TV for four decades. In 1949 Tom Riley is arrested for the murder of PC George Dixon. As he awaits interrogation at the station he is mysteriously transported into an episode of The Filth - a 1988 police series where the hard men rule, where he is told by the local CID that he'll be confessing to the murder or else his genitals are getting cut off ! This black comedy questions whether the police have changed or is it the way film and television present them.

Cast & crew

Kenneth CranhamSupt. Cherry

Karl JohnsonPC "Taffy" Hughes

Sean ChapmanTom Riley

John WoodvineSupt. Hammond

Ralph BrownInsp. Drury

Nick Stringer

Nick StringerSgt. Brooks

Ian BrimblePC Totley

Peter Lovstrom

Peter LovstromPC Sneed

Barry Woolgar

Barry WoolgarInsp. Rogers

Garrick HagonPolice Surgeon

Anthony Smee

Anthony SmeeMr Bromley Junior

Paddy Ryan

Paddy RyanMr Bromley Senior