Come on You Blues

The Thin Blue Line is set in a police station in the imaginary town of Gasforth. The main theme is the rivalry between the uniformed squad, led by Inspector Fowler and the CID detectives, led by Detective Inspector Grim. The two-season series was written by Ben Elton; profanities abound (often malapropisms caused by the invented English of Inspector Grim), although otherwise it is a fairly benign comedy. Cast members included veteran actor Rudolph Walker, Serena Evans and James Dreyfus, who later received acclaim for Gimme Gimme Gimme. Mark Addy joined the cast in the second series as Detective Constable Boyle. Although popular, the series was panned by critics, who cited uneven character development, as in Constable Goody's crush on Constable Maggie Habib, though Goody is portrayed with campy, effeminate homosexual mannerisms. Similarly, despite the character's avowed socially conscious feminism, Maggie Habib became an unintentional sex symbol.