A Touch of Frost (TV series)
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| A Touch of Frost | |
|---|---|
 David Jason as Inspector Jack Frost |
|
| Genre | Drama |
| Creator(s) | (based on the characters created by R. D. Wingfield) |
| Starring | David Jason Bruce Alexander John Lyons |
| No. of series | 13 |
| No. of episodes | 37 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | ITV Productions |
| Running time | 90 to 120 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | ITV1 |
| Original run | 1992 – 2007 |
| Links | |
| IMDb profile | |
A Touch of Frost is a detective television series produced by Yorkshire Television for ITV in the United Kingdom.
It stars David Jason as Detective Inspector William Frost, known as Jack to everyone but his wife. He is experienced and dedicated to his work, but he is always clashing with his superiors, mainly represented in the series by Superintendent Norman "Horn-rimmed Harry" Mullett, played by Bruce Alexander. The two have highly incompatible personalities. Mullett is an ambitious buttoned-down by-the-book administrator, and Frost is a down-to-earth "street copper". Nonetheless, they appreciate each other's professional abilities.
Contents |
[edit] Characterisation
Frost has a cavalier approach to the rules, thinking nothing for example of breaking into a suspect's property without a warrant. Neither is he above planting evidence to arrest a criminal who would otherwise get away with the crime. Frost can also be rude and aggressive to almost anyone, including innocent subordinates. He has a tendency to become emotionally involved in his cases, which Mullet considers unprofessional. However, there is usually someone to guide him back into line before he goes too far, and he does produce the goods. He has a good reputation among his colleagues because, when he is not overwrought about a distressing case, he is approachable and sympathetic, and it is clear that many of the younger detectives seen in the series look up to him as a role model.
Many also regard him as a hero because he was once shot while on duty, for which he was awarded the George Cross, however Frost himself is modest about this, regarding himself as unworthy of the honour. The reality is that he was depressed and drunk at the time and approached the armed man out of recklessness, not caring whether he lived or died. Nonetheless, the incident made him the Chief Constable's blue eyed boy, and this protects him from being fired or retired by Superintendent Mullet. Frost's wife dies in the first episode, leaving him to cope with life on his own, which he finds difficult, throwing himself into his work instead, and living mainly on police canteen sandwiches and takeaways.
[edit] Setting
The series is set in the fictional town of Denton, which from geographical references in the series sometimes appears to be in or near Oxfordshire, more precisely in the upper Thames Valley, or (infrequently) at a non-descript northern location. There are at least ten places in the UK named Denton, including one in Oxfordshire, though the town in the series is not directly identified with any of them.
Early episodes include references to nearby places such as Oxford and Reading, briefing-room meetings held in front of maps showing the recognizable shape of Swindon displaying the M4 and A417 and (in one case) the actual name "Swindon" clearly visible. This, together with locations that are in the general area, collectively point to the original (unstated) location of "Denton" being Swindon in Wiltshire.
In later episodes the program makers may have changed tack or forgotten this; one recent episode clearly shows a map of Reading in the briefing room - another, Maidenhead. The general impression remains one of the Thames Valley force. In one episode, a postcode with a DN prefix (which in real life would apply to the area around Doncaster) was shown to exist within the Denton area, but this was subsequently acknowledged to be a production error. Various individual location scenes have been identified by sharp-eyed viewers as shot in North London, Leeds, Oxford, Reading, Swindon, Devizes, Bracknell, Bristol and Birmingham.
[edit] Supporting cast
Unlike most TV detectives, Frost does not have a single regular sidekick, and indeed some of his sidekicks are seen in only one or two episodes. There are, however, a number of regular supporting characters who are frequently seen and often promoted to a "sidekick" role:
- DS George Toolan (John Lyons), Jack's long-time friend and colleague, with whom he shares an office. George is about the same age as Jack, but a rank lower. He is more cautious. He appears (in some capacity) in most episodes.
- WPC Hazel Wallace (Caroline Harker) is a young, happy-go-lucky uniformed officer. At the end of the third series she moved to CID, and though she ceased to be a regular she continued to make guest appearances in later series, and was promoted to detective sergeant.
- DC Clive Barnard (Matt Bardock), nephew of the Chief Constable. Most people believe he has only got into CID through his family connections, but Frost sees beyond that and takes Barnard under his wing. Later promoted to DS, but killed off in a 1997 episode.
- DS Terry Reid (Robert Glenister). A tough London detective, he has often been in trouble in the past for his extreme methods, though he has mellowed by the time we see him.
Other regular characters include nosey newspaper journalist Sandy Longford (Bill Stewart), who is always pestering Frost for information on his latest case, and sometimes has some useful information of his own, and police archivist Ernie Trigg (David Jason's real-life brother Arthur White).
[edit] Production
The saxophone solo heard during the show's theme music is performed by Barbara Thompson.[1]
Only one new episode was produced during 2005. As announced in various television guides, but with little publicity as of yet, there are three new episodes currently being produced. One of these new episodes aired on ITV1 in the autumn of 2006, called Endangered Species. It was mentioned in a few TV listings magazines that the other two episodes will be shown over the festive period 2006/2007, but they did not. ITV1 currently has no plans to show any new Frost programming but only repeats.
Repeats can currently be seen on ITV1 and ITV3.
The series is based on the novels of R. D. Wingfield:
- Frost at Christmas (1984)
- A Touch of Frost (1987)
- Night Frost (1992)
- Hard Frost (1995)
- Winter Frost (1999)
[edit] Episodes
| Episode | Title | First broadcast | Main sidekick | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Series 1 | ||||
| 1 | Care and Protection | 1992-12-06 | DC Clive Barnard | Frost's wife dies |
| 2 | Not with Kindness | 1992-12-13 | DS Gilmore (Tony Haygarth) | |
| 3 | Conclusions | 1992-12-20 | DC Webster (George Anton) | |
| Series 2 | ||||
| 1 | A Minority of One | 1994-01-09 | DC Carl Tanner (Lennie James) | |
| 2 | Widows and Orphans | 1994-01-16 | DS Maureen Lawson (Sally Dexter) | Start of Frost's relationship with Shirley Fisher |
| 3 | Nothing to Hide | 1994-01-23 | DC Costello (Neil Dudgeon) | |
| 4 | Stranger in the House | 1994-01-30 | WPC Hazel Wallace | |
| Series 3 | ||||
| 1 | Appropriate Adults | 1995-01-08 | DS George Toolan | |
| 2 | Quarry | 1995-01-15 | DC Clive Barnard | |
| 3 | Dead Male One | 1995-01-22 | DS George Toolan | Frost moves in with Shirley. |
| 4 | No Refuge | 1995-01-29 | DS Maureen Lawson | |
| Series 4 | ||||
| 1 | Paying the Price | 1996-01-07 | DS George Toolan | Frost's house burns down |
| 2 | Unknown Soldiers | 1996-01-14 | DS George Toolan | |
| 3 | Fun Times for Swingers | 1996-01-21 | DS Prentice (Russell Hunter) | |
| 4 | The Things We Do For Love | 1996-01-28 | DS Frank Nash (Neil Stuke) | |
| 5 | Deep Waters | 1996-02-04 | DS Clive Barnard | |
| Series 5 | ||||
| 1 | Penny for the Guy | 1997-02-09 | DS Liz Maud (Susannah Doyle) | |
| 2 | House Calls | 1997-02-16 | DS George Toolan & DS Liz Maud | |
| 3 | True Confessions | 1997-02-23 | DS George Toolan | |
| 4 | No Other Love | 1997-03-02 | DS Clive Barnard | Barnard's last appearance. |
| Series 6 | ||||
| 1 | Appendix Man | 1999-03-07 | DS Hazel Wallace | |
| 2 | One Man's Meat | 1999-03-14 | ||
| 3 | Private Lives | 1999-03-21 | DS Sharpe (Philip Jackson) | Few of the regulars appear in this episode. |
| 4 | Keys To The Car | 1999-03-28 | DS George Toolan | |
| Series 7 / 1999 Christmas Special | ||||
| Part 1 | Line of Fire (1) | 1999-12-25 | The first two-part story. | |
| Part 2 | Line of Fire (2) | 2000-01-01 | ||
| Series 8 / 2001 New Year Special | ||||
| Part 1 | Benefit of the Doubt (1) | 2001-01-14 | DS Terry Reid (Robert Glenister) | |
| Part 2 | Benefit of the Doubt (2) | 2001-01-15 | DS Terry Reid | |
| Series 9 / 2002 New Year Special | ||||
| Part 1 | Mistaken Identity (1) | 2002-01-27 | DC Ronnie Lonnegan (Michelle Joseph) | First appearance of Pam Hartley (Susan Penhaligon) |
| Part 2 | Mistaken Identity (2) | 2002-01-28 | DC Ronnie Lonnegan | Guest starring Kate Maberly |
| Series 10 | ||||
| 1 | Hidden Truth | 2003-01-19 | DS Terry Reid | Frost loses his winning lottery ticket |
| 2 | Close Encounters | 2003-03-03 | DS Toolan and DS Wallace | Wallace has had a baby since her last appearance. Guest starring Jim Sturgess |
| 3 | Held In Trust | 2003-09-14 | DS Terry Reid | Frost gets promoted, then suspended at the conclusion of the episode. |
| Series 11 | ||||
| 1 | Another Life | 2003-10-26 | DS Maureen Lawson | Guest starring Amanda Root. Frost is allowed to return to duty as a DI. |
| 2 | Dancing in the Dark | 2004-02-22 | DC Jasper Tranter | |
| Series 12 / 2005 special | ||||
| 1 | Near Death Experience | 2005-09-25 | DS Sharpe | |
| Series 13 / 2006 | ||||
| 1 | Endangered Species | 2006-11-05 | DC Robert Presley (Blake Ritson) | Episode aired on ITV1, Sunday November 5, 2006 at 9pm UTC |
[edit] International broadcasters
| Country / Region | Alternate title/Translation | TV Network(s) | Series Premiere | Weekly Schedule |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Australia |
Seven Network | |||
| British Columbia | Knowledge Network | |||
 Canada |
TVO | |||
 Denmark |
En sag for Frost ("A Case for Frost") | DR1 | Wednesdays 10pm | |
 Finland |
Komisario Frost ("Inspector Frost") | YLE | ||
 Italy |
Jack Frost ("Jack Frost") | La7 | ||
 Netherlands |
Nederland 1 | |||
 Norway |
Detektiv Jack Frost ("Detective Jack Frost") | NRK1 | ||
| Saskatchewan | SCN.It | |||
 Sweden |
Ett fall för Frost ("A Case for Frost") | SVT1 | varying nights 9pm | |
 Croatia |
Frostov pristup ("Frost's way") | HRT |
[edit] Reference
- ^ Biography page of Barbara Thompson.
