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{{short description|British television series}}
{{short description|British television series}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2012}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2022}}
{{infobox television
{{infobox television
| name = Softly, Softly
| name = Softly, Softly
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! Actor !! Character !! Years Active !! Series Active !! Episode Count
! Actor !! Character !! Years Active !! Series Active !! Episode Count
|-
|-
| [[Stratford Johns]] || DCS Charlie Barlow || 1966-1969 || 1-5 || 91
| [[Stratford Johns]] || DCS Charlie Barlow || 1966–1969 || 1–5 || 91
|-
|-
| [[Frank Windsor]] || DI/DCI John Watt || 1966-1969 || 1-5 || 84
| [[Frank Windsor]] || DI/DCI John Watt || 1966–1969 || 1–5 || 84
|-
|-
| Robert Keegan || Mr Bob Blackitt || 1966-1967 || 1-2 || 42
| Robert Keegan || Mr Bob Blackitt || 1966–1967 || 1–2 || 42
|-
|-
| [[John Welsh (actor)|John Welsh]] || ACC Bill Calderwood || 1966-1967 || 1-2 || 24
| [[John Welsh (actor)|John Welsh]] || ACC Bill Calderwood || 1966–1967 || 1–2 || 24
|-
|-
| [[Garfield Morgan]] || DCI Gwyn Lewis || 1966 || 1 || 19
| [[Garfield Morgan]] || DCI Gwyn Lewis || 1966 || 1 || 19
|-
|-
| [[Norman Bowler]] || DS Harry Hawkins || 1966-1969 || 1-5 || 75
| [[Norman Bowler]] || DS Harry Hawkins || 1966–1969 || 1–5 || 75
|-
|-
| Gilbert Wynne || DC Reg Dwyer || 1966-1967 || 1-3 || 43
| Gilbert Wynne || DC Reg Dwyer || 1966–1967 || 1–3 || 43
|-
|-
| [[Cavan Kendall]] || PC Greenly || 1966 || 1 || 14
| [[Cavan Kendall]] || PC Greenly || 1966 || 1 || 14
|-
|-
| Dan Meaden || DC Ben Box || 1966-1968 || 1-4 || 49
| Dan Meaden || DC Ben Box || 1966–1968 || 1–4 || 49
|-
|-
| Eric McCaine || Insp./CI Andy Laird || 1966-1969 || 1-4 || 18
| Eric McCaine || Insp./CI Andy Laird || 1966–1969 || 1–4 || 18
|-
|-
| [[John Barron (actor)|John Barron]] || ACC Austin Gilbert || 1966-1969 || 2-5 || 52
| [[John Barron (actor)|John Barron]] || ACC Austin Gilbert || 1966–1969 || 2–5 || 52
|-
|-
| [[David Quilter]] || PC Tanner || 1966-1967 || 2-3 || 29
| [[David Quilter]] || PC Tanner || 1966–1967 || 2–3 || 29
|-
|-
| Chrys Salt || Gwenda Lloyd || 1967-1968 || 3 || 15
| Chrys Salt || Gwenda Lloyd || 1967–1968 || 3 || 15
|-
|-
| [[Peggy Sinclair]] || P/W DS Barbara Allin || 1967-1969 || 3-5 || 38
| [[Peggy Sinclair]] || P/W DS Barbara Allin || 1967–1969 || 3–5 || 38
|-
|-
| Philip Brack || DI Jim Cook || 1968-1969 || 3-5 || 29
| Philip Brack || DI Jim Cook || 1968–1969 || 3–5 || 29
|-
|-
| [[Gavin Campbell (presenter)|Gavin Campbell]] || PC/DC William Digby || 1968-1969 || 3-5 || 25
| [[Gavin Campbell (presenter)|Gavin Campbell]] || PC/DC William Digby || 1968–1969 || 3–5 || 25
|-
|-
| [[Howell Evans]] || DC Davie Morgan || 1968-1969 || 4-5 || 15
| [[Howell Evans]] || DC Davie Morgan || 1968–1969 || 4–5 || 15
|}
|}


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| [[Barry Letts]] || DS Reed || 1966 || 1 || 4
| [[Barry Letts]] || DS Reed || 1966 || 1 || 4
|-
|-
| [[Glyn Houston]] || D Supt Arthur Jones || 1966-1969 || 2, 4 || 7
| [[Glyn Houston]] || D Supt Arthur Jones || 1966–1969 || 2, 4 || 7
|-
|-
| [[Gay Hamilton]] || Dr Jean Morrow || 1969 || 4-5 || 5
| [[Gay Hamilton]] || Dr Jean Morrow || 1969 || 4–5 || 5
|-
|-
| [[Walter Gotell]] || Chief Con. Arthur Cullen || 1969 || 5 || 1
| [[Walter Gotell]] || Chief Con. Arthur Cullen || 1969 || 5 || 1

Revision as of 23:49, 8 March 2022

Softly, Softly
Created byTroy Kennedy Martin
StarringStratford Johns
Frank Windsor
Country of originUnited Kingdom
No. of series5
No. of episodes120
Production
ProducersDavid Rose
Leonard Lewis
Running time50 minutes
Original release
NetworkBBC1
Release5 January 1966 (1966-01-05) –
13 November 1969 (1969-11-13)

Softly, Softly is a British television police procedural series produced by the BBC and screened on BBC 1 from January 1966. It was created as a spin-off from the series Z-Cars, which ended its fifth series run in December 1965. The series took its name from the proverb "Softly, softly, catchee monkey", the motto of Lancashire Constabulary Training School.[1]

Series outline

Softly, Softly centred on the work of regional police crime squads, plain-clothes CID officers based in the fictional region of Wyvern, supposedly in the Bristol area of England. It was designed as a vehicle for Detective Chief Inspector Charles Barlow and Detective Inspector John Watt (played by Stratford Johns and Frank Windsor, respectively) from the police series Z-Cars, which had just finished its original run in December 1965 (no new episodes were produced in 1966 but it was revived in a different format the following year). Joining them in the early series was Robert Keegan as Blackitt, the police station sergeant from Z-Cars, now retired and acting as a freelance helper.

The first two series continued the trend set by producer David Rose with Z-Cars and transmitted the majority of episodes live. This was one of the last long-running British TV series to do this. From series three onwards all episodes were pre-recorded.

Theme music

The original theme music was, like Z-Cars, a folk-song arrangement by Fritz Spiegl. It was released as a single (credited to the London Waits) on Andrew Loog Oldham's "Immediate" record label in 1966.

Series rundown

Series Date From Date To Episode Count Duration
1 5 January 1966 29 June 1966 26 50 minutes
2 2 November 1966 31 May 1967 31 50 minutes
3 4 October 1967 4 April 1968 26 50 minutes
4 12 September 1968 13 March 1969 27 50 minutes
5 11 September 1969 13 November 1969 10 50 minutes

Cast

Actor Character Years Active Series Active Episode Count
Stratford Johns DCS Charlie Barlow 1966–1969 1–5 91
Frank Windsor DI/DCI John Watt 1966–1969 1–5 84
Robert Keegan Mr Bob Blackitt 1966–1967 1–2 42
John Welsh ACC Bill Calderwood 1966–1967 1–2 24
Garfield Morgan DCI Gwyn Lewis 1966 1 19
Norman Bowler DS Harry Hawkins 1966–1969 1–5 75
Gilbert Wynne DC Reg Dwyer 1966–1967 1–3 43
Cavan Kendall PC Greenly 1966 1 14
Dan Meaden DC Ben Box 1966–1968 1–4 49
Eric McCaine Insp./CI Andy Laird 1966–1969 1–4 18
John Barron ACC Austin Gilbert 1966–1969 2–5 52
David Quilter PC Tanner 1966–1967 2–3 29
Chrys Salt Gwenda Lloyd 1967–1968 3 15
Peggy Sinclair P/W DS Barbara Allin 1967–1969 3–5 38
Philip Brack DI Jim Cook 1968–1969 3–5 29
Gavin Campbell PC/DC William Digby 1968–1969 3–5 25
Howell Evans DC Davie Morgan 1968–1969 4–5 15

Others

Actor Character Years Active Series Active Episode Count
Alexis Kanner DC Matt Stone 1966 1 9
Colin Douglas DCI Rawlings 1966 1 3
Barry Letts DS Reed 1966 1 4
Glyn Houston D Supt Arthur Jones 1966–1969 2, 4 7
Gay Hamilton Dr Jean Morrow 1969 4–5 5
Walter Gotell Chief Con. Arthur Cullen 1969 5 1

Archive status

Many of the original Softly, Softly broadcasts are believed lost, especially from the first two series, the majority of which were transmitted live. (By comparison, all episodes of the follow-up Taskforce survive.)

Series and character development

In 1969, to coincide with the BBC's move to colour broadcasting on BBC 1, Softly Softly series ended. The characters of Barlow, Watt and Hawkins were promoted and moved to the South East of England in a new series set in the fictitious Thamesford. Here, as a result in changes in criminal activities, the police force itself needed to develop a new approach to tackle it. Taskforces were set up: these were groupings of police expertise and manpower drawn together for special operations in the region. This was a new series in its own right and it was simply going to be called Taskforce. However, starring three strong characters from a popular brand the BBC were reluctant to drop, this new series was renamed Softly, Softly: Taskforce.

Stratford Johns left the Taskforce series in 1972 (Barlow had his own spin-off series Barlow at Large) and it continued until 1976 with Watt in command.

During the 70s Windsor also appeared as Watt in Jack the Ripper, in which he and Barlow reopened the Jack the Ripper murder casebook, and a similar series Second Verdict, in which they looked into unsolved mysteries and miscarriages of justice.

References

  1. ^ World Wide Words, Newsletter 853, Saturday 12 October 2013
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