GEORGE GENTLY: The Complete Collection - Blu-ray (BBC, Company Pictures/Screen Ireland, 2007-17) Acorn Media

Few television crime series retain their potency for consistently providing both thrills and character continuity better than the BBC’s George Gently (a.k.a. Inspector George Gently, 2007-17), especially given the vast expanse of 10-years it took to will author, Alan Hunter’s brilliant police detective in a relatively paltry franchise of only 25, hour-and-a-half episodes. In binge-watching the entire franchise, the various prolonged absences between episodes in real time do not show…except for the break between Series 7 and Series 8. Much of the success of this continuity is owed the show’s creator, Peter Flannery whose passion for the work has never waned. The County Durham-born/Manchester-educated playwright and screenwriter, whose commitments outside Gently far outweigh his contributions to it (including a handful of distinguished plays for the Royal Shakespeare Company between the late seventies and early eighties). Flannery’s first stab at television was 1996’s 9-part serial, Our Friends in the North and garnered him rave reviews. He would go on to win the prestigious Dennis Potter Award for outstanding achievement in television writing. But Flannery’s authorship for Inspector George Gently must rank among the best writing devoted to the medium ever, as it remains an infectious blend of intricate character design and expertly plotted, often suspense-laden drama, maturing the time-honored police procedural into a finely wrought tapestry of blistering emotional content. Flannery dangles these variables like an ever-swirling mobile around three central protagonists, the eponymous ‘Gently’, his much-younger and brash counterpart, Det. John Bacchus (played with intermittent sparks of brilliance by Lee Ingleby) and, in the 10 latter-day episodes to cap off the series, Rachel Coles (the fetching and fantastic, Lisa McGrillis).

The other half of George Gently’s permanency as ‘must see’ TV is squarely laid at the feet of actor, Martin Shaw who, at age 62 at the outset of filming in 2007, was already several years too old for the part, though nevertheless perfectly typifies Hunter’s resolute and reserved man of action. The Birmingham-born Shaw, who showed early promise in English lit and drama, but miraculously declined a scholarship to pursue his acting, did not appear to possess the wherewithal or even good sense invested in the greatest of actors at the outset. Indeed, a scrapper’s brawl in his youth left him with some hellish injuries to his face, including a fractured skull and broken cheekbone. Perhaps, this was his true reckoning, as at age eighteen, Shaw attended London’s Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, serving his apprenticeship as an assistant stage manager at Queen’s Theatre and the Old Vic. Yet, acting truly filled his interests, playing off greats like Laurence Olivier, and starring in a mid-70’s revival of A Streetcar Named Desire – a real turning point in his career. Shaw was also praised for his reincarnation of Elvis Presley in Alan Bleasdale's 1985 smash hit, Are You Lonesome Tonight? to enjoy lengthy runs in London and Australia. Shaw’s TV work dates all the way back to 1967, playing a hipster on Granada’s long-running Coronation Street.  From 1977 to 1981, he was keenly known for his Harpo Marx-ish mop of curly hair as Ray Doyle on the popular crime series, The Professionals (1977–1981) and then as Chief Constable Alan Cade in another police drama, The Chief (1993-1995). So, accepting the role of the crusty but clear-eyed George Gently, at least in hindsight, seems like a natural progression of his talents.

Of course, none of it would have been possible without Alan Hunter’s brilliant series of novels, begun with 1955’s Gently Does It, and concluding with 1999’s Gently Mistaken. The unassuming Hunter, who died in 2005, began life as a farmer, then, an antiquarian bookseller before transferring his talents to authorship. Regrettably, he would not live to see his greatest creation step beyond the pages into TV immortality. Nevertheless prolific, Hunter would contribute one George Gently novel per annum from 1955 until 1998; virtually, all of them set in his beloved and seedy Norfolk in East Anglia. In adapting the novels for television, Peter Flannery foreshortened the title of the franchise, simply to George Gently, then elected to relocate much of the action in the North East, set in the 1960’s (except for the final two episodes, taking place in 1970). Flannery also created reoccurring characters not in Hunter’s novels. After Series 4, the franchise was slightly rebooted as Inspector George Gently, regrettably to jettison Ray Harman’s swingin’ main titles. In a series of this size, contributions made behind-the-scenes represent the bulk of a vast turn-around in talent. On George Gently, the wealth of individuals toiling to do their very best remains incredibly diverse. A small army of directors, cinematographers and composers have lent their craftsmanship to this ever-evolving creative landscape, including immeasurable work done by Flannery (who ‘mostly’ wrote all 25 episodes), Ciaran Donnelly, Daniel O'Hara and Nicholas Renton (directing 4 episodes each), cinematographer, Peter Robertson (who shot 9 episodes and, by far, was the show’s visually creative mainstay during its formative years), and composers, John E. Keane and Mark Russell, who, like Harman before them, helped to shape the acoustic beat and pulse of the franchise (Keane, alongside Harman, from 2007-2014, and Russell, between 2014 and 2015).

Although Flannery’s authorship for Inspector George Gently relocated the series to Newcastle, Northumberland and County Durham, Series 1 and 2 were actually shot in Ireland before moving production to the real County Durham for Series 3 and using Whinney Hill School as the Police Station façade. From 2007 to 2009, the series enjoyed stabilized continuity from its backers. But when it went on hiatus in 2009, the pause necessitated new funding from North East Content. And, like the moral crusader of its title, the series was not without its controversies either. Indeed, the final episode ‘Gently and the New Age’ – while completed and set to be broadcast in May, 2017 - was actually postponed until October as its corrupt political slant was considered too controversial to coincide with the real-life general elections being held in the UK.  By then, Martin Shaw – still a spry 72, was eager to bid his fond farewell to the character he had made iconic. It had, in fact, been a bumpy road to immortality. Series 1-3 received only fair ratings, the franchise thereafter building solid viewership until the climax in Series 5, that left both Gently and Bacchus wounded, and presumably, dying from an assassin’s bullet. And although George Gently would return to crime-fight for another 3-years, when the reboot occurred, it brought back characters who seemed slightly foreign to the camaraderie invested in them up until that point. The biggest alteration fell to Lee Ingleby’s Sergeant Bacchus, who became less confident in himself, and more awkwardly prone to periods of self-loathing and self-pity.  

Inspector George Gently is often framed as an 8-series franchise. But actually, it’s more like 7, with a 2-part ‘finale’ to cap everything off. Even Martin Shaw surmised the show had run its course by season 7. However, at age 72, he was still up to reprise the role one last time to close out the show with a ‘proper’ ending.  The 2-parter swan song brings everything full circle for Gently whose life-altering plot entanglement – the murder of his beloved wife, Isabella (maria Tecce) launched the series 10 years earlier. This was presumed by Gently as a ‘revenge killing’ by the notorious gangster, Joe Webster (Phil Davis). Learning of Webster’s relocation to Northumberland, Gently staves off his plans for retirement, paired with local DS, John Bacchus, a headstrong, but often naive assistant whom Gently struggles to keep on the straight and narrow. Series 1 begins after the grotesque discovery of unidentified charred remains smoldering in an open field, with Gently toiling alongside Special Branch to unearth connections between the victim and the IRA. In this uneasy first launch, Gently and Bacchus establish their antagonistic buddy/buddy relationship with Bacchus representing the ‘new’ and morally lax attitude of the permissive sixties, while Gently clings to the old guard and matter-of-fact decorum of his bygone generation. From this darkly purposed debut, Gently and Bacchus moved on to investigate the beaten remains of a wealthy German businessman, Gunter Schmeikel (Wolf Kahler) much to his cold-hearted son, Wilhelm’s (Christian Oliver) and his even more austere wife, Trudi’s (Nathalie Boltt) regret. Clearly, the couple are hiding something. But not even Gently could conceive his investigation would lead to a startling discovery – that the killer is actually trained by Special Forces. In Series 2, Gently and Bacchus began to explore the haunted past of a children’s home where the unspeakable abuses of yesterday resulted in the discovery of an old man’s murder in the present.  The crime-fighting duo also became embroiled in the slaying of a gentleman’s club hostess, whose body was laid out in the local church, and later, found themselves on opposite ends of the spectrum, investigating a consignment of stolen passports. Series 2 concluded with Gently and Bacchus’ investigation into the curious ‘suicidal’ hanging of a mill manager, later revealed to have been involved with another woman on the side.

By Series 3, the antagonistic camaraderie between Gently and Bacchus was well-established as they pursued a case in Northumberland where a young woman’s disturbed family may have been responsible for her murder. Bacchus was also faced with a bitter divorce as his wife, Lisa (Melanie Clark Pullen), after befriending Gently for a little advice, decided to file for sole custody of the couple’s daughter, Leigh Ann (Katie Anderson). Addressing the mid-sixties peace protest turmoil head on, Gently and Bacchus then investigated the sudden death of an academic during a CND rally. Series 4 jettisoned the main title fanfare, delving immediately into a case of a young and rising pop star cut down by either a jealous lover or even more envious rival for the spotlight. Gently was also called in to scrutinize the death of an old friend – ‘China’ (Tony Rohr), since fallen on hard times. Chalked up as a ‘homeless’ suicide, Gently is startled to discover the case may go deeper than that when he is faced with the disappearance of a teenage boy, Charlie Watts (Philip Correia) and, the ransacking of a convalescence home for the mentally-challenged. Durham also served as a racial hot point after the body of a young black girl, Dolores Kenny (Pippa Bennett-Warner) is discovered in an abandoned field, leading Gently to first investigate her outspoken brother, Joseph (Gary Carr) and even more stoic and silent father, Ambrose (Eamonn Walker). Class distinction reared its ugly head as Gently and Bacchus were called into the curious death of Ellen Mallam (Ebony Buckle), a promising folk singer found drowned in a half-submerged car driven by wealthy, but disturbed teenager, James Blackstone (James Norton) whose mother, Alethea (Geraldine Somerville) wields an incestuously persuasive power over him.

As series 5 wound to a close, Gently and Bacchus became embroiled in a web of lies spun by a couple desperate to adopt. The child was later reported as being kidnapped, possibly by its birth mother. The truth, alas, proved far more insidious and disturbing. And in the season cliffhanger, Gently’s peerless reputation was put on the line, challenged by a false presumption of guilt planted on him by underworld kingpin, Melvyn Rattigan (Ralph Brown).  Mislaid trust in an old friend, Donald McGhee (Kevin Whately), led to Gently’s suspension, with a professional hit being taken out on his life – a fate, narrowly avoided when Bacchus raced against time to prevent his boss’ assassination inside a cathedral. Arriving too late, discovering Gently already wounded and lying on the pavement, Bacchus took the other sniper’s bullet for Gently; the two presumably left to expire on the floor. Mercifully, at the outset of Series 6, Gently and Bacchus returned, although Bacchus was clearly shaken from his ‘near death’ ordeal and to forever thereafter remain a shell of his former self. Bacchus’ reluctant return to duty saw him investigating a Newcastle protestor, arrested, only to die under mysterious circumstances while in police custody. This episode also introduced us to WPC, Rachel Coles. For some time thereafter, Coles bears the brunt of Bacchus’ sexism. Steadily, she evolves into the ‘third’ investigative wheel on Gently’s team, particularly after it is discovered Bacchus had finally been offered a promotion – leaving Gently without a Det. Sergeant.  

Despite these changes, Gently and Bacchus reunited to probe a gloomy coastal family retreat, after the body of one of its most vibrant assistants, Megan Webb (Pixie Lott) washed up nearby. Despite the colorful and vibrant façade put on by the park’s owners, Gently and Bacchus, with Rachel’s insight, soon uncover an afterhours prostitution ring, trading sex for money. Throughout the investigation, Bacchus makes valiant attempts to spend more time with his estranged daughter, each effort denied by his ex. By now, the franchise was fast about to leave its swinging sixties milieu behind. Gently and Bacchus became embroiled in a web of military lies after an ex-soldier killed an unknown man inside a known homosexual steam room. But the plot thickened when the soldier’s psychiatrist hanged himself in his office to avoid answering further questions from the police. Gently and Bacchus were at it again, considering the suspicious circumstances surrounding the death of a coal miner, haunted by age-old grudges dating back to WWII.  Then, in the show’s penultimate Series 7, Gently and Bacchus went after a brutal rapist/murderer with spurious ties to the police force. However, and by far, the most disturbing and introspective storyline involved a young doctor (Siobhán O'Kelly), presumed to have committed suicide, her death actually concealing a much more sinister assortment of corporate class criminals, determined to keep the history of a shuttered asbestos-producing mill a secret from the town folk, many already suffering the detrimental aftereffects from exposure to its toxic chemicals.  

Gently and Bacchus also examined clues surrounding the mysterious death of a local entrepreneur whose ‘best’ friends were instrumental in derailing his plans to reinvigorate the Newcastle economy by revitalizing some waterfront commercial property. As the decade came to a close, Gently became invested in bringing skinhead bank robbers to justice. However, at the dawn of the 1970’s, Gently was once more being ‘encouraged’ to retire. Alas, he also struggled to overcome his moroseness over the death of his wife whose killer was still at large and, as we later learned, was not the man Gently had first imagined. Gently also faced his own mortality, diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. In the series’ finale, Gently – having learned the true identity of his wife’s killer, and actually confronting him, was, himself, murdered in cold blood on a lonely stretch of beach, his body left to be discovered by Bacchus and Rachel who, in their final contemplations, appear to have come to some middle ground in their shared grief over the loss of their beloved friend and colleague, vowing to carry on as Gently would have, had he lived.

In reflecting on the fate of his alter ego, star, Martin Shaw concluded, “There’s a horrible sort of fatal inevitability about it.” Indeed, Alan Hunter’s Inspector George Gently series comprised 46 novels. But the BBC TV franchise concludes its devastating and powerful run after only 25 episodes. That means, nearly half of the Hunter/Gently crime-fighting escapades remain MIA. And while it is highly unlikely the BBC will call upon Shaw to reprise his role in a sort of ‘George Gently: the forgotten years’ spinoff, the door on the character may not be entirely closed just yet. After all, Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot has enjoyed endless revivals on both the big and small screen.  In Hunter’s novels, George Gently is described as a methodical East Anglian inspector working for Scotland Yard who otherwise abhors incompetence, lack of good sense, and even more so, lack of fair judgment – a true moralist and crusader for the law.  Decidedly, Martin Shaw typifies these virtues while making something entirely unique from them. He is more than just a confident crime-solver. His George Gently may not wear his heart on his sleeve. But Shaw ensures, at his core, his inspector possesses not only the wherewithal, but equally, the passionate soul for living up to his own high standards as both an officer of the law and as a man. Lee Ingleby’s Bacchus is much harder to peg, perhaps as the first few years of the show inveigle him in subplots to test the strength of his character’s convictions and morality with Ingleby usually teetering on the verge of making the wrong decision.

It’s a tough role to play, as Bacchus is frequently revealed to lean on the side of our lesser angels, if not for chronic reminders from Gently about the consequences to follow such casual self-indulgences. Ingleby is, at intervals, unlikable. His derision of women and dismissal of racial prejudice as part of the human comedy leave the viewer frankly hoping for his character to receive some sort of comeuppance. And indeed, in the latter episodes, particularly after Series 5’s terrifying cliffhanger, to leave Bacchus and Gently lying in a pool of their own blood inside the cathedral, has a far more profound effect on Bacchus than Gently. While the first 15 episodes were strictly a male-bonding affair, with Bacchus begrudgingly brought into line by Gently’s unflinching moral code, the remaining 10 episodes are decidedly enlightened by the introduction of Lisa McGrillis’ Rachel Cole. McGrillis does more than serve as the franchise’s token estrogen. She, in fact, reinvigorates the occasionally stale solidarity in this ole boy’s club with affecting sincerity. The world – as we all know – has changed an awful lot since George Gently’s time. Gently’s ability to recognize, if not to entirely embrace this change, yet remain un-threatened by it, helps establish Cole as the third leg in this crime-fighting tripod, something Ingleby’s Bacchus never embraces until the embodiment of his own moral compass – Gently - is taken from him for good.

Inspector George Gently is a series of impeccable authorship. While the TV show strays considerably from the books, series’ creator, Peter Flannery has retained just enough of Hunter’s flavorful prose to hew a series that frequently veers into absolute genius, and quite often surpasses even this high-water mark for sheer entertainment value. Subtleties, subplots and superb moments of deduction, wed to razor-crisp dialogue, often to cut and wound with smarmy subtext, all conspire to create a memorable cornerstone in the BBC’s programming, not to be missed, though surely and sincerely pined for since its final episode aired in 2017. We just don’t have shows of Gently’s mantel of quality. And more’s the shame too. Acorn Media’s Blu-ray release has been a long-time in coming to my house. The wait, however, has been worth it. A footnote here: I originally ordered this complete box set when it was announced in May, 2021. It shipped, only to arrive with two sets of Series 3-5 and no Series 1-2. So, a second set was dispatched, arriving two-weeks later with two Series 1-2 and no Series 6-8. You know what they say about the third time being the charm? And thus, George Gently: The Complete Collection is at last a part of my home viewing library and a very welcomed addition too.

For reasons only known to Acorn Media, Series 1-5 are remastered here in 1080i, while the remaining episodes are in full 1080p.  The distinction in video authoring is noticeable in occasional aliasing problems throughout the first five seasons, especially on chrome car grills, door jams and windows. There are also modest edge effects and ‘jaggies’ when the camera pans.  Colors are startling robust throughout. The first 2 seasons adopt a much warmer palette with lurid reds, yellows and oranges. Close-ups sport an impressive amount of fine detail throughout. When the image switches over to full 1080p for seasons 6-8, virtually all of the aforementioned shortcomings disappear, begging the question why the first 5 seasons could not be authored in true 1080p. Contrast throughout is excellent. Slight black crush occurs on the 1080i discs, but is not present on the 1080p discs. Age-related artifacts are a non-issue. The DTS 5.1 audio throughout has been expertly rendered. Extras are the true disappointment here. We get series’ junkets billed as ‘interviews.’ These basically boil down to snippets and sound bites fitted between some truncated montages of scenes from each series. Boring!  Bottom line: Inspector George Gently is a fascinating crime-solving series with excellent performances from top to bottom and expertly conceived whodunits that will leave most with their head’s scratching up until the final reel. While the Blu-ray’s could have been more consistently rendered, what’s here is not atrocious or even un-watchable. In fact, those with less discerning tastes or television set-ups likely won’t even notice the aforementioned anomalies. Very highly recommended – for content!

FILM RATING (out of 5 – 5 being the best)

Series 1 – 5+

Series 2 – 4.5

Series 3 – 4.5

Series 4 – 5

Series 5 – 5

Series 6 – 3.5

Series 7 - 4

Series 8 – 3.5

 

VIDEO/AUDIO

Series 1-5 – 3.5

Series 6-8 – 5+

 

EXTRAS

2.5