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New Tricks
Producer Gina Cronk
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Gina Cronk
believes the appeal of New Tricks is that its detectives are not really
cops.
"Brian
Lane, Jack Halford and Gerry Standing are ex-coppers working for the Met
as civilians. Because they are fundamentally not policemen, they break
the rules. Watching Superintendent Pullman struggle to keep them on the
straight and narrow is definitely part of the appeal - along with a strong
whodunit storyline.
"We
were lucky to attract a great cast - you don't get much better than Alun
Armstrong, James Bolam, Amanda Redman and Dennis Waterman together as
an ensemble. Their appeal has also helped bring in some really good guest
stars."
Gina, who
has also worked on Thief Takers and The Bill, believes there is room for
another successful series based in the world of the police.
"The
reason we all keep coming back is that there are very few jobs that can
reach into people's lives and affect them, other than cops, doctors and
maybe lawyers. These professions get involved in characters' lives at
a time of crisis and inevitably produce good human interest stories."
In the series,
the UCOS team look at unsolved and open cases dating back to the Seventies
and Eighties.
"The
background to New Tricks is that thanks to advances in DNA profiling and
other forensic tests, many crimes that seemed unsolvable years ago can
now be re-examined," explains Gina.
"In
real life the Met and other forces are utilising the skills and experience
of retired detectives to try and solve them.
"Every
week we visit an entirely different world, from murder and missing people
to art fraud and abduction. The common link is trying to bring about justice
for the victims and their families.
"We
touch on serious subjects like racism in the police and conspiracy theories,
set against the background of what was happening in the country at that
time.
"In
some cases we can see how much things have changed - and in others there
are parallels to what still goes on today.
"But
there's as much humour as drama, thanks to our characters. The comedy
comes out of the retired detectives being fish out of water in the 21st
century police force and also reflects the real black humour in the police.
"We're
not suggesting they're all good and modern policing is all bad, as our
cops get up to plenty of illegal practices like stealing evidence, hidden
taping and setting people up in order to get a result.
"It's
drama at the end of the day, and it's up to the audience to decide if
the end justifies the means."
Gina is the
former head of drama for Wall To Wall Television, where she was executive
producer of Glasgow Kiss and Sex, Chips & Rock 'n' Roll.
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