Charles Barlow at his best when at large

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33487, 19 March 1974, Page 4

Charles Barlow at his best when at large

Stratford Johns became one of television’s most renowned detectives through his appearances in “/-Cars” and “Softly, Softly”, but the present brief series, “Barlow At Large”, has given him a greater opportunity to develop the character of the policeman he created. Outside the framework of the two earlier series, i Charles Barlow no longer, has to compete with Watt, Snow and the rest; •he has the stage to. himself, and he has made effective use of; the opportunity. The flavour of “Z-Cars”’ and “Softly, Softly” has been preserved ,by the, writer, Elwyn Jones, and the. producer, Leonard Lewis J both stalwarts of the earlier series, and Barlow has bios-; somed under their ben-, ■ evolent guidance. It. is not without sign-, igicance that some of the', most dramatic passages in! the script occur during con-1 frontations between Barlow and the pathetic Hopkins, a role superbly handled by Aubrey Richards. In both the earlier series he played; characters who were on the: wrong side of the law, and his* interplay with Stratford, Johns, consequently, is I blessed with a ring of conviction. The storyline of “Barlow At Large” is strong, and the supporting cast excellent. Perhaps it is because there are so many Welsh extras; the Welsh are born actors.

Sadly, the programme will' lend next week, but the final ■ episode, which was filmed in; 'Cyprus, promises a continuation of the swift-moving; drama.. # Ss ' <• , “The British Empire” con-1 tinues .to impress, and the programme dealing with the . development of India after r the mutiny lacked nothing in ; comparison with earlier efforts. The latest programme con- ’ tained a welter of vintage : photographs, but the clever use of the sound effects and , a fine musical score helped to relieve the lack of action. ’ Re-enactments of historic ' events have been a strong ! | point in the series, and the scenes showing the construction of the road from Calcutta to the North-West Frontier against a background iof an elaborate arrangement ;of “Rule Britannia” — were 1 1 most impressive. The best part, however, was the sharp camera work 'on the run by Sepp Riff in the Khyber Pass. The blazing sun’ the crackle of rifle i i fire, the sound of stumbling I jfootsteps, and the final poig- ; jnant sight of a forlorn pith I helmet rolling down a slope ■ helped to- make this sequence one of the finest of ■ all. * Us, J ' Harry Worth seems to be ■ mellower and less of a duf- i . fer than of yore, but his hu- ■ i rnour still lacks the bite I ; which many of his British ’ contemporaries are capable

ot producing. He is, nowever. preferable to Don Rickies and his ilk. $ $ * “Review” made a welcome reappearance with a solid programme on the deeds of the Living Theatre Troupe. It was a fascinating insight into the lives of nomadic thespians . cum musicians, and Hamish Reith's direction was praiseworthy. The only criticism concerned the commentary. The troupe's leader was the sole contributor in this respect and his soft tones made ii difficult to follow his summary of the group’s ideals The programme, however effectively captured the es sence of the troupe’s activities through good camera work at performances. —J.K.B.