A rose by any other name

Press, 4 March 1982, Page 15

A rose by any other name

F Review!

Ken Strongman

A rose is a rose is a lady policeman.’ Stephanie Turner is “Juliet Bravo” is Inspector Jean Darblay. Unusual name that, it seems to ring with many associations. Marbly, Badly, Wobbly. Hardly. She’s pleasant enough but has one of those wide down-turned mouths that-give the appearance of a sardonic frog.

These days, there is really no excuse for getting matters liberational wrong, but they have managed it. The opening sequence shows a bobby’s helmet. Right, the scene is set, it’s British coppers. Then the badge turns into a mini TV screen and there, is Juliet-cum-Jean putting the finishing'touches to her skirt. Right, it’s a new Maggie Forbes. But would they .show your average bobby doing up his zip.

The sergeants in Juliet’s station all hold her in awe and respect. They call her “Ma’am,” pronouncing it like “Mum.” It’s all set in the North of course. Northern accents must be easier to do. ! Mrs Darblay (her husband

is out-of-work redundant) might have her own station but her boss is in evidence. And, you’ve guessed it, he is a chauvinist. She handles him with an understanding goodhumour. He occasionally looks at her with the headshaking mock lack of belief of the pridefully doting parent. It has the subtle characterisation of nails scraped down the blackboard.

With police series evidently here to stay, it would be good to see' a properly; tough person who happened to be a woman. Like Maggie, Jean-Juliet can speak with a bit-of toughness but the old hearts and flowers are lurking there.

Beneath that knotted tie and:chequered titfer, Juliet is still a real woman — simpering and ready to wilt. We might not see it, but the promise is there. There was an old lady in Tuesday’s episode arid Juliet was the only one she would talk to. After all, she did go and feed her cat twice a day. Could you see the Sweeney doing it?

With all this subtlety of characterisation, the writers of “Juliet Bravo” must have felt that they need not bother too much with the plot. It involved an improbable old Oirish lady who stole cheques, not for herself but for her friend. She cannot believe in his criminality, being the gullible dupe to end all gullible dupes. It was, with detached reviewer’s understatement, just

a touch disappointing as one of the new season’s programmes. The old lady (Patricia Hayes) was good and so was her cat. As for the rest, it moved with the speed and buzz of a fly in winter. It was reminiscent of the worst excesses of the i. early days of “Dixon” and “Z Cars.”

With the plenitude of new programmes to help us while away the autumn evenings, it is almost too much to have to contend with new news. It is early days yet, but first impressions of the 9 o’clock “Eyewitness” variety are mixed. They are trying hard but it is all a big jumpy. Changes have been made. Karen Sims has changed her multicoloured “EW” jersey, and David Beatson has a new expression of pained sincerity. There is an air of trumped-up importance about it all. On Tuesday, there was a transpacific phone call, right out loud, on the screen. Even the pips were audible, totting up the TV licence money. Doubtless, they will all settle down after a weiek or two. My advice is that they return their shiny tiled backdrop to the posh bathroom they lifted it from; it must look bare without it.