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19-585: The Last Detective is a British TV comedy drama series, broadcast on ITV between 7 February 2003 and 31 May 2007, starring Peter Davison as the title character, Detective Constable " Dangerous Davies ". The series is based on the "Dangerous Davies" series of novels written by Leslie Thomas , and was filmed in the north London suburbs of Willesden , Neasden and Harlesden . The first series aired in 2003, with three more series following it. The first, second and third series all consist of four 70-minute episodes (90-minutes with advertisements). The fourth series

38-405: A TV movie, first broadcast on 4 January 1981, starring Bernard Cribbins . The series follows Detective Constable "Dangerous" Davies. Davies discovered a crime committed by a fellow officer at the opening of the series, and is treated as a pariah by his colleagues as a consequence. Moreover, he is committed to his work and is staunchly humane, leading to a view of his being soft by colleagues, and

57-417: A character who is to be taken seriously. Other characters may use comic relief as a means to irritate others or keep themselves confident. Sometimes comic relief characters will appear in fiction that is comic . This generally occurs when the work enters a dramatic moment, but the character continues to be comical regardless. External and internal comic reliefs can be separated based on the engagement within

76-596: A comedy drama, this hybrid genre often deals with real life situations, grounded characters, and believable situations. The ratio between the drama and comedy can vary, but most of the time there is an equal measure of both, with neither side dominating. Abreu also adds that dramedies often deal with relatable and serious topics such as divorce, illness, hardship, and heartache. Examples of comedy dramas in American film include: Examples of American television comedy dramas include: Comic relief Comic relief usually means

95-490: A degree of grudging respect from local criminals. The show's title reflects the initial attitude of his superiors, who describe him as "the last detective" who would be considered to head up a major case. Recurring themes include Davies solving the apparently minor crimes he is given, often resolving more complex and associated crimes (historical or contemporary), and Davies repeatedly being the target of practical jokes by younger but more well positioned detectives in his unit. As

114-464: A humorous tenor. In television, modern scripted comedy dramas tend to have more humour integrated into the story than the comic relief common in drama series but usually contain a lower joke rate than sitcoms . In the very influential Greek theatre , plays were considered comedies or tragedies. This concept even influenced Roman theatre and theatre of the Hellenistic period . Theatre of that era

133-605: A period. The Last Detective: Complete Collection was released on Region 1 DVD on 20 January 2009 and includes all 17 episodes of the TV show, the earlier TV movie, and other features including an interview with Peter Davison. The DVD set is distributed by Acorn Media UK . Comedy drama Comedy drama , also known by the portmanteau dramedy , is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and drama . In films, serious dramatic themes (such as death, illness, etc.) are dealt with realism and subtlety, while preserving

152-431: A releasing of emotional or other tension resulting from a comic episode interposed in the midst of serious or tragic elements in a drama. Comic relief often takes the form of, but is not limited to, a bumbling, wisecracking sidekick of the hero or villain in a work of fiction. A sidekick used for comic relief will usually comment on the absurdity of the hero's situation and make comments that would be inappropriate for

171-509: A rise in film and television works that could be described as comedy-dramas. The term is a translation from the French "comédie dramatique". The portmanteau "dramedy" came to be in the 1980s. In January 2022, Rafael Abreu, writing for the StudioBinder filmmaking blog, defined this genre as follows: A dramedy is a movie or program that balances the elements of a drama and a comedy. Also known as

190-684: A series of several tragic performances with a humorous satyr play . Even the Elizabethan critic Philip Sidney following Horace ’s Ars Poetica pleaded for the exclusion of comic elements from a tragic drama. But in the Renaissance England Christopher Marlowe among the University Wits introduced comic relief through the presentation of crude scenes in Doctor Faustus following the native tradition of Interlude which

209-426: Is slightly longer, encompassing five episodes. After a total of seventeen episodes, production company Meridian Broadcasting (later Granada Productions ), who produced the programme, stated that the series had been axed due to falling viewing figures, and that the fourth series would be the last. The Granada series was not the first time that the title character had appeared on television. He previously appeared in

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228-523: Is thought to have long-lasting influence, even in modern narrative works. Even today, works are often classified into two broad buckets, dramas and comedies. For instance, many awards that recognize achievements in film and television today, such as the Primetime Emmy Awards and the Golden Globe Awards segregate several award categories into these two classifications. The 20th century saw

247-495: The first episode, serve as her occasional chauffeur and carry out routine household maintenance at the family home (occasionally intersecting with Julie's new relationship interests). His work and personal life intertwine in interactions with his friend, the irreverent and rather feckless Mod (short for Modesty) Lewis, played by the Irish comedian Sean Hughes , which include their park bench talks about cases and life, Davies' chauffeuring

266-688: The gulling of Roderigo in Othello , and the mockery of the fool in King Lear provide immense comic relief. Take the Porter scene in Macbeth : "Here's a knocking indeed! If a man were porter of hell-gate, he should have old turning the key…Who's there, i' the name of Beelzebub? Here's a farmer, that hanged himself on the expectation of plenty: come in time; have napkins enow about you; here you'll sweat for't…Faith, here's an English tailor come hither, for stealing out of

285-478: The series concerns Davies' private life, which centres on his estranged wife, Julie (played by Emma Amos ). The storyline regularly integrates Davies' attempts to address the loss of his wife's respect and to repair the damage done to their marriage after his career stalls in the Metropolitan Police Force; for instance, the estranged character returns to pick up a dog whose custody he shares with Julie in

304-422: The series progresses his reputation improves with his superior, Detective Inspector (DI) Aspinall, who realises that Davies' intelligence and fair but determined methods make him the best policeman in his squad. A strained mutual respect develops between the two characters as Davies increasingly finds the time to try to understand the troubled, hard drinking DI and his history (and demons). The other major aspect of

323-411: The story and the effect on the audience. An internal comic relief is a character or moment where the story is written in the story itself. Others are involved and can laugh along with the humor. While external comic relief moments occur whenever the audience is supposed to laugh but the characters do not. Greek tragedy did not allow any comic relief within the drama, but had a tradition of concluding

342-484: The unlicensed Mod, and Davies' walking his dog—an unnamed, but consistent character, a Landseer in early episodes, and later a St Bernard . Other recurring plot elements are the now "semi-detached" Davies' interactions with various female characters, episode by episode, and his relationship with Mrs Fulljames ( Elizabeth Bennett ), the romantic daydreaming landlady of the Bali-Hai Guest House, where he resides for

361-583: Was usually introduced between two tragic plays. In fact, in the classical tradition the mingling of the tragic and the comic was not allowed. Comic relief moments serve the purpose of allowing the audience to "break from the dark and heavy content" and advance the plot. William Shakespeare deviated from the classical tradition and used comic relief in Hamlet , Macbeth , Othello , The Merchant of Venice and Romeo and Juliet . The grave-digger scene in Hamlet ,

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