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    The Complete Thin Blue Line

    Universal/Universal . R4 . COLOR . 420 mins . PG . PAL

      Feature
    Contract

    When it became clear that Blackadder Goes Forth would be the last in the Blackadder series, many fans probably felt that the chances of Rowan Atkinson and Ben Elton working together again were pretty unlikely. Not because of any friction between the two, but because after many years of Blackadder it was obvious that a change was needed. Although most of Blackadder was co-written by Ben Elton and Richard Curtis with Atkinson as the star, it is safe to assume that Atkinson's input went beyond simply delivering the lines. As the trio themselves have admitted, by 1989, the inspiration for Blackadder was wearing thin, and the fear of rehashing jokes was becoming reality.

    It probably came as quite a surprise then, when in 1995 The Thin Blue Line materialised on our screens. It starred Rowan Atkinson as Inspector Raymond Fowler, the commanding officer of Gasforth Police Station, and featured a supporting cast of familiar and new faces. The writing is credited solely to Ben Elton, although Atkinson's influence is obvious, but Curtis' trademark plot twists are clearly missing. What we are left with is a fairly amusing set of scripts, comprising only two series (1995 and 1996), for a total of 14 episodes, each approximately 30 minutes in length. The first series is funnier than the second, as the jokes begin to become more obvious, and the characters become more predictable and ever more stereotypical.

    The cast does a fine job, particularly Atkinson, who shows elements of 'Blackadderness' in the delivery of many of his lines. His sense of timing is as immaculate as ever, and his facial expressions and eye movements are as subtle, yet hilarious as ever. The scripts are a mix of snappy (and obvious) one-liners, plenty of double entendres, cheap sexual innuendo, wordplay, wit, misunderstanding and overheard half-sentences, with a few clever lines thrown in for good measure. The Thin Blue Line however, is not an intellectual comedy. The situations are all fairly far-fetched, but that is often the joy of British comedy.

    The acting ranges from good to deliberately overly dramatic, bordering on pantomime. The characters are all easy to get to know, and there is no real depth to any of them. Mostly, they're just vehicles for Elton's one-liners and numerous amusing metaphors. There are also smatterings of slapstick, melodrama and corny lines. Guest appearances include Stephen Fry and Ben Elton, but by the end of the two series', however, many of the jokes begin to wear quite thin, and one or two of the characters' lack of depth and dimension begins to irritate.

    While this is still far from being the best work of either Elton or Atkinson (how could you go past Blackadder or The Young Ones?), this is still a lot funnier than Atkinson's Mr Bean or some of Elton's movies.

    "It's my arse on the line, and I don't want a cock-up!"

    The obvious joy of this collection is that both series' are included, which means you won't be required to fork out more cash for later series'. They also bear up to repeated viewing. For those that like a simple show with obvious laughs mixed in with endless bawdiness and smut, then The Complete Thin Blue Line is for you. Those looking for clever, intricate plotlines, with witty and ingenious puns and jokes - look elsewhere.

      Video
    Contract

    As per most television shows, The Thin Blue Line is presented in a full frame aspect ratio and hence is not 16x9 enhanced. Overall this is quite good, with the image coming up quite sharp and detailed. The lighting is mostly very bright and there is no problem with shadow detail. Colours for the most are still vibrant and accurate. Black levels are also good, and there is no evidence of any problems associated with colour such as bleeding or chroma noise.

    There is some shimmering, mainly in the chequered part of the police uniforms and in the numerous Venetian blinds that Gasforth Police Station seems to have.

    Layer changes are placed between episodes.

      Audio
    Contract

    Again, being a television show, the most likely transfer is a Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo, and this is exactly what we get. As with most comedies filmed almost entirely in studios, there is a very prominent laugh track, and that appears to be the only real stereo effect on offer. Very little in the way of dialogue, sound effects, or the very minimal incidental music offers any stereo separation. The dialogue is clear and there are no strong accents to contend with.

    Naturally, only the left and right front speakers are utilised, and therefore low-level sounds are hardly earth shattering, but then there are almost none to speak of. This is a most functional audio track, but it's not going to win any awards.

      Extras
    Contract

    You want extras? Well that's bad luck really because as far as The Complete Thin Blue Line is concerned, you will find more extras in a one-man stage show.

      Overall  
    Contract

    Falling somewhere between Mr Bean and Blackadder in the quality stakes, at least there is the bonus of seeing Atkinson in another series that has shades of Edmund Blackadder in his portrayal of Raymond Fowler. In fact, it is not too difficult to see how this might have been turned into a Blackadder with Constable Baldrick in tow. Sadly, Curtis' brilliant touch is missing, so perhaps it is better that the Blackadder name was not tarnished by scripts that, while still amusing, are not of Blackadder standard.


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      And I quote...
    "This may feature the combined talents of Ben Elton and Rowan Atkinson, but it's no Blackadder. The laughs are still there, but the consistency is not... "
    - Terry Kemp
      Review Equipment
    • DVD Player:
          Akai
    • TV:
          TEAC CT-F803 80cm Super Flat Screen
    • Receiver:
          Pioneer VSX-D409
    • Speakers:
          Wellings
    • Centre Speaker:
          Wellings
    • Surrounds:
          Wellings
    • Subwoofer:
          Sherwood SP 210W
    • Audio Cables:
          Standard RCA
    • Video Cables:
          standard s-video
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