Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3637 in DVD
• Released on: 2001-09-17
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Colour, Full Screen, PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 439 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Set in a fictitious suburb rather like, say, Pinner (only more so), The Thin Blue Line is the wickedly funny story of a rather down-at-heel police station headed by Inspector Raymond Fowler (Rowan Atkinson), a pompous, repressed but well-intentioned anachronism who wants to do the right thing but who is constantly hampered by his own shortcomings, not to mention his blundering CID colleagues. Atkinson expertly balances his character's inflated sense of self-importance with the insight born of old-school police values, for which his galumphing, shiny-suited CID counterpart, DI Grim (David Haig) has no time at all.

Strongest among the supporting cast is Sgt Pauline Dawkins (Serena Evans), who also happens to be Fowler's live-in lover--a moral dilemma that his traditional values won't allow him to resolve. He salves his conscience by avoiding sex with her whenever possible, an amusing subplot enhanced by Evans's brilliant performance--she positively vibrates with contained, ladylike lust in a manner only equalled by Penelope Keith in the classic sitcom To the Manor Born.

Scripted by Ben Elton, this series manages to satirise provincialism, institutionalised pig-headedness and dated moral values in one fell swoop, while also being chock-full of quick-fire, Blackadder-esque dialogue. --Roger Thomas

Special Features
English
Region 2

Synopsis
This classic BBC comedy stars the always-ridiculous Rowan Atkinson as Inspector Raymond Fowler. The cast also features Mark Addy, Kevin Allen, Mina Anwar, and James Dreyfus. All 14 episodes of series one and two are collected here, including "Rag Week," "Fire & Terror," "Kids Today," "Court in the Act," "Ism Ism Ism," "Alternative Culture," "Road Rage," and seven more.

Customer Reviews

Not bad
The recipe for this is nothing special, and I must agree with some of the harsher reviews about the stock characters and lack of innovation. However, a lot of it is very funny. I would give 4.5 stars to Series 1, and significantly fewer to Series 2, but all in all I enjoyed it very much.

you wouldn't get it if it came in a large bag marked 'IT'......
...honestly, the lines don't come much better tha this. ben elton wrote the script, rowan atkinson pulls them off. this is like the police version of blackadder. amazing. inspector grim is hilarious, and alongside inspector fowler you ave two of the funniest charecters ever! my god i have seen this series over and over again, rowan atkinson is genus, ben elton is god. simple enough, if you loved blackadder you will love this. and look at the price! its sacrilege! buy buy buy!!!!

Could've been so much better...
"The Thin Blue Line" is a bit of an oddity. Written by 80s darling Ben Elton, it is suppoosedly his take on a "Dad's Army"-type sitcom. Unfortunately any comparison with said show is negative. Fundamentally the characters are cardboard cut-outs. Rudolph Walker as the Jones-like Gladstone is ok, but the character of Habib has 'tokenism' written all over her. Goody is too camp; and his crush on Habib quite implausible. Atkinson's character of Fowler is also poorly drawn. "Thin" is indeed thin where it matters, and not one of the people you see is really believeable. Contrast that with "Dad's Army" where virtually of the main characters have some ring of truth about them, and indeed many of the situations they face.

It is however, as other reviewers have noted, pleasant fun, and Rowan Atkinson is always watchable. Probably as well the plug was pulled after 2 series though!