The Black and Blue Lamp

The Black and Blue Lamp

1988 · 59 min · Drama, Comedy, TV Movie

Satirical and surreal play by Arthur Ellis, dealing with the manner in which the British police force has been represented on TV for four decades. In 1949 Tom Riley is arrested for the murder of PC George Dixon. As he awaits interrogation at the station he is mysteriously transported into an episode of The Filth - a 1988 police series where the hard men rule, where he is told by the local CID that he'll be confessing to the murder or else his genitals are getting cut off ! This black comedy questions whether the police have changed or is it the way film and television present them.

Directed by Guy Slater · Written by Arthur Ellis

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Cast

Kenneth Cranham Supt. Cherry
Karl Johnson PC "Taffy" Hughes
Sean Chapman Tom Riley
John Woodvine Supt. Hammond
Ralph Brown Insp. Drury
Nick Stringer Sgt. Brooks
Ian Brimble PC Totley
Peter Lovstrom PC Sneed
Barry Woolgar Insp. Rogers
Garrick Hagon Police Surgeon
Anthony Smee Mr Bromley Junior
Paddy Ryan Mr Bromley Senior

Make it a double feature

2h 41m together

The Black and Blue Lamp

Miss Marple: The Murder at the Vicarage

Both from Guy Slater.

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