Wycliffe

"Wycliffe" is a windswept and rain-sodden Police drama. It is set in Cornwall, the most westerly county in England. Standard dress for plain-clothes detectives appears to be a scruffy grey polo-neck sweater and waterproofs.

The series centres around Detective-Superintendent Wycliffe, whose family life occasionally intrudes into the plots, and two subordinates: a woman Detective Inspector who has been pushed too fast into a senior rank, and a disillusioned male colleague.

Even looking piratical, the Police appear to be intruders into a comparatively isolated community. Some of the office politics which occasionally feature, deal with Wycliffe's aversion to the latest fashionable management trends from London being foisted onto his force.

"Wycliffe" is well worth watching the series for the scenery alone, and hearing the slow local accents.

Must say watching episodes of Wycliffe recently I found them very enjoyable. The much-respected Penguin TV Companion only gives 2 stars out of 4 for the series – I believe it to be better than that. I think Wycliffe may not be as punchy as Morse or quirky as Frost, but the stories and settings are interesting and the supporting actors in each episode give strong performances. The acting talent in Britain shows great depth.

I think that Jack Shepherd's performance as Wycliffe is considered by some to be too dour and laconic, but that's the way the character presents. There are plenty of other crime shows with more flamboyant and outgoing characters available for viewing. It's the difference between many of the main characters that makes them attractive or not, depending on individual taste. I like his personality and the way Shepherd portrays him.

The supporting characters played by actors Jimmy Yuill and Helen Masters as the two inspectors are great foils for Jack Shepherd's Wycliffe and add balance to the show. There are times when these two are at odds with each other's methods, but respect and a level of affection remains between them and is done realistically without the histrionics some other shows seem to think add colour to the narrative. And although office politics are a source of excellent humour in Frost, in Wycliffe it is portrayed realistically and in a way that enhances the story and has the ring of truth.

Maybe it's not as high profile as some others, but it is worth watching just the same.

Despite the occasional slow tempo, Wycliffe is a wonderful detective series. It is gritty and tense, but there is something somewhat charming about it as well. The series is beautifully photographed, and the scenery is exquisite. The music, especially the main theme, is lovely and has a pleasant Cornish lilt to it. The series is well scripted and well constructed in terms of story lines as well, with the writing focused, thoughtful and sensitive and the story lines having their fair moments of grit and tension. And the acting is great, Jack Shepherd is superb as Wycliffe, who is quite old fashioned and conventional, and Helen Masters and Jimmy Yuill are also great as well developed supporting characters. Overall, a fine detective series, perhaps not the best out there, but it is very atmospheric thanks to the scenery and main theme music. 9/10 Bethany Cox

That is not to be critical of non British crime series.

No plot spoilers.

This is a 1990s detective series set in Cornwall ,which is a poor rural area in the South West of England.

The setting is important to the series,the landscape of moors and rocky coastlines are like a character in the episodes.

The plots seem realistic with references to problems with drugs,poverty and holiday homes.

The cast is great,the 3 leads are excellent.

I do wonder what happened to Helen Masters who is just wonderful.

Since Wycliffe was made there have been similar series set in rural Wales.

As a Scot it surprises me that Scottish crime series are never set in the Highlands

If you decide to track down Wycliffe you might find it a bit slow and the smaller parts are not well cast but this was a proper regional production in the days before ITV became a monolith.

A thoughtful series that uses the scenery of Cornwall with great effect. Jack Shephard has acted many roles in British cinema, the first role that made me notice him was in the hammer horror, Dracula. Wykliffe gave him an opportunity to show his range of acting skills and demonstrate hi well honed jazz skills. Jimmy Yuill and Helen Masters perform well together and spark off one another with good effect. Jimmy Yuill in particular has gone on to act in other TV dramas that has shown his range of skills. The slow moving tempo of the series and the way it takes its time to develop characters makes Wykliffe one of the best police drama series. It is eminently watchable.