In the Public Interest

Episode aired Nov 4, 1978
TV-MA
45m

IMDb RATING

7.7/10

159

YOUR RATING

Lewis Collins and Martin Shaw in The Professionals (1977)

Action Comedy Crime

Chief Constable Green operates a zero tolerance policing system bordering on fascist dictatorship. When a gay youth counselling centre is attacked by masked men one of the staff suspects the... Read allChief Constable Green operates a zero tolerance policing system bordering on fascist dictatorship. When a gay youth counselling centre is attacked by masked men one of the staff suspects the police are behind it and goes to see Cowley. Bodie and Doyle themselves become victimized... Read allChief Constable Green operates a zero tolerance policing system bordering on fascist dictatorship. When a gay youth counselling centre is attacked by masked men one of the staff suspects the police are behind it and goes to see Cowley. Bodie and Doyle themselves become victimized after being charged with a minor traffic offence. However Green and corrupt inspector Chi... Read all

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.7/10

159

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

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Trivia
The story was partly inspired by Greater Manchester's Chief Constable James Anderton. Although the episode's city is unnamed, a mention of "Canal Street" in the dialogue may have been a (subconscious) reference to Manchester. Appointed to the position in 1976, Anderton's reign commenced with raids on newsagents, bookshops and warehouses to confiscate soft-porn and stronger material. Anderton was also accused of undue "policing" of gay communities. Christened "God's Copper" by the media, he took a hard line on criminality and frequently criticised politicians and the judiciary over what he saw as overly-lenient sentencing.

Goofs
When Bodie and Doyle are stopped by the police on the first occasion (for speeding), they pull up opposite a row of houses. When they drive off again, they are opposite a parade of shops instead.

Quotes
Minister: I can't have you going over my head, George... then you'd *really* think you were God!

User reviews6

Featured review

6/10

In the Public Interest

When Stephen Rea first pops up and is threatened for being the wrong sort. I thought the Professionals would be dealing with Irish terrorism.

Instead Rea plays Pellin, a gay youth counsellor who has been run out of the city by the local police and beaten for his troubles.

Pellin pleads to Cowley for help. He sends Bodie and Doyle to investigate.

The police in this unnamed city has a Chief Constable who has driven down crime by getting rid of the wrong types, even fitting up people. The police are a law unto themselves.

Cowley realises that this is how dictatorships begin. Bodie and Doyle need to bring down corrupt Inspector Chives who has been given a free reign by his boss.

In some ways a brave episode, the boys in blue were far from clean in the 1970s. Bodie and Doyle are harrassed by the local police for alleged minor traffic violations. They find out that local guests houses are checked regularly for new visitors. The wrong sort are regularly chased out of town.

I did think the ending was a bit weak. Doyle took hell of a chance that one of the coppers might just turn out to be a good one. It did not work for me.

I did spot Tom Georgeson as one of the crooked cops. Years later he would be the one to go after bent coppers in the sublime Between the Lines.