Recently got done watching a video of this 1994 crime drama, and boy, they really don't make 'em like this now. 99-1 was a cop show on ITV shown it seems just after the new year from the Ad breaks in this.
Its a no brainer really. Put Leslie Grantham as a Chain smoking, hard drinking corrupt bastard of a cop, offer him the chance to take down some of the biggest crims in organized crime, after being jailed for corruption. Then see where it takes him.
The premise is that someone from government wants him to go undercover (as mentioned) after copping to fitting up a criminal back in the 80's. I only have the pilot episode and it sets up how he came to be there. He has an estranged wife (Gwynneth Strong / Cassandra from Fools n Horses) and son which he sees rarely. There is a great bit where she has to go to an Xmas party and he has to babysit with some of Capcom's finest. Micky Mouse Magical Quest and the original SFII for SNES. May just clip this bit of him "playing" SFII, as its clearly the attract screen of Ryu VS Dhalsim.
There's also him sitting down to an Xmas meal on his own. A kind of *Jonathan King Meals for one sans Aromat, bottle of stolen whisky in hand and Its a Wonderful Life on TV. He gets a visit from a protégé (Robert Carlyle) and his bird, who takes a shine to him, who try and talk him round, but in the end, gets shot by a nutter following a lead that Grantham himself gave him.
If you ever find this on sale, (there is a DVD box set out there) catch it. YT has a few episodes up too but they won't be around forever.
*Disgraced music mogul Jonathan King used to post up on Twitter / X a selection of grim dinners that he had. Along with a glass of wine there was the ever present bottle? of Aromat with every meal.
