Between the Lines
completed Secondary GL

Between the Lines (1992)

aka Между строк

35 ep GB BBC One Drama

Detective Superintendent Tony Clark is an ambitious member of the Complaints Investigation Bureau, an internal organisation that investigates claims of corruption inside the police in England and Wales. Along the way Clark overcomes strong influence from his superiors and problems in his private life, most notably the break-up of his marriage following an affair with WPC Jenny Dean.

🏳️‍🌈 This classic BBC police procedural features an early, highly significant secondary sapphic storyline. One of the central main team members, Mo Connell (played by Siobhan Redmond), is openly lesbian and the show explicitly explores her personal life, struggles with homophobia, and romantic relationships with women.

Cast

Episodes

Season 1 1992 · 13 eps
Ep 1 Private Enterprise
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DCI Tony Clark finds himself assigned the unenviable task of investigating his own station when Scotland Yard suspects corruption. His first target is a ring of officers who are taking kickbacks from laundered drugs money.

Ep 2 Out of the Game
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When a youth is shot by police on a troublesome estate, years of resentment within the community flare into violence, to the concern of Chief Supt. Jameson.

Ep 3 Words of Advice
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A complaint of sexual harassment by a W.P.C. against a black sergeant, and an accusation of bribery, reveal widespread prejudice within a station. With his own personal life in tatters, is Det. Supt. Clark the right man to investigate the case?

Ep 4 Lies and Damned Lies
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Det. Supt. Clark follows up an allegation of police brutality after an old man claims to have seen a prostitute attacked, but an influential detective ensures that the enquiry is obstructed.

Ep 5 A Watch and Chain of Course
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Det. Sgt. Connell's cover is blown while investigating a hostile police station. Det. Supt. Clark is caught up in a murder case with both personal and professional implications.

Ep 6 Lest Ye Be Judged
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After a brutal armed robber is released, DCI Tony Clark investigates the officer accused of bending the rules to obtain his conviction.

Ep 7 Breaking Point
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Tony Clark is called in to investigate claims of police brutality when a full-scale riot erupts at a picket line. Given no help by Commander Neame, he approaches journalist Molly Cope for information and soon begins to suspect a police cover-up.

Ep 8 The Only Good Copper
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Det. Supt. Clark is ordered to investigate outstanding complaints against P.C. Norton, an officer killed in the course of his duty. Should PC Norton be allowed to rest in peace?

Ep 9 Watching the Detectives
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Det. Sgt. Markham is accused of taking a bribe. Meanwhile, Clark's lover, W.P.C. Jenny Dean, is under pressure over her part in the Michael Carswell affair.

Ep 10 Nothing to Declare
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Det. Supt. Clark is caught between Customs and Excise and the river police during a case of extortion, drug smuggling and illegal immigration. W.P.C. Jenny Dean finds herself under investigation over her part in the Michael Carswell case.

Ep 11 Nothing Personal
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A youth dies in police custody, but was it really a suicide? Det. Supt. Clark learns some uncomfortable truths about girlfriend W.P.C. Jenny Dean.

Ep 12 Nobody's Fireproof
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A police superintendent is caught kerb-crawling in King's Cross. Det. Supt. Clark uncovers murder, blackmail and pornography, and his investigation could finish some careers. The investigation into the Michael Carswell case has tragic consequences for W.P.C. Jenny Dean.

Ep 13 The Chill Factor
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Commander Huxtable has been suspended. Det. Supt. Clark is determined to discover why his lover, W.P.C. Jenny Dean, committed suicide, but his enquiries lead back to C.I.B. Finally, he confronts an unexpected enemy aboard H.M.S. Belfast.

Season 2 1993 · 12 eps
Ep 1 New Order
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John Deakin is on trial, and Tony Clark is now Acting Detective Chief Superintendent. A high flying young officer, who has gone under cover to infiltrate a fascist organisation, appears to go native.

Ep 2 Manslaughter
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Supt. David Lindsay admits killing his wife, but claims it was manslaughter. Det. Sgt. Connell is convinced he's rigged the circumstances in order to walk free.

Ep 3 Crack Up
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Clark and his team are called in to investigate when a black youth is killed in a hail of police bullets, and are soon caught up in conflict between the police and the local community. Their investigation draws them into the world of crack cocaine dealing.

Ep 4 Honourable Men
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A high profile M.P. is caught with his trousers down, and suspicion falls on his police protection officers. As more revelations appear in the tabloid press, Clark suspects a smear campaign.

Ep 5 Some Must Watch...
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An intruder is shot dead at a Territorial Army base. Clark is forced to accept help from Angela Berridge, an official from the Home Office, and finds that the activities of MI5 and Special Branch undermine his investigation.

Ep 6 Manoeuvre 11
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A peaceful demonstration about council service cuts goes tragically wrong when the mounted police are called in to disperse the demonstrators. Clark's team is brought in but their activities are hindered by the chief constable heading the investigation.

Ep 7 The Fifth Estate
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An assistant chief constable is accused of sexual misconduct, and Det. Sgt. Connell's friend Kate is implicated. Det. Supt. Clark's search for a missing tape brings him back into contact with Angela Berridge.

Ep 8 The Great Detective
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Chief Supt. Trevor Dunne, recently cleared by an enquiry, faces another when a convicted criminal provides fresh evidence. Det. Supt. Clark is torn between duty and loyalty towards a highly regarded officer.

Ep 9 Jumping the Lights
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Det. Sgt. Connell's professional and private lives come into conflict when CIB investigate a police officr suspected if being the driver involved in a tragic hit-and-run incident. Det. Supt. Clark, meanwhile, is becoming increasingly obsessed with Angela Berridge.

Ep 10 What's The Strength Of This?
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Det. Insp. Naylor faces a disciplinary hearing when he is caught moonlighting for a security firm to raise funds for the treatment of his terminally ill wife, Joyce. Det. Supt. Clark confronts Angela Berridge over their relationship.

Ep 11 Big Boys' Rules (1)
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Det. Supt. Clark investigates the involvement of Special Branch in the 'execution' of police informant Declan Harris, and gets the chance to settle old scores with Det. Chief Supt. John Deakin.

Ep 12 Big Boys' Rules (2)
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Det. Supt. Clark is gunning for Det. Chief Supt. John Deakin, now with Special Branch, and is led to Trevor Bull, a victim of a police shooting years earlier.

Season 3 1994 · 10 eps
Ep 1 Foxtrot Oscar
Ep 2 A Safe Pair of Hands
Ep 3 A Face In The Crowd
Ep 4 Shoot To Kill
Ep 5 Close Protection
Ep 6 Blooded
Ep 7 Unknown Soldier
Ep 8 Free Trade
Ep 9 The End User 1
Ep 10 The End User 2

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