Gransnet forums

Culture/Arts

Scott & Bailey

(34 Posts)
Eloethan Fri 03-May-13 14:16:32

Isn't it great to see a detective series in which most of the important characters are women? Also, the most senior positions are held by women.

Also it's nice that the morning "case conferences" are courteous affairs where the detectives are thanked for their hard work at the end of the meeting.

If only this scenario were true in real life!

JessM Fri 03-May-13 14:26:09

Yes it is.
Well in "normal" working situations people behave in a civilised way eleothan - I have no doubt that the series Life on Mars was a very sanitised version of police culture back in the 70s (bit like the series Grange Hill - not a swear word to be heard) - but what it is like now, I do not know.

Greatnan Fri 03-May-13 15:32:41

On The Wright Stuff this morning it was suggested that the programme was sexist because the men were all inadequate wimps!

loneranger Fri 03-May-13 15:58:30

I love this programme a bit confusing this time as 2 of the main characters where acting in Prisoners Wifes recently, the one whose father did all the murders was a police officer in that and one of the bosses was a pathetic mother of a young prisoner. Both good programmes shame they where on so close.

Ana Fri 03-May-13 16:09:37

TV actors do seem to go through a popular phase when they're in nearly every drama on the box, don't they? Olivia Colman and David Tennant are two more who keep popping up all over the place at the moment.

Greatnan Fri 03-May-13 16:54:02

I don't like two parters as I can't remember what happened in the first part!

JessM Fri 03-May-13 23:44:20

Dramas in which women play the dominant roles tricky to write. I love the Good Wife and Alan Cummings plays an interesting character part. The "bad husband" is very much a cipher and does not, these days, appear in most episodes.But writers really do have to make sure that the women are in the foreground and not getting overshadowed by men. And if they all had happy home/love lives then that would be boring. Nice steady kind men do not good drama make.
And well, Wright Stuff, give me a break, how many sexist dramas have there been in which men do all the exciting stuff and women just provide the "love interest" and make the tea? 1 million? more?

laidback Sat 04-May-13 00:26:11

I enjoy Scott n Bailey, its clever and funny.Its driven by very talented women. I think its really refreshing that its written by women, Sally Wainright (last tango in halifax) and Amelia Bullmore who I think is a fantastic and witty writer, she wrote Di and Viv and Rose a play recently on at Hampstead Theatre.. It was brilliant and very funny and perceptive. Leslie sharp is a leg end and Suranne Jones is just really good.In this series, Nicola Walker(spooks) is a featured character and bloody brilliant. She just received an Olivier award for her performance on stage in 'the curious incident of the dog...etc transfered from the National Theatre into west end, go see its a fantastic show! Stay tuned am assured the twists and turns in this series are worth the watch.

Ella46 Sat 04-May-13 08:24:41

I love Scott and Bailey, and The Good Wife. Alan Cummings is a brilliant actor, and I love the way Alicia is so calm and cutting in the court room.

My OH and me were both in Manchester police, and I think the casting in S&B is excellent.

Greatnan Sat 04-May-13 10:03:55

After millenia of just assuming they were more important and clever than women, it is amusing to see how quickly some men scream when women get a modicum of equality,or even superiority. I don't recall a huge demand for the education system to be revised when boys were achieving more than girls!

annodomini Sat 04-May-13 10:29:16

Cagney and Lacey was one of my must-see series in the past, though their bosses were all male. Their private lives were also convincingly portrayed. Could Scott and Bailey exist if Cagney and Lacey had not gone before them?

overthehill Sat 04-May-13 21:13:09

Suranne Jones who plays Rachel Bailey co wrote the previous series if not this one, not to sure about that.

She is brilliant and so is Lesley Sharpe who has been around for years.

Yes we do keep seeing the `same old faces`. Suranne being one of them, along with Olivia Colman, Nicola Walker and Amelia Bullmore but they are all very fine actresses.

I feel sorry for Nicola Walker who seems to have cornered the market in down trodden women with loose morals. It would be nice to see her glammed up a bit.

Ana Sat 04-May-13 21:22:19

Yes - she was great in Last Tango in Halifax. It's probably that slightly crumpled but expressive face she has which gets her the more gritty parts.

laidback Sat 04-May-13 21:40:43

Suranne and Sally Lindsay suggested the premise for the series, they admitted they were huge Cagney and Lacey fans. They don't write it. Sally Wainright writes most of the episodes and Amelia Bullmore writes a couple.I hope she writes more telly stuff, I love her writing. She wrote a couple of Episodes of 'This life' if you remember that.

Nicola Walker is fab, after years of spooks maybe she is relishing getting her teeth into grittier roles! smile

laidback Thu 23-May-13 22:14:11

Brilliant finale of Scott and Bailey!

glammanana Thu 23-May-13 22:18:32

What a good way to end the series brilliant story line thoughout the whole series,lets hope we get more episodes next year (or sooner).smile

Grannyeggs Thu 23-May-13 22:20:14

I loved it and will miss ,great acting.

laidback Thu 23-May-13 22:35:57

I loved the dig to 'life on mars'. Great to watch a talented ensemble show with great turns by women. Refreshing.smile

Ana Thu 23-May-13 22:39:33

I agree, it was a good series and a satisfying finale - but the Rachel character is far to flaky to be a police officer, IMO!

Sel Thu 23-May-13 23:06:47

At the end I said to my OH, how good to see a show with such strong women characters - he said 'well it's fiction' so I hit him grin

Ella46 Thu 23-May-13 23:10:46

It was the best series on tv for a long time as far as I'm concerned.

Ana Thu 23-May-13 23:13:08

Just noticed I typed 'to' instead of 'too'! Oh the shame....blush

merlotgran Thu 23-May-13 23:16:32

I'm going off Rachel. Her mum's a hoot though.

Eloethan Fri 24-May-13 00:37:23

A really good series with great acting from everybody involved.

PRINTMISS Fri 24-May-13 08:31:05

Loved it, nice plots which were easy to follow, and great acting, Hope they do another.