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The Thin Blue Line

  • TV Series
  • 1995–1996
  • TV-PG
  • 30m
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
8.8K
YOUR RATING
Rowan Atkinson in The Thin Blue Line (1995)
SitcomComedyCrime

Various mishaps at a police station in an English town. The main character is the anachronistic yet charming and funny Inspector Fowler; his CID foil is bumbling, seething idiot Inspector Gr... Read allVarious mishaps at a police station in an English town. The main character is the anachronistic yet charming and funny Inspector Fowler; his CID foil is bumbling, seething idiot Inspector Grim.Various mishaps at a police station in an English town. The main character is the anachronistic yet charming and funny Inspector Fowler; his CID foil is bumbling, seething idiot Inspector Grim.

  • Creator
    • Ben Elton
  • Stars
    • Rowan Atkinson
    • Mina Anwar
    • James Dreyfus
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.5/10
    8.8K
    YOUR RATING
    • Creator
      • Ben Elton
    • Stars
      • Rowan Atkinson
      • Mina Anwar
      • James Dreyfus
    • 46User reviews
    • 4Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 1 nomination total

    Episodes14

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    Photos46

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    Top cast71

    Edit
    Rowan Atkinson
    Rowan Atkinson
    • Inspector Raymond Fowler
    • 1995–1996
    Mina Anwar
    Mina Anwar
    • W.P.C. Maggie Habib
    • 1995–1996
    James Dreyfus
    James Dreyfus
    • P.C. Kevin Goody
    • 1995–1996
    Serena Evans
    Serena Evans
    • Sergeant Patricia Dawkins
    • 1995–1996
    David Haig
    David Haig
    • D.I. Derek Grim
    • 1995–1996
    Rudolph Walker
    Rudolph Walker
    • P.C. Frank Gladstone
    • 1995–1996
    Kevin Allen
    Kevin Allen
    • D.C. Robert Kray
    • 1995
    Mark Addy
    Mark Addy
    • D.C. Gary Boyle
    • 1996
    Joy Brook
    • D.C. Crockett
    • 1995
    Lucy Robinson
    Lucy Robinson
    • Dame Cristabelle Wickham
    • 1996
    Gabrielle Blunt
    Gabrielle Blunt
    • Elderly Lady…
    • 1995–1996
    Walter Sparrow
    Walter Sparrow
    • Elderly Man…
    • 1995–1996
    Stephen Fry
    Stephen Fry
    • Brigadier Blaster Sump
    • 1995
    Owen Teale
    Owen Teale
    • Gary
    • 1995
    Sheila Gish
    Sheila Gish
    • Maeve the Sex Therapist
    • 1995
    Stephen Moore
    Stephen Moore
    • Ron
    • 1995
    Jean Ainslie
    • Elderly Lady
    • 1995
    Jonathan Cake
    Jonathan Cake
    • Stallion
    • 1996
    • Creator
      • Ben Elton
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews46

    7.58.7K
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    Featured reviews

    Mmyers2003

    No Fannying about!!!

    The best characters in this sitcom have to be Inspector Fowler and Inspector Grimm. Grimm cracks me up everytime with his bad use of speech and his catchphrase "No Fannying about". I like the idea of the CID and the Police officers not wanting to accept help from each other. Goody is also very funny as is Constable Kray (Series 1). A rare find in the 90's sitcom era thats actually good (Bottom, Vicar of Dibley and Men Behaving badly are the only other good comedies from the decade). British comedy at its best as always.
    sixstringscouser

    HILIRIOUS COMEDY! THE CAST IS FANTASTIC!

    I saw this on TV in 1995/96 and just loved it! The storylines and gags cackle with invention and are simply sheer genius. Ben Elton did a very good job here. The stars in this show are perfectly cast and hilirious to watch, particularly James Dreyfuss, Rowan Atkinson and also David Haig who plays D.I Grim is hilirious! There's a good range of personalities embedded into each character and it's great the way they interact so well. Some great double meanings and even some toilet humour gags will keep you more than satisfied while watching this. :-) 9/10
    9magicalmouse

    This is a gem of a series !

    I just got the series from Netflix after reading about it in one of my Brit-com books. I was sorry when the two discs were done. It is laugh out loud funny. Atkinson as Fowler is right on form and the rest of the ensemble cast matches him. Haig as Grimm is amazing he never falters even in his most tongue twisting lines ! Constable Goody is amazing the facial expressions alone are worth the rental cost. If you love Brit-coms this is a must see ! This is also one where you don't want to miss a word of the dialog. Sharp and witty. I noticed that in almost each episode there appear to be two- three distinct plot lines and how they do it is a mystery but everything comes together and is shown to be interconnected by the final fade out.
    9zzzzzzzzzzzzzzx

    A wonderful British sitcom

    This show has Rowan Atkinson (Inspector Raymond "Feely" Fowler) at his very best, funnier than either Mr. Bean or Black Adder. He shares the screen with a delightful array of competent actors who all know how to deliver a funny line without squashing it, although sometimes I find David Haig's delivery of Detective Inspector Grimm's rants to be just a little too much.

    I don't find much of what Ben Elton has written to be that funny, but this show has me laughing out loud time and again. Almost every episode in the two seasons available is well paced and loaded with double entendres. If only American sitcoms could match or come close to this!
    LadyRoz

    Mr Bean speaks

    I had all the episodes of TTBL on tape at one stage. The whole family watched them over and over. Ben Elton must be one of the best writers going. To spoof a police station and have such a variety of characters is fantastic. Each episode a comic delight. This show suits just about any age group too.

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    Related interests

    Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, and Matthew Perry in Friends (1994)
    Sitcom
    Will Ferrell in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
    Comedy
    James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Sharon Angela, Max Casella, Dan Grimaldi, Joe Perrino, Donna Pescow, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Tony Sirico, and Michael Drayer in The Sopranos (1999)
    Crime

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The "Have You Seen This Man" poster seen on the wall behind Fowler's desk is a picture of Ben Elton the creator of the series.
    • Quotes

      Detective Inspector Derek Grim: I haven't got time Raymond. If you get in the way I'm responsible. Your cock up - my arse!

    • Connections
      Featured in Comedy Connections: Not the Nine O'Clock News (2005)

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    FAQ18

    • How many seasons does The Thin Blue Line have?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 13, 1995 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Mitt liv som snut
    • Production companies
      • British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
      • Tiger Aspect Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 30m
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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