Season 12 • Episode 13
LatestA new security shutter is being installed at the entrance to Newtown station, just in time, it seems, as an angry mob gathers outside. A stream of visitors keeps the desk duty officer busy.
Z-Cars or Z Cars is a British television drama series centred on the work of mobile uniformed police in the fictional town of Newtown, based on Kirkby, Merseyside. Produced by the BBC, it debuted in January 1962 and ran until September 1978.
Writing
Troy Kennedy Martin's social realism changed British TV drama forever.
Acting
Frank Windsor and James Ellis: two faces of weary, wounded authority.
Production
Shot on location in Kirkby — no studio cosiness, just concrete and rain.
Creators
Allan Prior, Troy Kennedy Martin
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Z-Cars revolutionised British TV by rejecting cosy 'Dixon of Dock Green' policing for brutal social realism. It directly inspired The Sweeney, Life on Mars, and every gritty cop show since.
The iconic theme tune by Norrie Paramor became a UK top-40 hit in 1962 — rare for a TV score, and deeply ironic given the show's grim content.
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