Season 3 • Episode 7
LatestJimmy Nail plays tough cop Spender, forced to return to his native Newcastle after a failed undercover operation in London. He uses tough and unconventional methods to tackle the criminal underworld, but he must also deal with the friends, enemies and family he left behind, and never expected to return to. Sammy Johnson played Spender's sidekick Stick, while Denise Welch played Spender's wife.
Acting
Jimmy Nail's wounded swagger — never showy, always felt.
Writing
La Frenais's ear for Geordie dialogue and emotional understatement.
Production
Newcastle as character — grey, proud, unglamorous.
Creators
Jimmy Nail, Ian La Frenais
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Jimmy Nail co-created the series after being frustrated by typecasting — Spender was his vehicle to prove dramatic range.
Part of a 1990s wave of 'regional' British crime drama that rejected London-centrism — think Cracker, Prime Suspect: The Lost Child, but with working-class specificity.
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