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The Chinese Detective - Series 1 And 2 - Complete [DVD] [1981]
 
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The Chinese Detective - Series 1 And 2 - Complete [DVD] [1981]

DVD ~ David Yip
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
RRP: £39.99
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Frequently Bought Together

The Chinese Detective - Series 1 And 2 - Complete [DVD] [1981] + Edge Of Darkness - The Complete Series [1985] [DVD] + State Of Play : Complete BBC Series 1 [2003] [DVD]
Total RRP: £75.97
Price For All Three: £25.94

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Product details

  • Actors: David Yip, Derek Martin, Arthur Kelly
  • Directors: Ian Toynton
  • Format: PAL
  • Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Number of discs: 4
  • Classification: 12
  • Studio: 2 Entertain Video
  • DVD Release Date: 14 April 2008
  • Run Time: 700 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B0015083NA
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 12,314 in DVD (See Bestsellers in DVD)

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Reviews

DVD Description

The Chinese Detective (BBC, 1981-82) provided the first lead role for a Chinese actor on British television. Written by Ian Kennedy Martin, creator of The Sweeney (ITV, 1975-78), the series remains the only British television drama to feature a Chinese lead.

Chinese British Detective Sergeant John Ho solves cases in the East End of London. Ho fits the pattern of the maverick detective, prepared to use unorthodox methods to solve his cases, which emerged in series like Z Cars and The Sweeney.

British-born Chinese actor David Yip plays Ho and instead of the barely intelligible English typically spoken by Chinese actors in British drama, Yip's accent has a strong Cockney influence.

The series was influenced by the internationally successful Charlie Chan detective films of the 1930s and '40s, but in line with industry attitudes of the time, that particular Chinese detective was invariably played by a white actor in 'yellow-face'.

Both series 1 and 2 feature on this DVD.



Synopsis

Influenced by the phenomenally-successful Charlie Chan films of the 30s, The Chinese Detective follows Detective Sergeant John Ho - a Cockney law enforcer of Chinese descent and the way in which he employs unorthodox methods to solve his cases.

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Customer Reviews

5 Reviews
5 star:
 (1)
4 star:
 (3)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:    (0)
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Average Customer Review
4.0 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars 80s police procedural with an oriental twist, 11 April 2008
By C. O'Brien (Scotland, UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)      
Finding a different gimmick for a detective series is always a tricky one - especially given that every TV sleuth from E. Morse to Gene Hunt is a maverick misfit who gets results. So making the outsider stand out can often be quite a challenge.

To their credit, the makers of early 80s police procedural The Chinese Detective didn't make their hero Det Sgt John Ho a kung fu fightin' action hero. Instead, he's a rather shy cockney boy, too clever for his own good. Troubled with Hamlet-style guilt after failing to protect his old dad from being fitted up by a corrupt copper, he's determined to follow his own star despite racist prejudice from his superiors.

The idea ran to 2 series and 14 episodes, and was really most notable for being the only prime-time TV to feature London's Chinese community in a positive light. These days, it looks a bit of a period-piece, owing much to artsy gangster flicks like 1971's Get Carter. It looks back to a grey 1970s London rather than anticipating the blowsy, aspirational 80s glamour recently showcased in nostalgic series like Ashes To Ashes.

The acting is patchy - Yip can seem stilted, but grows into his odd characterisation more comfortably as the series progresses - but there is strong support from a range of solid British character actors including Ian Hendry, Michael Melia and George "Inspector Wexford" Baker. The script - usually written by Ian Kennedy Martin, creator of The Sweeney - is uniformly strong.

If you have a case of nostalgia or just want to enjoy an interestingly offbeat TV drama, give The Chinese Detective a go.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars available on DVD at last, 2 May 2009
Reading the reviews already written, I wonder whether the people responsible have actually watched the "Chinese Detective". Ho doesn't have anything like a cockney accent at all, it definitely has its origins on Merseyside. Anyway, I've been trying to get these series on DVD for Years. A brilliantly written, acted and filmed production which, although has dated slightly, mainly because the areas it was filmed in have changed beyond recognition in the intervening years, is still eminently watchable. The Derelict East End doockside warehouses and surrounding area where it was largely filmed are now plush housing and office developments. In this sense it's a great historical document. Altogether, one of my all time favourite TV programmes.
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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Police Drama, 21 Jul 2008
By A. Wicks - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
The Chinese Detective was a unique police drama. David Yip gave a wonderful performance as a British born Chinese detective sergeant in the police, facing prejudice from both his colleagues and the community. The scene in which he confronts the man who wrongly put his father in jail was very moving, and one that will linger in the viewer's memory. The performance given by Derek Martin as the despairing DCI Berwick who is stuck with DS John Ho, was equally as believable and engaging. This was a great series that was a positive portrayal of the chinese community (which seems to have almost been forgotten by the media), and it is a shame that there was never a follow-up to what was an interesting idea.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific Detective Series: DVD Release Worth Waiting For!
I first saw this detective series when it was originally broadcast in the early 1980s, when I was a student at Oxford. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Richard London (Thriller Fan)

3.0 out of 5 stars THE MAVERICK DETECTIVE WHO GETS RESULTS.
This series dating all the way back to 1981 follows maverick detective John Ho. He is hated by his bosses but despite this he tracks the villians and catches them. Read more
Published 16 months ago by NEO

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