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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)
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Customers buy this item with Law And Order (BBC, 1978) [DVD] DVD ~ Derek Martin

The Chinese Detective - Series 1 And 2 - Complete [DVD] [1981] + Law And Order (BBC, 1978) [DVD]
Price For Both: £34.75

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  • This item: The Chinese Detective - Series 1 And 2 - Complete [DVD] [1981] DVD ~ David Yip

    In stock.
    Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
    This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions

  • Law And Order (BBC, 1978) [DVD] DVD ~ Derek Martin

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    Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
    This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

The Chinese Detective - Series 1 And 2 - Complete [DVD] [1981]
78% buy the item featured on this page:
The Chinese Detective - Series 1 And 2 - Complete [DVD] [1981] 4.0 out of 5 stars (5)
£27.17
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Law And Order (BBC, 1978) [DVD]
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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: 14,837 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
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Average Customer Review
4.0 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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10 of 12 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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1 of 1 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:
3.0 out of 5 stars THE MAVERICK DETECTIVE WHO GETS RESULTS., 22 Jul 2008
By NEO "Daren" (orpington kent) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   
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. This is the only reason his Boss can't move him to another division as much as he want's to. The plot of both series follows the standard maverick go it alone cop who in this instance is Asian. This was something new in the early 80's on the Tv so caused quite a stir at the time. Others followed such as Spender , Bergerac, 45 degrees North , Shoestring .It's not the best detective show , but it is worth watching even though it's a bit slow paced. It didn't make David Yip a big star 'Shoestring' star Trevor Eve which was a shame.
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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
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4.0 out of 5 stars Police Drama
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... Read more
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