A well acted series but spoiled by the fact that a number of the episodes were not taken from Reginald Hill's brilliantly written books but created by the Tristams of the BBC. Why oh why try to reinvent the wheel.

Dalziel and Pascoe is a popular British television crime drama based on the Dalziel and Pascoe books by Reginald Hill, which was first broadcast in March 1996. It is set in Yorkshire in England, about two detectives. The series differs from the books in many ways, and cut out some of the science-fiction elements from the books. It is produced by BBC Birmingham. It's success has allowed it to run for eleven seasons so far.

In the tradition of apparently mismatched detective duos, the characters are divided by attitude, class and generation.

Andrew "Andy" Dalziel is a fat Detective Superintendent, who likes to get the job done. He is a hard-talking, politically incorrect person, who is known to wind up suspects (and his colleagues) and crack jokes at what others would consider inappropriate moments. Dalziel prefers the old school way of policing, which goes against everything Peter Pascoe is about, although he is a progressive in other ways. In recent episodes Dalziel has had to face up to his unhealthy lifestyle, when he suffers severe health lapses.

Peter Pascoe is somewhat the polar opposite of his partner Dalziel. He is polite and professional, a university-educated Detective Inspector. In the fifth TV series Pascoe separated from his wife Ellie, with whom he has a daughter. The split came about because of his dedication to his job, rather than to his family. He faced the prospect of his wife and daughter going to live in the United States.

The Dalziel and Pascoe mysteries' greatest strength is the relationship between one of television's most interesting odd couples. One would expect the bombastic Dalziel to take an instant dislike to the young, educated, sophisticated and smart Pascoe, but exactly the opposite happens. It is the unexpected nature of this relationship and unexpected nuances of both characters that keep this series interesting.

This series succeeds in keeping the viewer guessing about the motivations of not only the suspects, but of the lead detectives as well. Pascoe's girlfriend, later wife, may not be my choice for the detective, but the character adds a real dimension to the show and is not there merely to support the lead actors.

All in all, an outstanding series, especially considering that I did not care for Reginald Hill's books. My only disappointment is that there are only three episodes in this series.

this is an excellent dvd, i have only recently got into reginald hill and therefore it was a pleasure to watch this series, the casting is excellent, and exactly what you would expect from the book , warren clarke was born to be dalziel the wit and intreague is of the highest order, well worth purchasing