The
lowdown: 'Van der Valk' is a British crime series set in Amsterdam
and starring Barry Foster as Commisaris
Piet van der Valk. A total
of 32 episodes spanning five seasons were broadcast on ITV between 13 September
1972
and 19 February 1992, with
the last two seasons comprising two-hour episodes rather than 60 minutes.
The series
was based on the novels
by Nicolas Freeling, although the plots differed markedly from the books.
Van der Valk's
investigations usually involved
murder, corruption, political intrigue - the sort of crimes that were typical
of British
police dramas in the 1970s,
except this time it was set in Amsterdam (but largely with English actors,
and of course
everybody spoke English).
It also has the distinction of being one of the few TV shows where the
full title is not
displayed on the screen
at once. Unusual, but very effective.
The
episode: 'Accidental' is the second episode of the third season,
and was first broadcast on 12 September 1977.
Van der Valk investigates
the sudden disappearance of Kees Rokin, the chief public prosecutor in
the Amsterdam
district court. Rokin is
scheduled to take on a case that has major political implications, and
van der Valk is ordered
to find him at all costs.
The investigation leads van der Valk firstly to Rokin's wife and then the
local priest, Father
Bosch (Patrick Troughton),
who knows the Rokins well. Van der Valk learns from the priest that the
Rokins' marriage
has been strained since
the death of their child, and they now live separate lives. Van der Valk
eventually finds Rokin
alive and well, and in hiding
with his mistress, having decided that he needed to get away from his wife.
'Doctor Who'
fans should note that Kees
Rokin is played by William Russell, who played Ian Chesterton during the
Hartnell era.
The
verdict: 'Van der Valk' is a good example of well-written British
police procedurals from the 1970s, and Foster is
very likeable in the title
role. It has not dated as much as some shows of its era, and the plots
are character-driven
with more emphasis on using
brains to solve cases rather than the phyical action of shows like 'The
Sweeney'. Indeed,
'van der Valk' has often
been compared to the long-running US series 'Columbo'. 'Van der Valk' is
well worth watching
if you enjoy 1970s British
crime dramas. And if you only vaguely remember seeing the show years ago,
you will almost
certainly remember the theme
music, 'Eye Level', which must rank of one of the best TV theme tunes of
all time.
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