Barlow at Large

Barlow at Large marked a bold and ambitious shift for one of British television’s most enduring and complex police characters. Having first appeared in Z Cars, Stratford Johns’ portrayal of the gruff yet deeply human Detective Chief Inspector Charlie Barlow had already won widespread admiration. With his short temper, occasional whisky-soaked nights, and blunt disdain for bureaucracy, Barlow was far from a model officer – which, of course, made him so compelling. His transition from Z Cars through Softly, Softly and Softly, Softly: Task Force was not only seamless but a testament to the strength of character development in British police drama of the era.

Barlow at Large saw the irascible detective leave behind his familiar CID surroundings in Thamesford to work as a roving investigator for the Home Office, tackling complex and often politically sensitive cases across the country. It was a promising concept – a veteran officer applying his hard-won experience to high-stakes inquiries, away from the grind of the local force. However, despite its potential, the series never quite recaptured the spark of earlier outings.

Part of the problem lay in the loss of Barlow’s long-time foil, Detective Chief Superintendent John Watt (played by Frank Windsor). The Barlow-Watt dynamic had been the backbone of the franchise, their often testy but mutually respectful relationship providing not just dramatic weight, but a welcome touch of humour and humanity. Without Watt, Barlow at Large sometimes felt adrift – the replacement characters, including Neil Stacy’s urbane civil servant A.G. Fenton and various junior officers, lacked the chemistry that had anchored previous series.

The decision to make the series more modern and action-driven – with updated title sequences and theme music – felt like a concession to changing audience tastes in the 1970s, but it didn’t quite suit the slower-burning, character-driven style that had always defined Barlow. While Johns remained magnetic in the title role, the move to focus solely on him occasionally left the drama feeling one-dimensional.

That said, Barlow at Large wasn’t without its merits. The production values were solid, and some storylines – particularly the initial three-parter set in Wales – offered a welcome change of pace and setting. The subsequent spin-offs, such as Jack the Ripper and Second Verdict, tried to merge historical investigation with drama, though the results were mixed at best. These hybrid documentary-dramas never quite satisfied either audience, and the format quickly wore thin.

Ultimately, Barlow at Large was a brave attempt to evolve a beloved character, but one that never fully escaped the shadow of its predecessors. It served more as a coda to Barlow’s television career than a fresh chapter. Still, for all its shortcomings, it stood as a testament to the lasting power of Stratford Johns’ performance – a character who began life shouting at junior officers in Z Cars, and ended it trying to solve the mysteries of history. Not many fictional detectives can claim such a range.

^{Review: Laurence Marcus}