Redcap

Redcap marked John Thaw’s first starring role, and from the outset, it was clear he was a talent to watch. Cast as Sergeant John Mann of the Special Investigation Branch of the Royal Military Police – colloquially known as 'Redcaps' – Thaw brought a commanding presence to the screen. He was spotted by producers after a guest appearance in The Avengers, and his promotion to lead was well deserved.

The series, which ran for two seasons in the mid-1960s, followed Mann’s no-nonsense investigations into crimes committed by British military personnel stationed abroad. From Cyprus to Borneo, Germany to Malaysia, the show tackled cases ranging from murder and rape to desertion, all with a realistic and often hard-edged tone.

Much of the show’s strength lay in its writing, with scripts from Troy Kennedy Martin (Z Cars, The Sweeney) and Julian Bond (The Saint, Ruth Rendell Mysteries). Their work grounded the drama in a sharp, intelligent realism that set the tone for future British police procedurals.

Thaw’s portrayal of Mann – tough, driven, and unsentimental – provided an early blueprint for the kind of characters he would later make iconic, most notably Jack Regan in The Sweeney. The series was a clear forerunner to the grittier police dramas that would dominate British screens in the following decades.

Although a 2001 remake featured a female lead, it lacked the raw intensity of the original. Of the original episodes, all but three survive and have previously been made available on DVD, offering a valuable glimpse into a key stage of British television drama – and the early career of one of its finest actors.