Depiction of the police in comedy

[Autopsy Turvey]

There was a bit of back-and-forth in the 'right wing comedians' thread about how police are depicted in comedy, and what these say about the political ideology of the creators. Could broaden that out to funniest policemen in comedy. For me it's Will Hay in Ask A Policeman, Arthur Mullard in The Crown Vs James, S - arguably the dimmest-witted copper of them all - and Robert Gillespie's wearily sarcastic sergeant in several episodes of Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads?. Not sure what his depiction says about the politics of Clement and Le Frenais, but it's a superb performance, without the traditional comedy copper clichés.

Any other great comedy fuzz, with or without political inferences?

[dead-ced-dead]

I suppose the biggest one in recent years, at least as far as a younger generation is concerned, would be Brooklyn 99, which is mostly successful.

It, like the plethora of cop shows on American television (9-1-1, The Rookie etc.) has had the uncomfortable task of tackling police brutality and BLM in a way that doesn't seem like lip service or "not all cops" way. It's more successful as a comedy than as a chin stroker, but it at least seems sincere in its attempts to ask questions, even if it's occasionally clumsy.

[Harry Badger]

It's not a comedy film but Donald Pleasence's turn in the cult horror Deathline was always a favourite of mine. He's clearly having a ball in what cannot have been a well-paid role and wrings every bit of quirkiness and sarcasm out of the character.

Here he is shitfaced in a scene with very little relevance to the plot: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_3Jrt35MHA

[Phoenix Lazarus]

Do you remember that old trop of the bobby on the beat bending his legs akimbo then straightening them while keeping  his hands behind his back?

[studpuppet]

Constable Savage on NTNOCN, and the treatment of any police characters (Neil's "Open up, it's the Pigs!", and Jim Barclay's racist copper with the sunglasses come to mind) in The Young Ones were my first exposure to the idea that the police weren't anything other than fundamentally a Force For Good in the world.

[Brundle-Fly]

I vaguely remember enjoying Roy Clarke's Rosie (1977-81) as a kid (I don't recall its predecessor The Growing Pains of PC Penrose (1975)) mainly because I warmed to the actor Tony 'Kinvig'(1981) Haygarth. The comedy by today's standards is probably more gentle than Willard Wigan's fingers. It ran for four series. Paul Greenwood was the titular lead and is one of those actors who was quite famous for awhile, all but forgotten now.

[studpuppet]

Actually, there are also a fair few in the Comic Strip Presents... films:

- the Blyton-esque coppers in the Five Go Mad films
- Peter Richardson's tactical response force that machine gun Fanny's Mini in Geno (a direct reference to the Stephen Waldorf shooting)
- the stakeout coppers in Dirty Movie
- I suppose the Bullshitters qualify in their own right
- Benjamin Zephaniah's role as an unwitting police recruit ("Babylon business fi tru'?!) in Didn't You Kill My Brother?, along with Mr Chipstick of the Yard and the Community Police disco (with a line of coppers wearing sunglasses, swaying along to 'Free Nelson Mandela')
- Half the cast of The Supergrass, with an honourable mention for Robbie Coltrane's Det. Sgt. Troy

[Endicott]

Slater in Only Fools and Horses. Hardly a positive portrayal.

[There Be Rumblings]

'Your cock-up - my arse'

The Thin Blue Line was very patchy, but that was a great line delivered brilliantly by David Haig.

[famethrowa]

Going all the way back to the 1800s, where we had the Pirates of Penzance, and the Gendarmes Song (we run them in, etc) which both nicely portrayed the coppers as thick, workshy cowards, even back in those days.

[The Mollusk]

Louis CK on Parks and Rec played a wonderful turn as the kind hearted and considerate cop who was nice and respectful to women.

[Sebastian Cobb]

Him who gets the shadwell town tattoo on his arse in I.D.

[Endicott]

Going all the way back to the 1800s, where we had the Pirates of Penzance, and the Gendarmes Song (we run them in, etc) which both nicely portrayed the coppers as thick, workshy cowards, even back in those days.

Could also add, Dogberry in Much Ado About Nothing.

[Shaxberd]

The Keystone Cops must be one of the oldest comedic portrayals of police in a moving format and they still get referenced today. Not overtly political but there's a bit of inherent nose-thumbing at authority in showing police as a chaotic mob of pratfalling ninnies.

And while we're on the subject of vaudeville coppers, I never cared for that Laughing Policeman song. He's described as a happy and lovable fellow in the lyrics, but the laughter itself... Mirthless. Maniacal. Chilling.

[Catalogue of ills]

Actually, there are also a fair few in the Comic Strip Presents... films:

- the Blyton-esque coppers in the Five Go Mad films
- Peter Richardson's tactical response force that machine gun Fanny's Mini in Geno (a direct reference to the Stephen Waldorf shooting)
- the stakeout coppers in Dirty Movie
- I suppose the Bullshitters qualify in their own right
- Benjamin Zephaniah's role as an unwitting police recruit ("Babylon business fi tru'?!) in Didn't You Kill My Brother?, along with Mr Chipstick of the Yard and the Community Police disco (with a line of coppers wearing sunglasses, swaying along to 'Free Nelson Mandela')
- Half the cast of The Supergrass, with an honourable mention for Robbie Coltrane's Det. Sgt. Troy

Is it The Supergrass where Alexei Sayle is the traffic cop going "in this country we drive on this side of the road, whereas you, Monsieur Dennis, were driving on this side of the road", while hopping from one side of the road to the other? That was great.

[Brundle-Fly]

And while we're on the subject of vaudeville coppers, I never cared for that Laughing Policeman song. He's described as a happy and lovable fellow in the lyrics, but the laughter itself... Mirthless. Maniacal. Chilling.

He was laughing in rhythm though, you have to give him that.

[Bigfella]

'Your cock-up - my arse'

The Thin Blue Line was very patchy, but that was a great line delivered brilliantly by David Haig.

Yeah, bit of a letdown at first because it starred Rowan Atkinson, not reaching the heights of Blackadder/Mr Bean.  Still worth the effort, some charming moments.  'Still fannying around, Raymond?' Tuckshop disturbances etc!

[Pink Gregory]

Do you remember that old trop of the bobby on the beat bending his legs akimbo then straightening them while keeping  his hands behind his back?

70% of confessions obtained via the simple psychological command "What's all this then?"

[Icehaven]

I suppose the biggest one in recent years, at least as far as a younger generation is concerned, would be Brooklyn 99, which is mostly successful.

Recently axed partly, apparently, as depicting the police as the loveable scamps you're rooting for doesn't exactly play well anymore. But it was on it's 8th series too so it's probably that as well, they were running out of Die Hard references anyway.

[Martin Van Buren Stan]

Recently axed partly, apparently, as depicting the police as the loveable scamps you're rooting for doesn't exactly play well anymore.

That's so bizarre. From the few episodes I've been subjected to it's obviously an over the top comedy and I can't imagine anyone seeing it as anything else. It's hardly gritty realism.

Speaking of which, I know The Wire isn't comedy but there's lots of comedic moments involving cops in it. Eg the bit where Jimmy spends a whole night working to fuck over his former boss by proving the dead body of the sex worker was found in their waters. Really morbid and offensive but that's the kind of gallows humour rife among cops. Ditto the pranks Bunk and co play on Kima when she's investigating her first murder.

[Sebastian Cobb]

That's so bizarre. From the few episodes I've been subjected to it's obviously an over the top comedy and I can't imagine anyone seeing it as anything else. It's hardly gritty realism.

Speaking of which, I know The Wire isn't comedy but there's lots of comedic moments involving cops in it. Eg the bit where Jimmy spends a whole night working to fuck over his former boss by proving the dead body of the sex worker was found in their waters. Really morbid and offensive but that's the kind of gallows humour rife among cops. Ditto the pranks Bunk and co play on Kima when she's investigating her first murder.

Hitchcock and Scully from Brooklyn 99 seem like they were basically a more on the nose version of Polk and Mahone, who were almost certainly supposed to sound like póg mo thóin.

[dead-ced-dead]

Recently axed partly, apparently, as depicting the police as the loveable scamps you're rooting for doesn't exactly play well anymore. But it was on it's 8th series too so it's probably that as well, they were running out of Die Hard references anyway.

I would imagine it's more to do with it being on its 8th season than anything, but I could be wrong. I know they tried to do a bit of a course correction down the line, but any course correction on a show starring cops could be seen as "not all cops".

[Tony Tony Tony]

Always found the depiction of the Fat Sweaty Coppers in the Fast Show was vicious even if accurate. Coppers Though they do bring to mind an Aussie show called Bluey featuring a detective of prodigious proportions.

Also quite enjoyed the Jasper Carrot\Robert Powell series the Detectives that IIRC was grown out of sketches on Canned Carrot. They were depicted as bumbling incompetent idiots and I recall finding it v funny as a kid.

I suppose the ultimate idiot copper is Inspector Clouseau who as was as being an idiot is doubly funny because of the genius of Peter Sellers .... But deffo not the Steve Martin version.

[The Crumb]

This thread reminded me of the 'favourite crime' conversation between the two coppers in 15 Storeys High, so that's nice.

[A Hat Like That]

Dutch policemen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSZLGAuJTLQ

[Bad Ambassador]

The last season of B99 starts on E4 tonight, and I get the impression that it leans hard into dealing with the problematic aspects of the police. I think the cancellation has more to do with the long gap since the previous season due to the pandemic, falling ratings and having an increasingly expensive cast.

[Sebastian Cobb]

Phil and Nige in early doors were a mixture of ineffectual and bent but mostly in a pretty harmless way (helping themselves to some stuff from dixons after it had been ram raided, nipping into the pub lock-in's, nicking a bit of hash for themselves etc).

Quite cartoonish though.

[Brundle-Fly]

Always found the depiction of the Fat Sweaty Coppers in the Fast Show was vicious even if accurate. Coppers Though they do bring to mind an Aussie show called Bluey featuring a detective of prodigious proportions.
 

It's seemed like it was a piss take of the alcoholic actor, Kevin Lloyd who played DC Tosh Lines from The Bill.

[Alternative Carpark]

Also quite enjoyed the Jasper Carrot\Robert Powell series the Detectives that IIRC was grown out of sketches on Canned Carrot. They were depicted as bumbling incompetent idiots and I recall finding it v funny as a kid.

I suppose the ultimate idiot copper is Inspector Clouseau who as was as being an idiot is doubly funny because of the genius of Peter Sellers ....

There was eventually also a sort of link between the two, as Herbert Lom turned up as a guest star in one episode of The Detectives.

[Zetetic]

Vaguely interesting that Hot Fuzz (2007) doesn't really come readily to mind.

(Perhaps because it leans so heavily on easily accessible stereotypes, and their violation for determinedly apolitical ends?)