Name: Rockliffe's Babies
Genre: Crime, Drama
Released: 1987-01-09
Rating: 2.9

Overview

Rockliffe's Babies is a British television police procedural devised by Richard O'Keefe, and starring Ian Hogg as maverick Detective Sergeant Alan Rockliffe, who is assigned to train seven young recruits to the CID, all fresh out of uniform. Under his irascible guidance, it is hoped that they will blossom into full-blown detectives. But Rockliffe is human – so human that he makes more mistakes than the 'Babies' he's supposed to be training. A follow-up series, Rockliffe's Folly, follows Rockliffe through his relocation to Wessex, dealing with rural crimes as part of a new team of investigators. The seven episode third series proved to be the last, with many citing a change in the programme's formula for the heavy ratings decline. Many viewers stated that the success of the two Babies series came not from Rockliffe himself, but from the popular ensemble cast.

Seasons

Series 1

8 Episodes

1987

E01

Sirens

1/9/1987·50m

A hooded prowler, an armed robbery, a mugging on the notorious Dragon Estate - it's a busy week for the young PCs. But O'Dowd is in dead trouble. Will the oil-rich Sonia Souhami come to his rescue?

E02

Sweet and Sour Revenge

1/16/1987·50m

A murder has been committed and Rockliffe has been given the name of a suspect. The name revives old and bitter memories. But is it fifteen years too late to do any good?

E03

It's All Happening

1/23/1987·50m

Rockliffe complains about the work load. There are drug dealers, rapists, muggers, murderers, thieves and con-men around. What can turn up next? Joseph Maxwell, that's what.

E04

A Bad Few Days

1/30/1987·50m

""This bloke's son is thirteen, has an assessed age of six, goes eleven stone on the scales and is a friend to every stranger he meets. What do you want me to do? Let him find his own way home in the cause of race relations?""

E05

In the Bag

2/6/1987·50m

Why has the habitually lazy Paul Georgiou activated himself and acquired an informant?

E06

Ghetto-Blasters

2/13/1987·50m

There's a tense situation in the black community. A man has died in police custody as a result of using a deadly drug. Rockliffe and Flight think they know who the dealer is, but if they act will there be worse trouble?

E07

Up the Down Escalator

2/20/1987·50m

What arises for Rockliffe and the crime squad as a result of hunger pains?

E08

Extra-curricular

2/27/1987·50m

Rockliffe is surprised to learn that some members of his squad find him unapproachable. Doesn't he always come to their aid when they need him? And that's just what he has to do when Adams goes out on a limb.

Series 2

10 Episodes

1988

E01

Go for It

1/8/1988·50m

It's Dorset wedding bells for Keith Chitty and best man Gerry O'Dowd decides to enter into the swing of things. Gerry's taking no chances and neither is Sgt. Rockliffe. When their paths cross back in town they both get more than they bargained for.

E02

A Trip to the Zoo

1/15/1988·50m

Members of Rockliffe's crime squad make hasty character assessments. Wayne is an animal, Chris is a charmer. Both judgments have to be revised on closer inspection.

E03

In Too Deep

1/22/1988·50m

Why are the officers of Church Street police station tuning in to a local radio station? And why does Rockliffe allow himself to be involved in a situation which causes so much disapproval from on high?

E04

Looking After Your Own

1/29/1988·50m

It is not a crime to photograph police activity, but when it happens during an investigation into serious assaults on women Sgt. Rockliffe is suspicious. What he discovers puts him into the most disagreeable situation of his career.

E05

Easy Meat

2/12/1988·50m

Rockliffe's team is in hospital. They are watching for someone who is frightening the nurses. But when a nurse is hurt in their full view, they realise they have a different and more urgent situation on their hands.

E06

A Very Diplomatic Incident

2/19/1988·50m

It is a night of routine surveillance for the Crime Squad. All is quiet, but not for long. Sgt. Rockliffe and his team soon find themselves in areas of enquiry that are foreign to them and where there are choices to be made between public justice and private revenge.

E07

Top Man

2/26/1988·50m

Acting on information received seems more important to Rockliffe than taking notice of a memo from the Chief Superintendent. Embarrassment results. Except for Georgiou, who volunteers for a very risky adventure.

E08

Black Arrow

3/4/1988·50m

The two married members of Rockliffe's team have a dinner engagement, but the demands of duty put paid to their plans. An entirely different night out on the town is arranged for them - spiced with an element of risk.

E09

Hearts and Flowers

3/11/1988·50m

Rockliffe thinks WPC Walsh is too preoccupied with the problems of a homeless family. But he is not entirely impartial himself when it comes to associating with an attractive titled woman who seems to be unattached.

E10

The One That Got Away

3/18/1988·50m

Before Rockliffe and his team can start to look for three villains who got away they must find out who they were. It's a challenge that exercises all their ingenuity and certain members of the team have other things on their minds: three of them have selection boards for the Detective Training School.