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Launched in July 1955, “Dixon of Dock Green” was, by the first quarter of 1961, the second most popular pogramme in the BBC schedules and would endure for 21 years. At its peak in the 60’s, it comandeered the vital 6.30 pm saturday slot attaining average weekly viewing figures of 13.85 million. The whole concept of peak time scheduling owes much to the law enforcement work of George Dixon.

As portrayed by the stalwart actor, Jack Warner, the success of the series prompted The Queen to inform its star that he had become, an integral part of the British way of life.

Dixon was the friendly, local bobby with a kind word for everyone. He started off as a constable but on September 19, 1964, was promoted to Sergeant at the ripe old age of 63. Although the actor grew past the age of where he was able to pound the beat, he circumvented the Met’s retirement rules by continuing to work behind the desk at Dock Green, thus allowing the CID, headed by his son-in-law Andy Crawford, to take the lion’s share share of the action.

In time, the programme would be seen as anachronistic, and largely out of step with modern times as grittier series like “Z Cars.” “Softly Softly,” “The Sweeney” and “The Bill” came to the fore. Nevertheless, for those viewers of a certain age, “Dixon of Dock Green” holds the warmest of televisual memories; an evocation of an era where walking into a local constabulary was not something to be feared.

The Dixon archive is appaulingly meagre, with only a handful of episodes from the 50’s and 60’s surviving. The 70’s colour archive is more complete.

Aficionados of the genre are advised to seek out Susan Sydney-Smith’s scholarly work “Beyond Dixon of Dock Green – Early British Police Series” (Tauris Publishing 2002.)

https://briansteel.wordpress.com/2008/06/14/julia-owen-and-bee-stings-in-bromley/