Pie in the Sky (TV series)

infobox television
show_name = Pie in the Sky


caption =
format = Comedy/Drama
runtime = 50 Minutes
creator = Andrew Payne
starring = Richard Griffiths
Maggie Steed
Malcolm Sinclair
Nick Raggett
country = United Kingdom
network = BBC-1
first_aired = March, 1994
last_aired = August, 1997
num_episodes = 40

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"Pie in the Sky" was a light-hearted British police drama starring Richard Griffiths and Maggie Steed, created by Andrew Payne and broadcast in five series on BBC1 between 1994 and 1997 as well as being syndicated on other channels in other countries, including the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. The series departs slightly from other police dramas in that the protagonist, Henry Crabbe, while still being an on-duty policeman (much against his will), is also the head chef of the title restaurant set in the fictional town of Middleton and county of Westershire.

Plot

Detective Inspector Henry Crabbe is a long-serving police officer in the fictional county of Westershire. Although very much his own man and an independent thinker, he is not a maverick, nor has he any particular neuroses; indeed, Crabbe is a highly intelligent, gentle and thoughtful man of high moral principle. On the other hand he does have one passion in life – food – and he dreams of retiring from the police to run his own restaurant serving good English fare. However, as the most outstanding detective in his department, his superiors – in particular Assistant Chief Constable Freddie Fisher – are reluctant to allow him to leave.

The first episode ("The Best of Both Worlds") opens with Crabbe, after twenty-five years in the force, just seven weeks away from retirement when he finds himself close to catching high-profile fraudster Dudley Hooperman (played by Michael Kitchen), whom he has been trailing for years. While making his escape (with £3 - 4 million worth of stolen treasury bills) Hooperman shoots Crabbe in the leg, which, although a relatively minor injury, consolidates Crabbe's desire to retire on his police pension and open his own restaurant in the fictional town of Middleton – "Pie in the Sky", technically owned by his wife Margaret, although Henry is the main chef. (Much to Henry's disgust, Margaret has no feeling whatever for food, seeing it as nothing more than fuel, and has a partiality for bars of chocolate and – horror of horrors, in Henry's eyes – prawn cocktail flavour crisps). However, during his "final" case, an investigation into police corruption, he is tricked into appearing to take a bribe. Although Crabbe himself is entirely innocent, the circumstances enable his superior, A.C.C. Fisher, effectively to blackmail Crabbe into continuing to take on occasional cases as required, threatening to re-open the inquiry if Crabbe disagrees. Thus Crabbe has, in Fisher's own words, the best of both worlds – still investigating the cases that Fisher puts his way while at the same time cooking back at "Pie in the Sky".

Between his first love – cooking – and being constantly called back on duty by Fisher, Henry finds that he's not going to fulfil his dream in peace.Prowlers, sudden deaths, retrieving rebellious daughters, missing lovers, psychics and fear of the restaurant critic are all elements Henry has to deal with as well as creating his signature steak and kidney pie - containing oysters and said to be addictive.

Cast

In series 1–4, Crabbe is aided by WPC (later Detective Sergeant) Sophia Cambridge, played by Bella Enahoro. In the final series she is replaced by PC Ed Guthrie (Derren Litten) and WPC Jane Morton (Mary Woodvine, daughter of actor John Woodvine). In the restaurant Crabbe is at first helped by chefs Gary Palmer (Nick Lamont; 20 episodes) and Steve Turner (Joe Duttine; 21 episodes) — both reformed ex-criminals — and John the waiter (Ashley Russell) and Linda the waitress (Alison McKenna). The latter was subsequently replaced by Nicola the waitress (Samantha Janus). After Nicola's departure she is in turn replaced by Sally (Marsha Thomason). Also reappearing throughout is Leon Henderson (Nick Raggett), who supplies the restaurant with fruit and vegetables.

Episodes

1st Series 1994

1. The Best of Both Worlds
2. The Truth Will Out
3. An Innocent Man
4. Once a Copper
5. A Shot in the Dark
6. Undesirable Elements
7. Passion Fruit Fool
8. Matter of Taste
9. Who Only Stand and Wait
10. Endangered Species

2nd Series Winter 1995

1. Hard Cheese
2. Brown Bread
3. The Policeman's Daughter
4. The One That Got Away
5. Dead Right
6. Black Pudding
7. Swan in His Pride
8. The Mild Bunch
9. The Mystery of Pikey
10. Lemon Twist

3rd Series Winter 1996

1. Money Talks
2. Game Pie
3. Irish Stew
4. Doggett's Coat and Badge
5. This Other Eden
6. Coddled Eggs

4th Series Autumn 1996

1. Devils on Horseback (1)
2. Devils on Horseback (2)
3. Chinese Whispers
4. New Leaf
5. Breaking Bread
6. Gary's Cake

5th Series 1997

1. Squashed Tomatoes
2. Ugly Customers
3. Pork Pies
4. Cutting the Mustard
5. Return Match
6. The Apprentice
7. In the Smoke
8. Smelling of Roses

Trivia

The exterior of the restaurant, Pie in the Sky, was filmed in the High Street of the Old Town in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire. Originally a florist and then a toy shop, the building became a minor tourist attraction while the series ran, and eventually became a restaurant in reality (also named Pie in the Sky) to capitalise on the programme's popularity.

One of Henry's heroes, the (fictional) food writer Hilary Smallwood (the other being Alexis Soyer), is modelled on Elizabeth David.

External links

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