It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

Instant Favorite.

A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

The first must-see film of the year.

As with many of the contributors, I'm old enough to remember the age in which Pc George Dixon was set. And I can attest to encountering several rozzers just like him. He was the sort of bloke that made other kids - usually working-class kids - want to join the force when they grew up. Because despite the programme's age, and despite the fact that he represented the establishment through the law; he himself was working-class through and through.A staid and stable geezer with no particular ambition than to sign-off each day, comfortable in the knowledge that he had done his duty and that his little patch of the world was better for it. To coin a line from a popular hymn; 'the trivial round, the common task; should furnish all we ought to ask'.He didn't wield the law like a big stick. He wasn't concerned with crime clear-up statistics or political correctness. He didn't need a companion or a radio. He persuaded and cajoled miscreants, only taking them 'in charge' as a last resort, as that would lead to a criminal record. His was the familiar and trustworthy face of the law.The real charm of this programme was both the simple decency of the man portrayed, and the glamourless, un-sensational presentation of life on the force. How things have changed.Jack Warner made this part his own. Absolutely nobody could have done it better.A few years later came an almost equally plausible copper in slightly more dramatic situations. This was Commander Gideon of 'Gideon's Way'. Another thoroughly nice salt-of-the earth persona was offered by wonderful George Gregson. This program is still available on VHS/DVD and is highly recommended as an alternative piece of nostalgia.

This was British TV's original police series. I'm not old enough to remember the early days of this show, but I grew up with it in the sixties and seventies. At the time, Dixon of Dock Green already seemed old fashioned compared with Z-cars or US shows like Ironside. It was a cozy and faintly sentimental representation of policing. Despite this, it retained a certain authenticity that other shows lacked. The police officers that I had met had more in common with Dixon than any other TV character. Jack Warner's perennial character George Dixon oozed calm authority and respectable self-assurance. Each programme was introduced by the whistled theme tune after which George Dixon would always begin a spoken introduction direct to camera with the words "Evening all". He would make dry observations about "villains" and the frailties of human nature. The episode's drama would then be played out. By the seventies Dixon himself rarely played a huge part in the story; he was pretty old. The programme would end with Dixon again; this time proposing a moral for the story. He invariably signed off with the words "'Night all". They don't make shows like this any more. Pity.

PC George Dixon died just 21 minutes into the film _The Blue Lamp (1950)_ (qv). When filler was needed after a season of _"Fabian of the Yard" (1954)_ (qv) ended 'Ted Willis' (qv) wrote six scripts with PC Dixon back in Dock Green. The series was steady, authentic, and even down to checking that: a) The helmet is kept on when entering a house, but b) is, out of courtesy, when addressing elderly ladies, and c) is removed and held neatly under the right arm when addressing a bishop. [not sure how many bishops where in the programme though] At a time when New York City would see more murders inn a week than Great Britain would in a year it is not surprising that Dock Green was a series of low-level crimes. A gentle series which meant George Dixon's promotion to sergeant in 1964 was a big change , caused in part by 'Jack Warner' (qv)'s arthritis and by his age . (70-year-old coppers don't walk the beat). This allowed the younger characters to come to the fore, although the violent crime rate was never increased just to keep ratings share. Jack's age and arthritis meant his character rarely left the station, and in the final seasons, rarely came from behind his desk. In 1976 the newer, more violent, cop shows won, and Dock Green Station finally closed its doors. Still, 21 minutes to 21 years isn't bad. Evenin' all

"Evening All." Dixon of Dock Green-which ran for 21 years and about 429 episodes-was a fine show about a salt of the earth copper called P.C. George Dixon who was played by Jack Warner. He looked far to old to be a police officer but that didn't matter to me.I believe this is the longest running British police show ever (although that record may be beaten by The Bill in a few years time). It was entertaining stuff and I wish someone would release it onto DVD.Watching the show now, you may think Dixon is an old fashioned relic but back when this show was broadcast, that is the way coppers were. The police has evolved since then but I will always have a place in my heart for P.C. Dixon.P.C. Dixon was a good copper-he was honest, he was firm but fair when doing his job and he was a friendly local bobby. The stories were extremely interesting as was the dialogue. And the ending of the episodes were good as Dixon stood beneath the police stations lamp giving his thoughts for the day before walking off and whistling.Eventually, Dixon was promoted to Desk Sergeant and the younger officers did the legwork but the stories were still top-notch.This is probably the best representation of the police force in TV history and I urge anyone to try and get their hands on any of the episodes. It really was good.