'New Tricks' stars criticise show's writers

The stars of long-running BBC1 detective drama 'New Tricks' have criticised the writers of the TV drama – for making it “bland”.

Amanda Redman, Alun Armstrong and Dennis Waterman, who play police who have been brought out of retirement to investigate unsolved crimes, have just finished filming the ninth series of the show.

But Redman, 55, told the Radio Times: “It’s more bland now. The characters are not being as anarchic as they used to be, which I think is a huge shame.”

Armstrong, 66, told the magazine: “My character has got saner. Which I’m not too enamoured with.”

He joked: “It’s about time Amanda’s character got her leg over,” and added: “I don’t know. Maybe the writers have become more concerned with the investigation.”

Waterman, 64, added: “I don’t think it has become just another police procedural, but there was a danger.

“It’s partly because of dealing with cold cases. We’re always talking about history and some writers – not all of them – can go on and on about that, repeating themselves.

“You have to remind yourself that people aren’t as stupid as writers think. But that’s the way things are going in the industry.

“Basically,” he said, referring to the success of Danish TV dramas such as The Killing and Borgen, “we all want to move to Copenhagen to get to do some really extraordinary television.”

Armstrong said of the drama’s directors: “We have never tolerated anybody - and we’ve had the odd one – who will come on to the set and say: ’You will do this’ or ’You won’t say that’.

“They get short shrift or there’s an almighty battle until they’re forced to collaborate.”