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The Singing Detective(TV show/series, 1986)

1h 10min per episode | Genre: Drama

Mini series in 1 season with 6 episodes

The Singing DetectiveRating: 3.8/5 (with 17 votes)
The Singing Detective is a BBC television serial drama, written by Dennis Potter, starring Michael Gambon and directed by Jon Amiel. Its six episodes are "Skin", "Heat", "Lovely Days", "Clues", "Pitter Patter" and "Who Done It". The serial was broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC1 in 1986 on Sunday nights from 16 November to 21 December, with later PBS and cable television showings in the United States. It won a Peabody Award in 1989. It ranks 20th on the British Film Institute's list of the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes, as voted by industry professionals in 2000. It was included in the 1992 Dennis Potter retrospective at the Museum of Television & Radio and became a permanent addition to the museum's collections in New York and Los Angeles. There was co-production funding from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. The series was released on DVD in the US on 15 April 2003 and in the UK on 8 March 2004. It is currently being screened in the UK on BBC iPlayer until November 2024. ()
Poster of The Singing Detective

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Awards & Nominations for The Singing Detective

British Academy Television Award for Best Actor Peabody Awards British Academy Television Award for Best Actress British Academy Television Award for Best Actor British Academy Television Award for Best Drama Series

About The Singing Detective

Tormented and bedridden by a debilitating disease, a mystery writer relives his detective stories through his imagination and hallucinations.

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Trailer for The Singing Detective + Featurettes/Teaser/Clips

The Singing Detective - Accentuate the Positive(Clip, 3:24)

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The Singing Detective Seasons and Episodes

11/16/1986Season 1 - 6 episodes
#1 | 11/16/1986Skin
4.5/5 (with 2 votes)
Pulp thriller writer Philip Marlow is in hospital with the skin complaint psoriasis, tormented by his past and threatened by his future. His memories, his 1930s-style gumshoe fiction and his disease weave him an altered reality.
#2 | 11/23/1986Heat
4.0/5 (with 2 votes)
Dennis Potter's drama about a patient struggling to keep his sanity, with the help of his alter ego, the singing private eye. Marlow faces a talking cure with a psychologist.
#3 | 11/30/1986Lovely Days
4.5/5 (with 1 vote)
While in hospital with psoriasis, Marlow thinks back to the war when he was a little boy, and remembers seeing his mother having illicit sex in the Forest of Dean. His memories, his 30s style gumshoe fiction and his disease weave him an altered reality.
#4 | 12/07/1986Clues
Marlow as a child visits London, but is not impressed. A film option on Marlow's novel thickens the plot. His memories, his 30s style gumshoe fiction and his disease weave him an altered reality.
#5 | 12/14/1986Pitter Patter
Marlow is getting better and the different strands of his fiction and reality begin to occupy the same time and place.
#6 | 12/21/1986Who Done It
The young Philip Marlow returns to the country railway station following his mother's death in London. Forty years on, Marlow the hospital patient still dreams about the homecoming and the frightening figure of the scarecrow that now erupts into the ward.
11/14/1986Specials - 4 episodes

Additional Information

Official websites:
Production country: United Kingdom (UK)
Original language: English (EN)
Spoken languages: English (EN)
Translated into 4 languages: German (DE), English (EN), Finnish (FI), Swedish (SV)
Status: Ended
First episode released on: 11/16/1986
Last episode released on: 12/21/1986
Alternative titles in other countries (from previews, ads etc.):
"♪The Singing Detective♫"

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WatchPlayStream ID: SHOWS:2484, Added: 05/11/2018, Last updated: 03/27/2024