View source for Z-Cars

{{short description|British police procedural TV series (1962–1978)}}
{{EngvarB|date=June 2025}}
{{about||the line of cars|Z-car|Q cars|Sleeper (car)}}
{{More citations needed|date=August 2010}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2025}}
{{Infobox television
 | image   = Z cars title.jpg
 | runtime = 25 minutes & 45 minutes
 | creator = [[Troy Kennedy Martin]]<br>[[Allan Prior]]
 | starring = [[James Ellis (actor)|James Ellis]]<br>[[Brian Blessed]]<br>[[Stratford Johns]]<br>[[Frank Windsor]]<br>[[Jeremy Kemp]]<br>[[Joseph Brady (actor)|Joseph Brady]]<br>[[Colin Welland]]
 | language = English
 | country = United Kingdom
 | network = [[BBC One|BBC1]]
 | first_aired = {{start date|1962|1|2|df=y}}
 | last_aired = {{end date|1978|9|20|df=y}}
 | num_series = 12
 | num_episodes = 801 (462 [[Lost television broadcast#Wiping|missing]])
 | list_episodes = List of Z-Cars episodes
 | related =''[[Softly, Softly (TV series)|Softly, Softly]]''<br>''[[Softly, Softly: Task Force]]''<br>''[[Barlow at Large]]''/''[[Barlow (television series)|Barlow]]''<br>''[[Jack the Ripper (1973 TV series)|Jack the Ripper]]''<br>''[[Second Verdict]]''
}}

'''''Z-Cars''''' or '''''Z Cars''''' (pronounced "zed cars") is a [[British television]] [[police procedural]] series centred on the work of mobile uniformed police and [[Criminal Investigation Department|CID]] detectives in the fictional town of Newtown, based on [[Kirkby]], near [[Liverpool]]. Produced by the [[BBC]], it debuted in January 1962 and ran until September 1978.

''Z-Cars'' ran for 801 episodes, of which fewer than half have survived. Regular stars included [[Stratford Johns]] (Detective Inspector Barlow), [[Frank Windsor]] (Det. Sgt. Watt), [[James Ellis (actor)|James Ellis]] (Bert Lynch), and [[Brian Blessed]] ("Fancy" Smith). Barlow and Watt were later spun into a separate series ''[[Softly, Softly (TV series)|Softly, Softly]]''.

==Origin of the title==
{{Unreferenced section|date=September 2024}}
The title comes from the radio call signs allocated by [[Lancashire Constabulary]]. Lancashire police divisions were lettered from north to the south: "A" Division (based in [[Ulverston]]) was the [[Furness|detached part of Lancashire]] at the time around [[Barrow-in-Furness]], "B" Division was [[Lancaster, Lancashire|Lancaster]], and so on (see [[Home Office radio]]). The TV series took the non-existent signs Z-Victor 1 and Z-Victor 2. The title does not, as sometimes suggested, come from the cars used, [[Ford Zephyr]] and [[Ford Zodiac]]. The Zephyr was the standard traffic patrol car used by Lancashire and other police forces, while the Zodiac was only used for specialist tasks such as traffic duty. Also, the term "Z-car" was used commonly by British newspapers to refer to any type of police vehicle.

==Concept and principal characters==
''Z Cars'' as an idea came to creator [[Troy Kennedy Martin]] as he listened to police messages on his radio while trying to relieve the boredom of being ill in bed with [[mumps]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Troy Kennedy Martin: Innovative writer who created 'Z Cars' and wrote 'Edge of Darkness' and 'The Italian Job' |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/troy-kennedy-martin-innovative-writer-who-created-z-cars-and-wrote-edge-of-darkness-and-the-italian-job-1788520.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220507/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/troy-kennedy-martin-innovative-writer-who-created-z-cars-and-wrote-edge-of-darkness-and-the-italian-job-1788520.html |archive-date=7 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |location=London |work=The Independent |date=17 September 2009}}{{cbignore}}</ref> It was set in the fictional Newtown, loosely based on the real-life modern suburb of [[Kirkby]], one of many housing estates that had sprung up across Britain in the post-war years, and its ageing neighbour Seaport.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Leishman |first1=Frank |last2=Mason |first2=Paul |title=Policing and the Media: Facts, Fictions and Factions (Policing & Society) |page=56 |isbn=1903240298 |year=2003}}</ref>

The stories revolve around pairs of officers patrolling that week. Riding on changing social attitudes and television, the social realism, with interesting stories, garnered popularity for ''Z Cars''. It was initially somewhat unpopular with real-life police, who disliked the sometimes unsympathetic characterisation of officers. Being set in [[Northern England]] helped give ''Z Cars'' a regional flavour when most [[BBC]] dramas were set in [[Southern England]]. It directly challenged the BBC's established police drama ''[[Dixon of Dock Green]]'', which at that point had been running for seven years but which some considered '[[cosy mystery|cosy]]'.<ref>{{cite web |last=Rolinson |first=David |title=Dixon of Dock Green in the 1970s |url=http://www.britishtelevisiondrama.org.uk/?p=2843 |work=British Television Drama |access-date=27 November 2015}}</ref>

The one character present throughout the entire run (though not in every episode) was Bert Lynch, played by [[James Ellis (actor)|James Ellis]] (though [[John Phillips (actor)|John Phillips]] as Det. Chief Supt. Robins reappeared sporadically during the show's run&nbsp;– by the end of the series he had become [[Chief Constable]]). Other characters in the early days were [[Stratford Johns]] (Det. Chief Inspector Barlow), [[Frank Windsor]] (Det. Sgt. Watt), Robert Keegan (Sgt. Blackitt), [[Joseph Brady (actor)|Joseph Brady]] (PC "Jock" Weir), [[Brian Blessed]] ("Fancy" Smith) and Jeremy Kemp (Bob Steele). Also in 1960s episodes as David Graham was [[Colin Welland]], later a screenwriter. Other British actors who played regular roles in the early years included [[Joss Ackland]]. Although he played no regular role in the series, future [[Monkee]] [[Davy Jones (musician)|Davy Jones]] appeared in three episodes,{{vague|date=March 2014}}<!--Since Z-Cars continued long after the demise of The Monkees, one assumes this must have been somewhere among the first three or four hundred episodes. Can this be more specific (a year, season, were they near to one another, or widely separated?--> and 1963 saw two future well-known faces join the regulars – [[Leonard Rossiter]] played DI Bamber in eight episodes, and [[John Thaw]], later known for his roles in ''[[The Sweeney]]'' and ''[[Inspector Morse (TV series)|Inspector Morse]]'', appeared in four as a detective constable who had to leave the force because he had a "glass head" – he could not drink alcohol when socialising and mixing with the criminal fraternity, very much part of a detective's job.

==Episodes==
{{main|List of Z-Cars episodes}}
''Z-Cars'' ran for 801 episodes.

The original run ended in 1965; Barlow, Watt and Blackitt were spun off into a new series ''[[Softly, Softly (TV series)|Softly, Softly]]''. When the BBC was looking for a twice-weekly show to replace a series of failed 'soaps' (one example being ''[[United!]]''), ''Z Cars'' was revived. The revival was produced by the BBC's serials department in a twice-weekly soap opera format of 25-minute episodes, and only James Ellis and Joseph Brady remained from the original show's run. It was shown from March 1967, both 25-minute segments each week comprising one story.

It ran like this until the episode "Kid's Stuff" (broadcast on 30 March 1971), shown as a single 50-minute episode for the week, proved the longer format would still work. Thereafter, ''Z Cars'' was shown in alternating spells of either two × 25-minute episodes or the single 50-minute episode each week over the next 16 months. This arrangement ended with the showing of the final two-parter, "Breakage" (Series 6, parts 74 and 75, on 21 and 22 August 1972 respectively), after which the series returned permanently to a regular pattern of one 50-minute episode per week.<ref>{{cite web |title=Z Cars |url=http://www.tv.com/shows/z-cars/episodes/ |url-status=dead |work=TV.com |access-date=27 November 2015 |archive-date=15 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200615204734/http://www.tv.com/shows/z-cars/episodes/}}</ref>

===Lost episodes===
Like many series of its era, ''Z-Cars'' is incomplete in the archives. The period 1962–65 is reasonably well represented; though with big gaps. With the 1967–71 sixth series, when the programme was shown almost every week, material becomes more patchy still. Of the 416 episodes made for this series, only 108 survive: a few episodes each from 1967, 1969, and 1970, but there are no surviving episodes from 1968 or 1971. About 40% of the total 801 episodes are preserved.<ref>{{citation |last1=Down |first1=Richard |last2=Perry |first2=Christopher |title=The British Television Drama Research Guide, 1950–1997, with Full Archive Holdings |edition=second, revised | publisher=Kaleidoscope Publishing |location=Bristol, UK |year=1997 |pages=DZ1–DZ5 |isbn=1-900203-04-9}}</ref>

The original series was one of the last British television dramas to be screened as a [[Live television|live]] production. With videotaping becoming the norm and telerecording a mature method of preserving broadcasts, the practice of live broadcasting drama productions was rare by the time the programme began in 1962. Going out "live" was a preference of the series' producer [[David Rose (producer)|David Rose]], who felt it helped immediacy and pace and gave it an edge. As a result, episodes were still not being pre-recorded as late as 1965. Most were videotaped for a potential repeat, although the tapes – costed as part of a programme's budget – were normally [[Wiping (magnetic tape)|wiped]] for re-use. The transfer of a live or videotaped programme to film greatly enhanced its chances of surviving.

In the 1980s, the telerecording of the pilot episode "Four of a Kind" was returned to its writer [[Allan Prior]] by an engineer. He had taken it home to preserve it because his children had enjoyed the programme and as a result he could not bring himself to destroy it. This and two other early editions were released on a BBC Video in 1993.<ref>{{cite web |title=Z Cars |url=https://www.amazon.co.uk/Z-Cars-VHS-Brian-Blessed/dp/B00004CLTU |publisher=Amazon.com}}</ref> Two further episodes were returned in 2004 after turning up in a private collection; there have been other occasional returns of individual early episodes in more recent years.

The return of the 50-minute format into regular use coincided with an increase in the survival rate, and all episodes from the 1975–1978 period are preserved in the archives. [[BBC Archive Treasure Hunt]] was a drive to seek out missing episodes and is still open to information regarding missing editions of lost BBC television programmes. British vintage television enthusiast organisation [[Kaleidoscope (organisation)|Kaleidoscope]] is also interested in the recovery of lost television shows, regardless of their original maker or broadcaster.

==Theme music==
The [[Theme from Z-Cars|''Z-Cars'' theme tune]] was arranged by [[Fritz Spiegl]]<ref name="Obituary">{{cite news |last=Barker |first=Dennis |title=Fritz Spiegl: Witty musical polymath and broadcaster |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2003/mar/25/broadcasting.artsobituaries |work=The Guardian |location=London |date=25 March 2003 |access-date=22 April 2012}}</ref> and his then wife, composer Bridget Fry, from the traditional Liverpool [[folk song]] "Johnny Todd".<ref name="Obituary" /> It was released on record in several versions in 1962. [[Johnny Keating]]'s version ([[Piccadilly Records]], 7N.35032) sold the best, reaching No. 8 on the [[Record Retailer]] chart and as high as No. 5 on some UK charts, while the [[Norrie Paramor]] Orchestra's version, on [[Columbia Graphophone Company|Columbia]] DB 4789, peaked at No. 33. A vocal version of the theme, using the original ballad's words, was released by cast member James Ellis on [[Philips Records]] PB 1230; this missed the charts.<ref>{{cite web |title=James Ellis (6) – Johnny Todd |url=http://www.discogs.com/James-Ellis-Johnny-Todd/release/2866097 |work=Discogs |access-date=27 November 2015}}</ref>{{Citation needed|date=November 2021}}

The song in Spiegl and Fry's arrangement is used as an anthem by English [[Association football|football]] clubs [[Everton F.C.|Everton]] and [[Watford F.C.|Watford]], playing as the teams enter the pitch for their home games, at [[Goodison Park]] and [[Vicarage Road]] respectively.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.toffeeweb.com/club/folklore/origins.asp#Z-Cars |title=Everton's Origins: Z-Cars Theme |publisher=ToffeeWeb |access-date=22 April 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.watfordfc.com/page/NewsDetail/0,,10400~656843,00.html |title=Chairman on Z-Cars return |publisher=Watford Football Club |date=23 April 2005 |access-date=22 April 2012 |archive-date=20 February 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250220094350/https://www.watfordfc.com/page/NewsDetail/0,,10400~656843,00.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> It is also used for similar purposes at the Borough Park home of [[Workington A.F.C.]]<ref>{{cite web |title=What do Everton, Watford and Workington Football Clubs Have In Common?|website=Cumbria Crack |url=https://cumbriacrack.com/2022/01/11/what-do-everton-watford-and-workington-football-clubs-have-in-common/}}</ref>

The tune has also been used as music for the hymn "Father, Hear the Prayer We Offer".<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://www.herstmonceuxandwartlingchurches.com/resources/February%202021_Final_Print%20(1).pdf|journal=Herstmonceux and Wartling Parish News|issue=February|year=2021|title=Famous Hymns: Father Hear the Prayer We Offer|pages=11–12}}</ref>

==After ''Z-Cars''==
''[[Softly, Softly (TV series)|Softly, Softly]]'', a 1965 spin-off, focused on the regional crime squad, and ran until 1969, when it was again revised and became ''[[Softly, Softly: Task Force]]'', running until 1976. The character of Barlow (Stratford Johns) was one of the best-known figures in British television in the 1960s and 1970s. He was given four seasons of his own solo series, ''[[Barlow at Large]]'' (later ''[[Barlow (television series)|Barlow]]'') which ran from 1971 to 1975. Barlow joined Watt (Frank Windsor) for the 1973 serial ''[[Jack the Ripper (1973 TV series)|Jack the Ripper]]''. The serial's success led to a further spin-off titled ''[[Second Verdict]]'' in which Barlow and Watt looked into unsolved cases and unsafe convictions.

Windsor made a final appearance as Watt in the last episode of ''Z-Cars'', "Pressure", in September 1978, with Robins (John Phillips), the [[detective chief superintendent]] from the original series who had risen to chief constable. [[Jeremy Kemp]], Brian Blessed, Joseph Brady and Colin Welland also appeared, though not as their original characters.

==Recognition==
In a 2000 poll to find the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes of the 20th century conducted by the [[British Film Institute]], ''Z-Cars'' was voted 63rd.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bfi.org.uk/features/tv/100/list/list.php |title=The BFI TV 100: 1–100 |publisher=British Film Institute |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110911083558/http://www.bfi.org.uk/features/tv/100/list/list.php |archive-date=11 September 2011}} See also: [[100 Greatest British Television Programmes]]</ref> It was also included in television critic Alison Graham's alphabetical list of 40 "all-time great" TV shows published in ''[[Radio Times]]'' in August 2003.<ref>Alison Graham, "Take the Big TV Challenge!" ''Radio Times'' (30 August–5 September 2003), 16–21. Citation on p. 21.</ref>

==Cast==

===Main cast===
(1962–1965 and 1967–1978: 12 series, 801 episodes)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Character !! Portrayed By !! Years Active !! Series Active !! Episode Count
|-
| DCI Charlie Barlow || [[Stratford Johns]] || 1962–1965|| 1–5 || 126
|-
| DS John Watt || [[Frank Windsor]] || 1962–1965, 1978 || 1–5, 12 || 130
|-
| PC John "Jock" Weir || [[Joseph Brady (actor)|Joseph Brady]] || 1962–1965, 1967, 1978 || 1–6 || 165
|-
| PC / DC / Sgt. / Insp. Bert Lynch || [[James Ellis (actor)|James Ellis]] || 1962-1965, 1967-1978 || 1–12 || 629
|-
| PC William "Fancy" Smith || [[Brian Blessed]] || 1962–1965 || 1–5 || 113
|-
| PC Bob Steele || [[Jeremy Kemp]] || 1962–1963 || rowspan="2" | 1–2 || 34
|-
| Sgt. Percy Twentyman || [[Leonard Williams (actor)|Leonard Williams]] || 1962 || 30
|-
| PC Ian Sweet || [[Terence Edmond]] || rowspan="2" | 1962–1964 || 1–3 || 78
|-
| DC Glyn Hicks || [[Michael Forrest]] || 2–3 || 36
|-
| PC David Graham || [[Colin Welland]] || rowspan="2" | 1962–1965 || rowspan="2" | 2–5 || 85
|-
| Sgt. Bob Blackitt || [[Robert Keegan (actor)|Robert Keegan]] || 108
|-
| PC Ken Baker || [[Geoffrey Whitehead]] || rowspan="2" | 1964–1965 || rowspan="2" | 4 || 29
|-
| PC Taylor || [[Marcus Hammond]] || 20
|-
| Paula Poulton (BD Girl){{efn|name=BD|Radio operator, using Lancashire Police's call-sign BD<ref>{{cite web|url=https://brianpearsblog.wordpress.com/police-on-medium-wave/|title=Police on Medium Wave|accessdate=17 April 2025}}</ref>}} || [[Sara Aimson]] || rowspan="2" | 1965 || rowspan="2" | 4–5 || 23
|-
| PC Ray Walker || [[Donald Gee (actor)|Donald Gee]] || 18
|-
| DI / DCI Sam Hudson || [[John Barrie (actor)|John Barrie]] || 1967, 1968 || 6 || 32
|-
| DS Tom Stone || [[John Slater (actor)|John Slater]] || 1967–1974 || 6–9 || 431
|-
| PC Owen Culshaw || [[David Daker]] || 1967–1968 || rowspan="5" | 6 || 82
|-
| PC Steve Tate || [[Sebastian Breaks]] || 1967 || 34
|-
| PC Alec May || [[Stephen Yardley]] || 1967–1968 || 68
|-
| WPC Susan Parkin || [[Pauline Taylor (actress)|Pauline Taylor]] || 1967–1969 || 58
|-
| PC Bill Newcombe || [[Bernard Holley]] || rowspan="2" | 1967–1971 || 292
|-
| BD Girl (name N/A) || [[Jennie Goossens]] || 6–7 || 146
|-
| DI Todd || [[Joss Ackland]] || rowspan="2" | 1967–1968 || rowspan="5" | 6 || 40
|-
| PC Jackson || [[John Wreford]] || 32
|-
| DI Alan Witty || [[John Woodvine]] || rowspan="3" | 1968–1969 || 62
|-
| PC Doug Roach || [[Rona Davies (actor)|Ron Davies]] || 60
|-
| PC Bruce Bannerman || [[Paul Angelis]] || 128
|-
| PC / Sgt. Alec Quilley || [[Douglas Fielding]] || 1969–1978 || 6–12 || 345
|-
| DI / Mr. Neil Goss || [[Derek Waring]] || 1969–1973 || 6–8 || rowspan="2" | 226
|-
| PC / DC Joe Skinner || [[Ian Cullen]] || 1969–1975 || 6–9 
|-
| PC Reg Horrocks || [[Barry Lowe]] || 1970–1975, 1977 || 6–9, 11 || 29
|-
| PC / Sgt. Ted Bowman || [[John Swindells]] || 1970–1973 || 6–7 || 40
|-
| DS Cecil Haggar || [[John Collin (actor)|John Collin]] || 1971–1976, 1978 || 6–7, 9–10,12 || 51
|-
| DC Dave Scatliff || [[Geoffrey Hayes]] || 1971–1974 || 6–8 || 27
|-
| PC Shaun Covill || [[Jack Carr (actor)|Jack Carr]] || 1971–1972 || 6–7 || 39
|-
| PC Fred Render || [[Allan O'Keefe]] || 1971–1978 || 6–12 || 65
|-
| DS / DI Terry Moffat || [[Ray Lonnen]] || 1972–1977 || 7–11 || 25
|-
| DS Wilf Miller || [[Geoffrey Whitehead]] || 1972–1975 || 6–9 || 22
|-
| DC Jim Braithwaite || [[David Jackson (actor)|David Jackson]] || 1972–1978 || 7–12 || 22
|-
| Sgt. Gilbert Chubb || Paul Stewart || rowspan="2" | 1974–1978 || 9–12 || 25
|-
| DC / DS Bernard Bowker || [[Brian Grellis]] || 9–12 || 19
|}

===Recurring cast===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Character !! Portrayed By !! Years Active !! Series Active !! Episode Count
|-
| Janey Steele || [[Dorothy White (actress)|Dorothy White]] || rowspan="2" | 1962–1963 || 1–2 || 14
|-
| Sgt./ Insp. Barnes || [[Frank Hawkins (actor)|Frank Hawkins]] || N/A || 20
|-
| DCS / ACC / Chief Con. Robins || [[John Phillips (actor)|John Phillips]] || 1962–1965, 1967, 1969, 1973, 1978 || Series 1–4, 6–7, 12 || 14
|-
| Katy Hoskins (BD Girl){{efn|name=BD}} || [[Virginia Stride]] || 1962–1964 || 1–3 || 18
|-
| WPC Jenny Stacey || [[Lynn Furlong]] || 1962–1965 || 1–4 || 24
|-
| DC Bob "Lofty" Smithers – Police Photographer || [[Ken Jones (actor)|Ken Jones]] || 1962–64 || 1–3 || 8
|-
| DI / Supt. Jim Dunn || [[Dudley Foster]] || 1962, 1964 || 1, 3 || 13
|-
| DCS Miller || [[Leslie Sands]] || 1962–63, 1965, 1967, 1969 || Series 1–4, 6 || 12
|-
| Sally Clarkson (BD Girl) || [[Diane Aubrey]] || 1962 || 1–2 || 24
|-
| Sgt. Michaelson || [[James Cossins]] || 1962–1963 || rowspan="4" | 2 || 11
|-
| Joan Longton (BD Girl) || [[Hilary Martyn]] || 1962–1963 || 13
|-
| DI Bamber || [[Leonard Rossiter]] || rowspan="3" | 1963 || 8
|-
| Betty Clayton (BD Girl) || [[Sidonie Bond]] || 16
|-
| DC Terry Elliot || [[John Thaw]] || 3 || 4
|-
| Seaton, Williams || [[Peter Sallis]]<ref name=kino>{{cite web|url=https://en.kinorium.com/114820/|title=Z-Cars (1962–1978)|website=Kinorium}}</ref> || 1963–1964 || 3–4 || 2
|-
| Shirley Burscough (BD Girl) || Kate Brown || 1963 || 3 || 16
|-
| Mr. Healey, Mr. Brooke, McKinley, Mr. Blacker, Timmy Cater, Dicky Green, Thurley, Byrne, Det. Supt. Ramsden || [[Derek Benfield]]<ref name=kino/> || 1963–1978 || 3–4, 6–7, 13 || 12
|-
| Pamela Earnshaw (BD Girl) || [[Kate Allitt]] || rowspan="2" | 1964 || 3 || 12
|-
| Ann Fazakerley (BD Girl) || [[Lynn Farleigh]] || 3–4 || 17
|-
| WPC Nelson || [[Susan Jameson]] || 1965, 1975 || Series 4,9 || 6
|-
| PC Bob Foster || [[Donald Webster]] || 1965 || 4 || 8
|-
| WPC Jane Shepherd || [[Pamela Greer|Luanshya Greer]] || 1967 || rowspan="9" | 6 || 6
|-
| BD Girl (name N/A) || [[Anjula Harman]] || 1967, 1969 || 15
|-
| DC Kane || [[Christopher Coll]] || rowspan="2" | 1967–1968 || 20
|-
| Betty Culshaw || [[Doreen Aris]] || 8
|-
| DI Brogan || [[George Sewell]] || 1967 || 6
|-
| Sally Stone || [[Thelma Whiteley]] || 1967, 1969–1970 || 8
|-
| Sgt. Potter || [[Victor Brooks (actor)|Victor Brooks]] || 1968–1969 || 10
|-
| D Supt. Oakley || [[William Dexter (actor)|William Dexter]] || 1968–1971 || 6
|-
| PC Stack || John Livesey || 1969 || 13
|-
| WPC/WP Sgt. Lorna Cameron || [[June Watson]] || 1970, 1973–1975 || 6, 8–9 || 8
|-
| Supt./D Supt. Roy Richards || [[Jerome Willis]] || 1971–1973 || 6–7 || 4
|-
| WPC Anne Howarth || [[Stephanie Turner (British actress)|Stephanie Turner]] || 1971–1975 || rowspan="3" | 7–9 || 15
|-
| PC Lindsay || [[James Walsh (actor)|James Walsh]] || 1971–1974 || 10
|-
| Sgt. Frank Culshaw || [[John Challis]] || 1972–1975 || 13
|-
| DI Fred Connor || [[Gary Watson]] || 1972–1974 || 7–8 || 11
|-
| PC Jeff Yates || [[Nicholas Smith (actor)|Nicholas Smith]] || 1972–1975 || 7–9 || 9
|-
| Insp./ CI Logie || [[Kenton Moore]] || 1972–1974 || 7–8 || 4
|-
| DI Gerry Madden || [[Tommy Boyle (actor)|Tommy Boyle]] || rowspan="2" | 1978 || rowspan="2" | 12 || 8
|-
| WPC Jane Beck || [[Victoria Plucknett]] || 3
|}

==See also==
*[[Z-car (disambiguation)]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}
==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
*{{IMDb title|title=Z-Cars|id=0129723}}
* [http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/Z/htmlZ/zcars/zcars.htm Encyclopedia of Television] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051120034501/http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/Z/htmlZ/zcars/zcars.htm |date=20 November 2005 }}
* [http://www.screenonline.org.uk/tv/id/473009/index.html British Film Institute Screen Online]
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00d57bk BBC Programmes]
* {{cite web|url=http://www.btinternet.com/~m.brown1/zcars.htm|title=''Z Cars'' Missing Episodes|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121011194045/http://www.btinternet.com/~m.brown1/zcars.htm|archive-date=11 October 2012}}

{{Z-Cars|state=expand}}

[[Category:BBC television dramas]]
[[Category:1970s British crime television series]]
[[Category:Lost BBC episodes]]
[[Category:1962 British television series debuts]]
[[Category:1978 British television series endings]]
[[Category:1960s British police procedural television series]]
[[Category:1970s British police procedural television series]]
[[Category:Television shows set in Liverpool]]
[[Category:Black-and-white British television shows]]
[[Category:British English-language television shows]]
[[Category:British crime drama television series]]
[[Category:1960s British crime television series]]
[[Category:Television shows shot in Liverpool]]