Amanda Redman criticises her show New Tricks following announcement she’s to quit the series

By
Liz Thomas


PUBLISHED:

18:16 EST, 20 August 2012


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UPDATED:

20:01 EST, 20 August 2012

BBC1 hit New Tricks is not as good as it used to be, according to its own stars – Amanda Redman and Denis Waterman.

Miss Redman has already revealed she is quitting the show next year but in a further blow to BBC executives has said it has become “bland”.

Waterman also criticised the programme saying he and the cast were fighting a trend to ‘spoon feed’ viewers.

Miss Redman said of New Tricks: ‘It’s more bland now. The characters are not being as anarchic as they used to be, which I think is a huge shame.’

'Bland': New Tricks lead stars Amanda Redman and Denis Waterman have criticised the shows for deteriorating from what it once was

‘Bland’: New Tricks lead stars Amanda Redman and Denis Waterman have
criticised the show for deteriorating from what it once was

Former The Sweeney star Waterman 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. You have to remind yourself that people aren’t as stupid as writers think, but that is the way things are going in the industry.’

The BBC1 show, featuring Amanda Redman, 55, Alun Armstrong, 66, and Dennis Waterman, 64, as police brought out of retirement to work in the Met’s Unsolved Crime and Open Case squad, regularly pulls in more than eight million viewers. Now in its ninth series it is one of the BBC’s most popular dramas but the cast has become increasingly dissatisfied with the show.

Last autumn James Bolam, 77, quit the show after eight series, allegedly telling friends he felt the format had ‘gone stale’, and was replaced by veteran actor Denis Lawson, 64.

The cast have previously accused BBC executives of meddling too much on the show.

As they were: Amanda Redman has recently revealed she is quitting New Tricks and has now hit out at the programme

As they were: Amanda Redman has recently revealed she is quitting New Tricks and has now hit out at the programme

Armstrong said: ‘We play the game of, ‘was this written by the writer or a BBC executive?’

Bolam added: ‘I object to the censorship. Nowadays, in television, one is more heavily censored than ever.’

Miss Redman, who plays Detective Superintendent Sandra Pullman, announced she was leaving the show last month, but will film eight episodes for the 2013 series.

She said in a recent interview: ‘I love New Tricks and I have loved playing Sandra – I’ve got some gritty plot lines – but I feel I have to try something new.’

• The full interview with the New Tricks team is in this week’s Radio Times.

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Amanda Redman criticises her show New Tricks following announcement she’s to quit the series