Law & Order - BBC Series

[Three Litre]

Top observing!

[Arthur Pringle]

A few more differences in the book of Law And Order.

Although it's hinted at in the show, in the book the blonde inmate Brian ( played by Martin Jacobs in the show ) who's in for 'destroying property' has a unspoken physical relationship with PH Moriarty's character & there's jealousy on both sides when he approaches Jack Lynn about escaping. Brian is from a well off background & is in for arson, including setting fire to a relative's house.

In the book it's made explicit that Lynn & other inmates are never far away from 'turning queer'. In the show we see a 'nonce' being 'browned' ( ie. anally raped ), in the book the nonce is given a chance to defend himself, claiming he was in a consensual relationship & the boy was 15. He complains that the other inmates had done worse things than him. The suggestion is that Lynn & co are insecure about their own sexual inclinations. In the book the man who rapes the 'nonce' is described as a middle aged homosexual with syphilis. There are some grim details of the aftermath of the rape which I won't describe.

Before that there is an encounter not seen in the show where 2 nonces are allowed to use the tv room accompanied by screws. The cons visit the tv room, scaring the nonces to death, as the nonces leave they have 2 pans of boiling water thrown at them.

In the show Lynn is given a 'liquid cosh' whilst in the punishment cell, this does not happen in the book. The suggestion is that Lynn is gradually ground down by the system without them having to resort to drugging him. The book ends with a short epilogue that has Pyle going about his business as usual.

There is an awful lot of swearing in the book, hundreds of f's & c's & a phrase that is said a lot but I don't recall hearing in the show is 'f**k I'. Another odd thing in the book is that whenever Lynn is ordered to see the governor he is made to wear a pair of slippers 2 sizes too big in order to prevent him kicking the governor's table. 

[Del Boy]

The book version of any film or tv series is usually far more detailed than its adaptation. I always find its better to read the book after the film or tv series as the other way round can be a bit of a let down.  
The dvd of this series was one of my best buys at 3 quid. Wouldn't have even known about it if it wasn't for the knowledge shared on this site. I'm sure the book is equally entertaining.

[Dirty Epic]

Interesting the book is much more sweaty than the TV adaptation probably says more about the times it was made and some censorship etc.

Mind you there is a scene in A Brief's Tale when Lynn is discussing not pleading with Gladwell and a F-word was used but muted in their dialogue so probably a way around it/kept things more realistic.

The book does look interesting hope to get hold of it one day.

[Arthur Pringle]

Before Pyle there was Terry Sneed, 'an unscrupulous Scotland Yard inspector' featured in 'Sir You Bastard' & other novels. Not read any of these as they are out of print, the library doesn't have them & they are pricey to buy on ebay. GF Newman himself was the model on some of the book covers-

[Del Boy]

Not heard of these but they are right up my street. Bet they're a decent read. I'll keep an eye out for these. 

[Kenny Dalglish 1979]

I would have loved it if G.F. Newman wrote a Sweeney episode, the same way Leon Griffiths should have done.  I reckon they could have both done very grim, gritty and violent stories where Regan and Carter are a lot more flawed than usual and find themselves up before a tribunal hearing.

[Del Boy]

Apr 5, 2019 22:30:55 GMT Kenny Dalglish 1979 said:

I would have loved it if G.F. Newman wrote a Sweeney episode, the same way Leon Griffiths should have done.  I reckon they could have both done very grim, gritty and violent stories where Regan and Carter are a lot more flawed than usual and find themselves up before a tribunal hearing.

Judging by the high quality seen in Law and Order he would have been on par with the best writers The Sweeney had for sure.  The Romford blag and associated villains and coppers would have slipped nicely into a Sweeney ep. Could see Regan falling out big time with Pyle. Regan would of probably whacked him as per the dark side of his character portrayed in The Sweeney paperbacks.

[Arthur Pringle]

GF Newman doesn't have many film/tv credits, strangely enough his novel 'Sir You Bastard' was used as the basis for a 1974 US film called 'The Take', this was directed by Robert Hartford Davis, another Brit, Dennis Waterman was in his film 'The Smashing Bird I Used To Know'.