Target (1977)

Target was a police drama series which ran from 1977-78 on BBC1. It was set in Southampton as the 13th Regional Crime Squad. It starred Patrick Mower as Det. Supt. Steve Hackett, Brendan Price as Det. Sgt. Frank Bonney, Vivien Heilbron as Det. Sgt. Louise Colbert and Philip Madoc as Det. Chief Supt. Tate. Seventeen episodes were produced over two series. The show was the BBC response to ITV's highly successful series The Sweeney. Like The Sweeney the cars used were Fords, mostly Cortinas and Granadas; however Hackett's personal car is American along the lines of a Dodge Charger and is seen in a number of episodes. There is a distinct lack of humour compared to the Sweeney and at the time the series was slated as being more violent than The Sweeney, though watching this now it is hard to tell the difference. The second series was toned down. Also Patrick Mower being such a strong actor seems to overpower the supporting cast, something that was not evident in the Sweeney. The theme music was by Dudley Simpson. Each episode lasted approx 50mins. The series was cancelled after the second series in 1978 and was replaced by the crime drama called Shoestring.