The British love their mystery miniseries, but this new one, George Gently, has special historical flair for those curious about just how wide the generation gap was in Britain pre-cultural and sexual revolution. Each of Series One’s three feature-length dramas, based on novels by Alan Hunter, are set in 1964, a year rife with political cover-ups, biker gang conflicts, kids popping "dexies" to fuel all-night dance club parties, and elders, like Commander George Gently (Martin Shaw), scrambling to alleviate the rampant crime situation. In episode one, "Gently Go Man," the Commander is about to retire when his wife is killed, sparking his renewed dedication to catching thugs. Relocating from London’s Scotland Yard to rural Northumberland, where he suspects criminal Joe Webster (Philip Davis) may dwell, Gently teams up with dapper detective Sergeant John Bacchus (Lee Ingleby), who admires Gently but more casually approaches infiltrating youth culture for information. The series is propelled by the father-son relationship that builds between the two officers, as they successfully solve the murder of young motorcyclist, Billy Lister (Christian Cooke). Billy’s gang, including the fiery Lawrence Elton (Shaun Evans) and sensitive Ricky Deeming (Richard Armitage), unravels as sexual tensions between the boys are exposed, pointing to the necessity of an upcoming sexual revolution that theoretically occurred to prevent future tragedies such as those relayed in this story.
