Z-Cars been running for seven years but which some considered 'cosy'. The one character present throughout the entire run (though not in every episode) was Bert Lynch, played by James Ellis (though John Phillips as Det. Chief Supt. Robins would reappear sporadically during the show's run – by the end of the series he had become Chief Constable). Other characters in the early days were Stratford Johns (Inspector Barlow), Frank Windsor (Det. Sgt Watt), Robert Keegan (Sgt Blackitt), Joseph Brady (PC "Jock" Weir) and Brian Blessed ("Fancy" Smith). Also in 1960s episodes as David Graham was Colin Welland, later a screenwriter.
Michael Standing (actor) Michael Standing (actor) Michael Lionel Standing (born 19 June 1939) is a British actor, appearing mostly in the 1960s and early 1970s. Standing was born in London. Between an appearance in a 1964 episode of the TV series of "The Saint" and his final appearance in the 1973 opening season of "The Tomorrow People" in which he played Ginge, the biker heavy who became the Tomorrow People's ally, he appeared in a considerable number of dramas such as "Z-Cars", "Gideon's Way" and the soap opera "The Newcomers", and episodes of fantasy television series such as "Adam Adamant Lives!", "The Champions",