Z-Cars Watt), James Ellis (Bert Lynch) and Brian Blessed ("Fancy" Smith). Barlow and Watt were later spun into a separate series "Softly, Softly". The title comes from the radio call signs allocated by Lancashire Constabulary. Lancashire police divisions were lettered from north to the south: "A" Division (based in Ulverston) was the detached part of Lancashire at the time around Barrow-in-Furness, "B" Division was Lancaster, and so on. Letters further into the alphabet were in the south around the Manchester and Liverpool areas. (See also the Wikipedia page about Home Office radio.) The TV series took the non-existent signs Z-Victor 1
John Phillips (actor) in "The Old Men at the Zoo" (1983). His role as Chief Superintendent Robins (1962–78) in "Z-Cars" and "Softly, Softly" was perhaps his most memorable. Phillips died at Oswestry, Shropshire on 11 May 1995. John Phillips (actor) William John Phillips MC (20 July 1914 – 11 May 1995) was an English actor. He is best remembered for the role of Chief Superintendent Robins, in the television series "Z-Cars" and for his work as a Shakespearean stage actor. Phillips was born in Birmingham, Warwickshire in 1914, and began his acting career at Birmingham Rep in the 1930s. During the Second World