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.
James Smith (actor) James Smith (actor) James Smith (born 1948) who trained at LAMDA, is an English actor well known for his part in the BBC's "The Thick of It" (22 episodes) as senior special adviser Glenn Cullen and as Michael Rodgers, Director of Diplomacy at the Foreign Office in "In the Loop", the film spin off of "The Thick of It". From 9 August 2010 Smith plays Clive in the BBC comedy "Grandma's House". He also took a minor non-speaking role as Lord Carrington in the 2011 film "The Iron Lady". In 2014 he appeared in "Boomers" as Trevor. He played Graham