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.
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