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.
Nicholas Smith (actor) March 2013, Smith was the last surviving member of the original cast of "Are You Being Served?" The only other principal actor who survives is Mike Berry, who joined the cast as "Mr Spooner" when Trevor Bannister left the series. From September 1972, in contrast to his contemporaneous work in "Are You Being Served?", he also had a semi-regular role as PC Jeff Yates in the series "Z-Cars". His last appearance as Yates was in February 1975. His film work included appearances in "Salt and Pepper" (1968), "A Walk with Love and Death" (1969), "The Twelve Chairs" (1970), dubbed in