Thames had not wanted to end the series at this point. The intention was that Euston Films, Thames' film-making subsidiary, would continue with an eighth and final series but would make it on film, rather than the PAL 625-line video format which it had been recorded on up till then. This made sense as Euston had a good track record, having scored major successes with "Van der Valk", their revamped version of "Special Branch", and "The Sweeney". These were generally larger-scale, glossier and more 'action-packed' operations than the more intimate "Public Eye". Alfred Burke, fearing that the move onto film would mean the series would lose its particular, low-key identity, decided not to take up the option.