WHY THE ORIGINAL JANE WAS A TOTAL ONE-OFF

When Jane Tennison first hit our TV screens we’d never seen a copper quite like her. Hard as nails yet flawed, she wasn’t always likeable but you had to admire her. As she told her squad in one briefing, ‘All I ask is your undivided loyalty and attention... if you don’t like it, put in for a transfer.’ She knew she couldn’t afford to show any weakness. She managed to go a long way despite the sexism that enabled less brilliant male colleagues to be promoted above her. But that didn’t always mean she was willing to mentor other women; they had to prove themselves first.

Lynda La Plante was thrilled with the way Helen Mirren portrayed her character. ‘She

was the consummate actress who dared to portray a woman without a hint of simpering female,’ said La Plante. However, the writer became increasingly unhappy at the way her creation was going. She criticised the decision to make Tennison become an alcoholic, saying it was a sad end for an inspiring female character.