The Last Detective

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.

"Dangerous" because he's not, and "The Last Detective" because he's the last detective they'd send on a case.

British mystery series starring Peter Davison as Detective Constable (DC) "Dangerous" Davies; based upon the novels and characters of Leslie Thomas. Davies is a gentle, somewhat old-fashioned officer who clashes with his Jerkass colleagues, and is a rare example of a Butt Monkey protagonist, facing a separation with his wife and various incidents of ill-luck along with his colleagues' taunting. Despite this, he is a clever detective and always solves the case, often aided by his genius slacker friend Mod.

There had previously been a Made for TV Movie called Dangerous Davies, the Last Detective starring Bernard Cribbins.

Tropes used in The Last Detective include:
  • Actor Allusion: Greta the German manager from "Lofty" is probably more familiar as Grete Grotowska, the girlfriend of Stephen Daker (Davison) in A Very Peculiar Practice.
  • Butt Monkey: Dangerous
  • Candlelit Bath: In the episode "Tricia".
  • Cowboy Cop: Dangerous' DI is a washed-up, alcoholic Gene Hunt type who misses the good old days of honorable London Gangsters and Police Brutality. He's also an interesting version of Noble Bigot with a Badge though, as he's actually less prejudiced than Dangerous' fellow officers who are modern police and often defends Dangerous from their taunting.
  • Deathbringer the Adorable: Dangerous is called that "because he's not".
  • Dead Person Impersonation: The episode "Lofty".
  • Dirty Cop: Any officer considered a mentor or friend by Dangerous' DI will turn out to be one of these.
  • Embarrassing First Name: Mod is short for Modesty (after Tchaikovsky's brother).
  • Enhance Button: Used somewhat realistically in the episode with a Snuff Film.
  • Eureka Moment: Dangerous has one at least once per episode, generally during conversation with Mod.
  • Gag Penis: One episode has Mod's current girlfriend inform Dangerous' wife that Mod is rather well-endowed.
  • Good Cop, Bad Cop: With Dangerous as the good cop and the other officers as the bad ones.
  • Genius Ditz: Mod is extremely well-read, but lacking in practical social skills.
  • Identical Stranger: One episode has Dangerous investingating some gangsters, aided by an informant who looks a lot like Mod. Mod ends up getting badly beaten by the gangsters, who mistake him for the informant.
  • Kavorka Man: Mod frequently manages to hook up with gorgeous women (sometimes shown on camera, sometimes not) despite being an utter slacker.
  • The Last DJ: Dangerous himself.
  • London Town: Set in unpicturesque Willesden.
  • Male Gaze: The episode "Christine" has Davies and DI Aspinall interviewing a financial advisor with a very short skirt. Several shots were from behind her legs and showed (as well as the aforementioned limbs) the DC and DI with suspiciously rigid expressions.
    • The same episode presents a gender-flipped version in which Mod's legs get an airing. Viewers may differ as to the results.
  • Motive Rant: Averted as generally the criminals (generally murderers) will have understandable reasons for their crimes and accept arrest with calm resignation.
  • Murder.Com
  • No Name Given: Dangerous' real first name is never revealed. His dog's name is never revealed, either.
  • Overtook the Series
  • Plucky Comic Relief: Mod
  • Real Life Relative: Georgia Moffett, star Peter Davison's daughter, had a guest role in the Series 4 episode "Once Upon A Time In The Westway". The producers wanted her character to flirt with his, but one or both of them (wisely) refused.
  • Snuff Film
  • Stalker with a Crush: The title character of the episode "Tricia" who almost messes up Dangerous' life as badly as she had that of several previous men.
  • Tarot Troubles: At the beginning of the episode "Dangerous and the Lonely Hearts". As is common for this trope, Dangerous' card isn't as bad an omen as the script seems to think: he gets the Hanged Man, associated with (among other things) transformation and hard-earned wisdom.
  • Those Two Guys: DS Pimlott and DC Barrett, Dangerous' rivals on the force. They're not nice guys.
  • Yandere: The eponymous character in "Tricia" is also one of these.
  • You Do Not Have to Say Anything: In the first episode, Dangerous starts saying this after chasing down a perp, but is so winded the perp completes the reading for him.
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