Pie in the Sky is a British police comedy drama starring Richard Griffiths and Maggie Steed, created by Andrew Payne and first broadcast in five series on BBC1 between 13 March 1994 and 17 August 1997, as well as being syndicated on other channels in other countries.
The protagonist, Henry Crabbe, while still being an on-duty, "semi-retired" policeman (much against his will), is also the head chef at his wife's restaurant "Pie in the Sky", set in the fictional town of Middleton and county of Westershire.
Premise[]
Crabbe's portrait of Alexis Soyer that hung on the wall in his kitchen.
The series focuses on the life of Detective Inspector Henry Crabbe, who serves in the police force for the fictional county of Westershire. After 25 years on the job, Crabbe wishes to retire and set up his own restaurant, and is brought one step closer after an attempt to catch a high-profile criminal backfires, leaving him shot in the leg. His boss, Assistant Chief Constable Freddie Fisher, is unwilling to let Crabbe leave the Westershire force, and so, when a corrupt officer frames Crabbe for taking a bribe, effectively blackmails him into taking on occasional cases when required.
As a result, Crabbe finds his life divided between his duties as a police detective, and a chef in his new restaurant — "Pie in the Sky" — which he runs with his wife Margaret. Each episode thus focuses on two separate plotlines, in which one sees Crabbe investigating a case, while the other sees him, his wife and their staff dealing with a problem that affects their restaurant.
Cast[]
- Richard Griffiths as DI Henry Crabbe, detective and restaurant owner. He is an astute detective, a lover of food, and a great cook.
- Maggie Steed as Margaret Crabbe, Henry's wife. She is an accountant and cares little for good food herself, but works in the restaurant and supports Henry's venture, as long as it makes a profit.
- Malcolm Sinclair as ACC Freddy Fisher, Assistant Chief Constable of Police, Henry's boss. He is most concerned with furthering his career, but recognises that Crabbe is an excellent detective.
- Bella Enahoro as WPC [Later DS] Sophia Cambridge, detective (Series 1–4). She is a trustworthy officer who accompanies Crabbe on most cases.
- Mary Woodvine as WPC Jane Morton, police constable (Series 5), accompanies Crabbe on most cases in Series 5.
- Derren Litten as PC Ed Guthrie, police constable (Series 5), accompanies Crabbe on most cases in Series 5.
- Joe Duttine as Steve Turner, chef (Series 1–2). He is an ex-criminal but an honest worker, and a good young chef.
- Nicholas Lamont as Gary Palmer, chef (Series 3–5). Like Steve, he is an ex-criminal, an honest worker and a good young chef.
- Nick Raggett as Leon Henderson, a food supplier for the restaurant, and occasional worker in the restaurant.
- Alison McKenna as Linda Walker, waitress, and girlfriend of Steve (Series 1)
- Ashley Russell as John Dawson, waiter (Series 1–2)
- Samantha Janus as Nicola Dooley, waitress (Series 2–4)
- Marsha Thomason as Sally Nicholls, waitress (Series 5)
- Robert Putt as Chief Constable Braithwaite, Fisher's boss (Recurring; Series 3 and 5)
- Caroline Loncq as Jenny Drabble, police PR officer (Recurring; Series 4–5)
- Michael Kitchen as Dudley Hooperman, a high-class thief who is supposed to be Crabbe's last arrest but instead shoots him in the leg and escapes (Guest; Series 1)