Dalziel and Pascoe backdrop
Mystery•Crime•Drama

The Worst Episodes of Dalziel and Pascoe

Every episode of Dalziel and Pascoe ranked from worst to best. Explore the Worst Episodes of Dalziel and Pascoe!

Binge this in 2d 18h•Peaking at 8.2/10

In the fictional Yorkshire town of Wetherton, the unlikely duo of politically incorrect elephant-in-a-China-shop-copper DS Andrew Dalziel (pronounced Dee-ell) and his more sensitive and university educated sidekick DS, later DI, Peter Pascoe is always on

Airs on
BBC One
BestEpisodes
WorstEpisodes
BestSeasons
AllEpisodes

Seasons12

All123456789101112

Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Worst Episode
    Click to reveal
    Dalziel and Pascoe Season 12 Episode 2 - Demons on Our Shoulders (2)
    6.5/10(114 votes)

    #1 - Demons on Our Shoulders (2)

    S12:E2

    On Halloween, Kate Johnson is killed in her bedroom, the victim of a shotgun blast. Her husband Guy is the obvious suspect, having now vanished. In an odd twist, the couple had been part of a television broadcast the previous Halloween where hypnotist Lee Knight demonstrated that people could be induced to do anything, including murder. The deceased's daughter, Katherine Taylor, is convinced that the hypnotic suggestions of a year ago are what caused her father to kill her mother and that Knight is responsible. When she too is found dead, however, the case takes yet another turn. Meanwhile, Dalziel undergoes hypnotherapy to quit smoking.

    Director:Patrick Lau
    Writer:Paul Billing

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  2. Dalziel and Pascoe Season 12 Episode 1 - Demons on Our Shoulders (1)
    6.6/10(133 votes)

    #2 - Demons on Our Shoulders (1)

    S12:E1

    On Halloween, Kate Johnson is killed in her bedroom, the victim of a shotgun blast. Her husband Guy is the obvious suspect, having now vanished. In an odd twist, the couple had been part of a television broadcast the previous Halloween where hypnotist Lee Knight demonstrated that people could be induced to do anything, including murder. The deceased's daughter, Katherine Taylor, is convinced that the hypnotic suggestions of a year ago are what caused her father to kill her mother and that Knight is responsible. When she too is found dead, however, the case takes yet another turn. Meanwhile, Dalziel undergoes hypnotherapy to quit smoking.

    Director:Patrick Lau
    Writer:Paul Billing

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  3. Dalziel and Pascoe Season 5 Episode 3 - Foreign Bodies
    6.7/10(174 votes)

    #3 - Foreign Bodies

    S5:E3

    Dalziel and Pascoe are tasked with investigating four suspicious deaths occurring within hours of one another: the first is of a French art dealer, who appears to have either slipped or was pushed from the side of a motorway bridge; the second, a Russian national whose coffin is found floating just off the coast of Whitby; the third, a Japanese tourist, found stabbed atop a famous beauty spot mentioned in Wuthering Heights; and the fourth, an East German agent, seeking a German academic's writings containing secret information the Stasi don't want published.

    Director:David Wheatley
    Writer:Malcolm Bradbury

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  4. Dalziel and Pascoe Season 9 Episode 4 - Dead Meat (2)
    7.1/10(114 votes)

    #4 - Dead Meat (2)

    S9:E4

    A corpse of a man was found in a cage with a tiger in a zoo, and everything indicates that this death was a murder. Dalzil and Pascoe are investigating and are facing an old unsolved murder case that happened at this zoo 24 years ago. Peter meets with Ellie and Rosie, who arrived in Yorkshire, and asks them not to leave.

    Director:Patrick Lau
    Writer:Simon Sharkey

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  5. Dalziel and Pascoe Season 10 Episode 3 - Glory Days (1)
    7.1/10(122 votes)

    #5 - Glory Days (1)

    S10:E3

    A bus with a football team collides with a train, it crashes, three team members die. The bus driver escapes from the scene of the crime. Dalzil and Pascoe believe that the accident was not accidental and that the bus was killed. In addition, an old case of the unsolved murder of a little girl that occurred during the football riots comes up.

    Director:Colin Buchanan
    Writer:Tony McHale

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  6. Dalziel and Pascoe Season 12 Episode 6 - Under Dark Stars (2)
    7.1/10(102 votes)

    #6 - Under Dark Stars (2)

    S12:E6

    Having disposed of Michael Wheeler's body, Pascoe tries to cover up all traces of the crime. When a homeless man discovers the body, Dalziel has little sympathy for the dead. As phone calls from the killer persist, Pascoe wonders if Wheeler may have in fact been innocent but when they manage to unscramble the calls, they realise that a young woman may also be involved. Meanwhile, Dalziel makes the horrifying realisation that Pascoe is involved in Wheeler's death.

    Director:Alan Grint
    Writer:Paul Billing

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    7. Trending NowTRENDING NOW

    The 20 BEST Episodes of Dalziel and Pascoe

    READ
  7. Dalziel and Pascoe Season 1 Episode 1 - A Clubbable Woman
    7.3/10(299 votes)

    #7 - A Clubbable Woman

    S1:E1

    DS Andy Dalziel is forced to accept new recruit Peter Pascoe as the pair team up to investigate a serious murder case. Wetherton Rugby Club's golden boy, Sam Connon, wakes after arriving at home with a hangover, to find his wife, Mary, dead in the armchair. Being vice-president of the rugby club himself, Dalziel decides to ruffle a few feathers and find out who had enough of a motive to want to kill her. However, with the murder weapon nowhere to be found, evidence of the killer's involvement is rather thin on the ground. The discovery of hidden 'dirty' letters, discussion of naked foreplay at the bedroom window, and the unearthing of the murder weapon during the search for a missing eight-year-old boy make for the final pieces of the puzzle. Does someone at the rugby club bear a terrible grudge against the couple — or is the true murderer closer to home?

    Director:Ross Devenish
    Writer:Alan Plater

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  8. Dalziel and Pascoe Season 4 Episode 4 - The British Grenadier
    7.3/10(220 votes)

    #8 - The British Grenadier

    S4:E4

    Dalziel goes to The British Grenadier to console the pub's owner Stella, who has just had a serious fight with her husband. Suspecting her of infidelity, Stella's husband returns with a gun, and takes his wife, Dalziel and a number of patrons hostage.

    Director:Maurice Phillips
    Writer:Michael Chaplin

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  9. Dalziel and Pascoe Season 9 Episode 3 - Dead Meat (1)
    7.3/10(124 votes)

    #9 - Dead Meat (1)

    S9:E3

    A corpse of a man was found in a cage with a tiger in a zoo, and everything indicates that this death was a murder. Dalzil and Pascoe are investigating and are facing an old unsolved murder case that happened at this zoo 24 years ago. Peter meets with Ellie and Rosie, who arrived in Yorkshire, and asks them not to leave.

    Director:Patrick Lau
    Writer:Simon Sharkey

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  10. Dalziel and Pascoe Season 10 Episode 2 - Houdini's Ghost (2)
    7.3/10(110 votes)

    #10 - Houdini's Ghost (2)

    S10:E2

    No description available

    Director:Patrick Lau
    Writer:Elizabeth-Anne Wheal

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  11. Dalziel and Pascoe Season 10 Episode 4 - Glory Days (2)
    7.3/10(99 votes)

    #11 - Glory Days (2)

    S10:E4

    A bus with a football team collides with a train, it crashes, three team members die. The bus driver escapes from the scene of the crime. Dalzil and Pascoe believe that the accident was not accidental and that the bus was killed. In addition, an old case of the unsolved murder of a little girl that occurred during the football riots comes up.

    Director:Colin Buchanan
    Writer:Tony McHale

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  12. Dalziel and Pascoe Season 8 Episode 2 - The Price of Fame
    7.4/10(155 votes)

    #12 - The Price of Fame

    S8:E2

    Dalziel is investigating the disapperance of a teenage girl who was addicted to the Internet. He gets rough with the only suspect they have and gets booted off the case. Then a girl gets murdered at a holiday resort. Not any girl - a popular girl who won a TV reality contest. Then one of the holiday makers turns up dead as well. There are plenty of suspects but no real motive. Dalziel comes back onto the case. Another colleague is investigating a diamond heist. After Pascoe discovers a suspect from that case, by falling into a swimming pool, it looks like the cases could be linked

    Director:David Wheatley
    Writer:Tony McHale

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  13. Dalziel and Pascoe Season 1 Episode 2 - An Advancement of Learning
    7.5/10(245 votes)

    #13 - An Advancement of Learning

    S1:E2

    Dalziel and Pascoe are thrown into uni life when the body of former uni principal Alison Girling—who supposedly died in a bus crash in Austria—is found underneath her own memorial statue in the car park. Speaking to all of the staff who worked alongside Girling prior to her death, Dalziel struggles to make any headway until the body of Anita Sewell, a student accusing another staff member of sexual harassment is found naked on a nearby golf course. Suspecting they may have a serial killer on their hands, the trail leads straight to the doorstep of the accused – Sam Fallowfield – only for the pair to find his house trashed and homophobic slurs sprayed all over the wall. Suspecting the culprit is closer to home, Dalziel's anger blows its top when he arrives back at the university to find his temporary police HQ has been trashed by students. And then Fallowfield is found dead.

    Director:Maurice Phillips
    Writer:Alan Plater

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  14. Dalziel and Pascoe Season 2 Episode 2 - A Killing Kindness
    7.5/10(194 votes)

    #14 - A Killing Kindness

    S2:E2

    A serial killer is targeting recently engaged young women, and, after every attack, phones the local newspaper and quotes from Shakespeare's 'Hamlet'. Investigations centre around a fair, where the young relative of a psychic fortune teller who 'saw' the death of Brenda Sorby is also murdered.

    Director:Edward Bennett
    Writer:Malcolm Bradbury

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  15. Dalziel and Pascoe Season 3 Episode 1 - Under World
    7.5/10(182 votes)

    #15 - Under World

    S3:E1

    Dalziel and Pascoe investigate when the skeleton of missing miner Billy Farr is found in a mineshaft in the Yorkshire coalfields, four years after his disappearance. At the time, a seven-year-old girl was murdered, and initially, a serial killer who confessed to killing five other girls was suspected. However, she was good friends with Farr, and due to the fact they both went missing on the same day, certain townsfolk believed he was somehow responsible.

    Director:Edward Bennett
    Writer:Michael Chaplin

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  16. Dalziel and Pascoe Season 4 Episode 2 - Recalled to Life
    7.5/10(198 votes)

    #16 - Recalled to Life

    S4:E2

    Over 30 years into her sentence for the murder of her lover's wife, Cissy Kohler claims to have been coerced into a false confession. When released, she's in protective custody while Dalziel and his comatose ex-boss are investigated for their roles in the conviction.

    Director:Suri Krishnamma
    Writer:Timothy Prager

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  17. Dalziel and Pascoe Season 6 Episode 2 - Home Truths
    7.5/10(143 votes)

    #17 - Home Truths

    S6:E2

    A young Indian woman is murdered after a heated meeting of a racially divided community who are discussing the fate of the local youth centre. Andy and his team are pulled in as there are no resources available. DC Novello drives through a riot and has her car window smashed before Dalziel & Wield come to the rescue. Dalziel is not made to feel welcome by the local Super - she calls him a country bumpkin! With the help of a Indian PC they follow up on leads - and in this case everyone has hidden agendas.

    Director:Lawrence Gordon Clark
    Writer:Elizabeth-Anne Wheal

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  18. Dalziel and Pascoe Season 8 Episode 4 - Soft Touch
    7.5/10(140 votes)

    #18 - Soft Touch

    S8:E4

    What is the connection between an unidentifiable corpse found drowned in the canal with a two year old AK47 bullet lodged in its spine and the murder of a wealthy and successful businessman who has just returned from Russia with a new order and bride to be? This is the mystery that Dalziel and Pascoe must solve if they are to discover the murderer before Dalziel is moved sideways onto a desk job to make way for "new blood". The strange thing about the case is that nobody seems particularly upset about the death of the businessman. As they probe deeper into the case all sorts of jealousies, money problems and family conflicts are exposed. Also, the factory staff are trying desperately to conceal various wrongdoings from the police. Eventually, the murder weapon is discovered and a suspect confesses to the crime but are they the real murderer?

    Director:Paul Marcus
    Writer:Bill Gallagher

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  19. Dalziel and Pascoe Season 10 Episode 9 - A Death in The Family (1)
    7.5/10(113 votes)

    #19 - A Death in The Family (1)

    S10:E9

    During a bank vault robbery, bandits kill security guard Dave Compton, a former police detective who was friends with Dalzil. Latif learns of involvement in the cause of the Asian mafia.

    Director:Richard Signy
    Writer:Nicholas Martin

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  20. Dalziel and Pascoe Season 12 Episode 5 - Under Dark Stars (1)
    7.5/10(109 votes)

    #20 - Under Dark Stars (1)

    S12:E5

    A sunburned Dalziel returns from holiday in Australia and finds himself immediately investigating a murder. The dead man is Declan Roach, a researcher at the local university found in a laboratory clean room. The autopsy confirms that he died from nitrogen intoxication but it is unclear at first if it was accidental or not. Roach was working under the direction of Professor Frances Cunningham, who in turn has a major contract with Aphrodite, a major cosmetics firm. She's working on a formula for a rejuvenation cream that will be nothing less than a fountain of youth and there's obviously a great deal of money at stake. Dalziel, meanwhile, is thinking of packing it in and emigrating to Australia.

    Director:Alan Grint
    Writer:Paul Billing

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  21. Dalziel and Pascoe Season 2 Episode 1 - Ruling Passion
    7.6/10(186 votes)

    #21 - Ruling Passion

    S2:E1

    Pascoe and a pregnant Ellie visit friends in Oxfordshire but are horrified when they discover the corpses of Rose Hopkins and two of her guests. Meanwhile, back in Yorkshire, Dalziel investigates a series of burglaries in which the thief leaves a bizarre calling card.

    Director:Gareth Davies
    Writer:Malcolm Bradbury

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  22. Dalziel and Pascoe Season 3 Episode 2 - Child's Play
    7.6/10(179 votes)

    #22 - Child's Play

    S3:E2

    The funeral of an elderly Italian woman is interrupted by the arrival of her son, thought missing since 1944. Her relatives suspect that his abrupt appearance is only to collect his inheritance, as he is her sole beneficiary. Not all of her relatives are convinced he is who he says he is, but a fraudster. Meanwhile, Wield's private life nearly hits the front page when a friend of his ex-partner threatens to blow the whistle on his sexuality, if he doesn't help him find his missing father. The chief constable is not best pleased when the news gets back to him, and asks Dalziel to expose his friend.

    Director:David Wheatley
    Writer:Michael Chaplin

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  23. Dalziel and Pascoe Season 4 Episode 3 - Time to Go
    7.6/10(221 votes)

    #23 - Time to Go

    S4:E3

    The drugs-related death of a young man who lapsed into a coma at a rave club attracts the interest of Dalziel and Pascoe. As the detectives investigate deeper into the rave club they discover that the club is owned by intense, inseparable twins Nicholas and Sophie Richmond, and financed by their seemingly benign Uncle Henry, a maker of perfume. This bizarre trio cause problems enough for Dalziel but he comes under more pressure when, during a drugs raid, he arrests the son of his ex-wife Mary Waddell. Following another strange rave murder, the duo are forced to dig even deeper into the private lives and motivations of the diverse group of suspects surrounding these murders with some startling results.

    Director:Suri Krishnamma
    Writer:David Ashton

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  24. Dalziel and Pascoe Season 5 Episode 2 - Cunning Old Fox
    7.6/10(159 votes)

    #24 - Cunning Old Fox

    S5:E2

    The death of businesswoman Georgina Webster, who falls from her horse during a fox hunt, turns out to be more than an accident when the leader of the hunt is sent a letter to that effect. Investigating, Dalziel and Pascoe discover someone planted gunpowder in a hedge shortly before her death, causing her horse to be startled and throw her off. As the local SABS group come under investigation, Dalziel discovers that the daughter of the huntsmaster is in fact a saboteur, and may hold more of a grudge than her compadres.

    Director:Matthew Evans
    Writers:Malcolm Bradbury, Steve Attridge

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  25. Dalziel and Pascoe Season 5 Episode 4 - Above the Law
    7.6/10(148 votes)

    #25 - Above the Law

    S5:E4

    When high court judge Jerry Chance is shot dead at point blank range, the immediate suspect is large-scale drugs importer Kenneth Barbour, whom Chance was recently trying for the importation of £15 million of street heroin. Barbour swears blind he isn't responsible, so as Dalziel and Pascoe look a little deeper, they discover that Chance was involved in homosexual relationships with young men.

    Director:Paul Marcus
    Writer:Matthew Hall

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

Worst Episodes Summary

"Demons on Our Shoulders (2)" is the worst rated episode of "Dalziel and Pascoe". It scored 6.5/10 based on 114 votes. Directed by Patrick Lau and written by Paul Billing, it aired on 5/13/2007. This episode scored 0.1 points lower than the second lowest rated, "Demons on Our Shoulders (1)".