Every season of Z-Cars ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best seasons of Z-Cars!

The search is on for four young men to ""crew"" the new cars in the tough and troubled district of Newtown, a North of England overspill estate. A mixed community, displaced from the larger towns by slum clearance, has been brought together and housed on an estate without amenities.

Four of a Kind

A girl disappears, and Steele and Lynch are faced by a conspiracy of silence in her broken family.

The Limping Rabbit

An explosion in a quarry disturbs two lovers. It also disturbs Detective Sergeant John Watt when he finds out what caused it.

Handle With Care

A wounding case brings top brass into Victor Division to investigate.  Lynch and Steele work overtime to find the villain.

Stab In The Dark

When the whalers hit Seaport after a good season Smith and Weir have their work cut out to keep trouble to a minimum.

Big Catch

""It's going to be one of those nights"", pronounced Sgt. Percy Twentyman, and he wasn't far wrong.  Steele and Lynch have to cope with the aftermath of a traffic accident in which a drunken driver has killed a motor cyclist and his pillion passenger.  Small time felon Grandpa Maddigan blows up the safe in the Gas Company office, Watt and DCS Robins are hot on the trail of the notorious Comber gang, and Twentyman himself gets more than he bargained for when he tries to break up a free-for-all in the Tabernacle pub.

Friday Night

The crew of Z-Victor One waste no time in arriving at the scene of a burglary.  Their reward is to be suspected of theft themselves.

Suspended

When two feuding families go to war Lynch and Steele find themselves in the front line.

Family Feud

The report of a burning barn takes Smith and Weir into the country, searching for a fire-raiser.

Fire!

In Victor Division the police often live next door to unruly members of the community.  Bob and Janey Steele find that this can have unpleasant, even dangerous, consequences.

Threats And Menaces

What is a mysterious stranger from Soho doing in Victor Division?  John Watt would like to know, and keeps a close watch on him.  Smith and Weir are heavily involved in the tracking down of money previously stolen in a mailbag robbery.  Both events are triggered by a successful jail break.

Jail Break

A young man risks his life to save that of an accident victim trapped under an overturned road tanker, then disappears quietly.  One of the bystanders, a retired army officer, pesters Barlow to trace the man and see that he gets the recognition he deserves.  Barlow eventually finds the reluctant hero, only to discover that he is an army deserter wanted by the Military Police!

What Kind Of Hero?

When a case of murder is reported Lynch and Steele are the first policemen on the scene.  But the main responsibility for organising the hunt for the killer falls on Barlow, whose toughness is backed by vast experience and an intuitive mind.

Sudden Death

Smith and Weir answer a call and find an abandoned baby.  They bring it along to the station, where Inspector Dunn is in charge in Barlow's absence.

Found Abandoned

Lynch and Steele have their hands full when a gang of boys break into a school and smash up the headmaster's study.  But the hooliganism doesn't stop there.  When they are disturbed by the caretaker the oldest member of the gang attacks him and leaves him seriously injured.

The Best Days

When a gas meter is broken into in a big block of flats Weir and Smith think their hunt is only for a petty thief.  What they encounter, though, is someone much more dangerous.

Invisible Enemy

A drunk causes a disturbance, two thieves break into a pet shop - and Steele and Lynch end the night at knife-point.

Down And Out

Weir stops a car driving without lights, the first event in a night which brings 'important' people in the county to Newtown police station.

Further Enquiries

A race track tout forgets to pay his alimony, and Steele and Lynch discover an ingenious fraud to beat the bookies.

Winner Takes All

It's a busy night for Smith, Weir and Sergeant Watt when burglary is rife.

People's Property

At Pete's Caff Steele and Lynch report ""off watch for refreshments"".  While they are eating and talking to Steele's friend Les Fielding his lorry is hi-jacked.

Hi-Jack!

Fancy Smith first meets Stan Carron in the Tabernacle pub where Carron is causing a disturbance.  They have an argument.  The second time they meet Carron is in no state to argue and Smith starts a long night's work.

Incident Reported

For two years Barlow has been trying to catch a Newtown thief.  When DCS Robins takes a personal interest the pressure is on for everyone - particularly Steele and Lynch.

Never On Wednesday

A charabanc outing, a halt at a pub and an exponent of the three-card trick: this is how a day at the seaside begins.  It ends in violence.

Day Trip

Two men claim the same prize and trouble begins.  When Lynch and Steele are called there is an unexpected development and a policeman dies.

Affray

The prospect of a 'finder's reward' in a dockland smuggling case makes Smith and Weir eager volunteers for extra duty.

Contraband

Just when the crime figures are levelling out one man pushes them up and up with a series of aimless break-ins.  When Steele and Lynch lay hands on him but let him escape Barlow, Watt and Dunn are ready to lay hands on them!

Teamwork

Catching a thief is only the beginning as far as the police are concerned.  When Smith and Weir have to justify their action in court the truth is made to look slightly less than the whole truth.

Appearance In Court

Barlow is investigating a case of assault.  Betty Ancoats accuses four youths of attacking her, but one of them, Hogan, who has a reputation for violence, denies any knowledge of the crime.

Assault

Sunday Morning

Barlow initiates a campaign against the Cruddock brothers and their gang.  The Z-Cars engage in 'Operation Harassment' and a state of total war develops.

Unconditional Surrender

Both crews are forced to realise the narrow margin between life and death on a busy night in which Barlow and Twentyman miss one crime and catch two criminals.

On Watch - Newtown

A pretty girl out alone and late at night leads Steele and Lynch to a robbery and to a tearaway more dangerous than any they have encountered before.

Full Remission

The violent death of a small shopkeeper brings Supt. Miller into Victor Division and into conflict with Barlow, who has his own solution to offer.

Truth Or Dare

Z-Victor Two gets an alarm call to a jeweller's shop.  Sgt. Watt gets the information that leads to an arrest, but the case is not as simple as it seems.

Information Received

The trail of a walk-in thief leads Smith and Weir to a locked room in Newtown and on to a night in Blackpool - but not to see the illuminations!

Friendly Relations

Lynch and Steele investigate a break-in at a factory where the night watchman has been attacked and injured.  They bring in a man the Newtown police have long wanted to see behind bars.  But bringing him in is one thing, keeping him in is another.

Corroboration

A neat operation in car stealing begins to go wrong when the thief tries mixing business with pleasure.

The Thin Girl

Johnny attacks a man in a pub - the wrong man.  Steele and Lynch have to find him before he finds the right man.

Johnny Sailor

Detective Superintendent Miller, aggressive as ever, leads the local Newtown force as they attempt to find a man who has attacked several young girls.

Person Unknown

Dick Davis comes out of Walton jail and immediately plans his first job.  But after two years in prison Davis cannot match the quality of his planning with the quality of his new accomplices.

Ambush

Hilda Simmons reports that her car has been stolen.  But she omits to tell the police that the man who took it is her husband.  Smith and Weir have the task of rounding up the 'thief' only to find that the charge has been withdrawn.  However, Sgt. Watt recognises Simmons of old, and soon tumbles to what is happening.

Known To The Police

Lynch and Steele are called to a pub fight.  Who started it?  As Geraghty said: ""Hollis is always starting fights.  Too clever for himself this time, though - far too clever"".

The Navigators

A London gang move north.  They plan a short and profitable visit to Newtown.  Smith and Weir spend a busy night trying to cut down their profits and lengthen their stay.

Business Trip

A quantity of drink and five suits are missing.  Steele and Lynch spend a long night looking for the drink while the rest of the Newtown police are at the Christmas party.

Five Whistles

When a child is reported missing on Christmas Day Smith and Weir are first in what becomes a countrywide hunt for him.  They search all day and into the night in a desperate attempt to find him.

Search

Arrest usually pile up at night - except in this case that involves a safe, the Army, a divorce and a potted plant.

All Up By Seven

Eddie plays the trumpet badly and on the streets, so his contacts with the police are frequent.  This time, however, there is more than music involved.

Trumpet Voluntary

Export cigarettes are being imported into the Newtown area.  Lynch and Steele pick up some fag-ends of information.

Five And A Match

A casual lift as the rain pours down - and for Winnie Parker it means a drive of terror.  Her kindness in persuading her husband to pick up a hitch-hiker puts her in danger and gives a long night of anxiety and work for Smith and Weir.

The Hitch-Hiker

Bob Steele is late for work.  And because of this he becomes accidentally involved in a case concerning a petty thief.  He is going through the town's shopping centre when a middle-aged woman comes running out of one of the stores, closely pursued by a security guard.  She has apparently been shoplifting.  But what seems at first sight to be a 'simple case' confronts Steele with the biggest decision of his life.   (This was Jeremy Kemp's last appearance as PC Bob Steele.)

A Simple Case

The act is sudden, brutal and corroding.  The problem facing Barlow is what the victim has done to warrant it.

Act Of Vengeance

Lynch goes out on patrol with PC Dave Graham, the former dog-handler who has been chosen to replace Bob Steele.  With Lynch missing the companionship of Steele, the relationship between the new pair is not easy.  They quickly run into trouble - with each other and with a pair of thieves with an ear to police business.

The Listeners

Cock-fighting is cruel, bloody and illegal.  Its promoters have to work in secret, and so do the police in trying to catch the perpetrators.

The Main Chance

The trail of counterfeit notes begins in a chemist's shop.  Following it is more complicated than Lynch and Graham would ever have believed.

Follow My Leader

The men want the new club to be peaceful and palatial.  John Watt's concern is with the way it is being financed and furnished.

Members Only

A serious crime has to be reported to Headquarters.  Barlow's main worry is that the crime may not have been committed at all.

Matter Of Conviction

In an attempt to improve the crime statistics Barlow has Smith and Weir devoting valuable time to the theft of a bicycle lamp and John Watt is set to clear up an affair of lead castings pilfered from a factory.  Both seem trivial, but Barlow thinks that they are worth some trouble - and as usual he is proved right in the end.

The Bad Lad

Despite all the anger and resentment they arouse nothing must deflect Inspector Bamber from the most difficult enquiries of his career - into suspicions that Victor Division contains a policeman who is a thief.

Enquiry

Glossop is a name all too familiar to Newtown CID.  His record includes larceny, assault, shopbreaking, gaming and assault on police.  So when he escapes from prison and is reported to be back in Newtown Barlow makes it his personal business to find him.  But knowing Glossop's reputation, the informers are reluctant to talk.

Pay By Results

A big bump in the night and the hunt for the safebreakers is on.  But the safebreakers are hunting too - for the expert.

The Peterman

Only when the birds have flown does Z-Victor One get called to the Atlantic Hotel, where a man and woman are wanted for not paying their bill.  Barlow has to set snares to catch them.

The Birds Of The Air

A mailbag robbery in Newtown and Barlow is in his element as the masterly organiser at the centre of operations.  He sends Lynch and Graham to set up a road block, chivvies John Watt into scouting for information and reminds Sgt. Blackitt of the golden rule: ""Can't afford to let things stop or get bogged down"".

Train Of Events

""Crimes like this, there's always two, always.  I've never known it otherwise"".  And DCS Robins is talking about murder.

By The Book

A vicious bunch of thugs and a young couple in love.  Lynch and Graham are involved with both while their own working relationship reaches flash point.  PC Sweet and the relative newcomer DC Hicks also get caught up in the action.

Nothing Serious

The alarm rings and the police dash to the scene.  This is the reflex action a clever crook can calculate on - except when PC Jock Weir decides to take charge.

Alarm Call

It's the night after a big rugby football match.  Lynch and Graham get a surprise when they are sent to investigate a spot of trouble at a pub on the Newtown to Seaport road, for there they find Jock Weir.  He is having a drink with friends to celebrate playing on the winning side, but with the arrival of Lynch and Graham the evening turns out to be anything but a happy one.

A Try By Weir

Fancy Smith's devotion to duty takes him, on his night off, to visit a young offender's father, with results that make him bitterly and furiously angry.

Quiet Confidence

The crew of a merchant ship about to dock at Seaport are looking forward to shore leave.  They have money to burn and an itch to burn it in Rosie's Club.  When a smallpox scare leads to all leave being stopped, two sailors have other ideas and sneak ashore.  Lynch and Graham have to find them to prevent a possible smallpox epidemic.

Scare

Cattle are identified by marks on their ears.  Sgt. Watt and Z-Victor One have to find their own way of identifying the people responsible for a large-scale fraud.

Caught By The Ears

In soccer mad Newtown tickets for the big match are at a premium.  Everyone wants to go, villains and police alike.  Con man Johnson has eight tickets to distribute to people who might be useful to him, but mistakenly hands them to Paddy, a fixer who has his own ideas about who to give them to.  Lynch and Graham also have tickets and are on their way to the stadium when they come into violent contact with a gang of men in a stolen lorry.

Come On The Lads

A team of pickpockets and the attempt to track them down leads Jock Weir into serious trouble with the public and with the Chief Constable.

The Whizzers

The Coroner's demand for the presence of a witness sends Smith and Weir to a lonely cottage, to be greeted with a kind of violence even they do not expect.

Police Work

An attempted burglary and a hit-and-run accident - PC Lynch sees the connection first.  Proving it is a job for the whole of Victor Division.

Lucky Accident

Two arrests, two court cases - and also two people, in one of whom Fancy Smith takes a personal interest.

Made For Each Other

Chief Inspector Barlow is known locally as something of a gourmet, but not even the chef believes that he is interested only in food.

A La Carte

The bang is loud in the night.  The conspiracy of silence which follows is more sinister.  When an explosion destroys Bill Webster's betting shop CID runs up against a blank wall.  No clues and there is nobody willing to talk.  Webster himself stubbornly maintains it was an accident, but Barlow is convinced there is a connection between the explosion and the fact that Webster intends to compete with his rivals by opening more shops in the area.

Light The Blue Paper

PCs Lynch and Graham find that a quiet night can be just as busy as any other, but for some of the people they encounter it is also a night of tragedy.

A Quiet Night

A slight collision between two cars, a bad-tempered blow, and a young man finds himself involved in serious trouble - both for himself and for those close to him.

Hit And Run

A young rookie constable cannot hold his liquor.  In his cups he reveals the whereabouts of a 'safe house' holding a vital witness, with disastrous consequences.

Hide - And Go Seek

An outbreak of thefts from offertory boxes, a flood of dud cheques - and Victor Division's crime figures begin to soar.  Barlow and Watt try to identify a petty criminal with an interest in churches.

The Kiter

Lynch and Graham investigate a domestic tragedy.  And for Barlow there's the urgent problem of saving a man's life.

Special Duty

Complaints about a fast-moving, fast-talking door-to-door salesman give Weir and Smith a busy day, while Sgt. Watt prepares the trap.

Remembrance Of A Guest

When a Newtown pillar box begins to belch smoke Graham's first reaction is that someone has been posting red hot love letters.  But by the time thirteen pillar boxes have been burned out he and Lynch are on the trail of an unusual kind of pyromaniac.  Meanwhile Sgt. Watt is keeping an eye on Oliver Snow, a visitor from London who goes out of his way to be offensive.

Daylight Robbery

Freddy Milligan is servinga  prison sentence for robbery with violence. With six weeks of his sentence to run, he is given compassionate parole to attend his wife's funeral. He fails to report back, and the Newtown police get the job of bringing him in.

Running Milligan

A report of breaking and entering at Mallory Hall and soon Lord Tenterden's home is swarming with policemen from the ACC right down to Fancy Smith.  The thieves have taken something far more valuable than the money they were after.  Is espionage involved?

Choose Your Partners

A case of shoplifting, the disappearance of 3,000 bricks and some unbuilt houses give Barlow and the boys in Z-Victor One a busy day.

Tuesday Afternoon

Dave Graham is used to sorting out the problems of other people, but only as a policeman.  He finds it much more difficult to cope with a crisis in his own home.

Supper In The Morning

Some crimes are solved by logic.  Barlow finds one but Smith and Weir look like upsetting him in their persistent search for a stolen purse.

Wait For It

On Christmas Eve Lynch and Graham are as full of goodwill to all men as any police officers can be - with a garage robbery to deal with and other people's celebrations getting in the way.

It Never Rains ...

The revelry of New Year's Eve has its normal problems for the Newtown police and its special opportunities for a lone marauder in the streets.  Sgt. Blackitt, leaving PC Sweet on the desk, is on the beat himself for a change.  Down by the canal is a nurse from the Cottage Hospital and she is out on a cold night without a cloak over her uniform.

.. And A Happy New Year

When a happy-go-lucky thief refuses to confess to a simple breaking and entering job Barlow continues enquiries.  This starts an avalanche of evidence and soon Barlow fears that everyone in Newtown is implicated somewhere along the line.

Happy-Go-Lucky

It can't possibly be blackmail - the old lady seems much too innocent and can have nothing to hide.  But Lynch and Graham are sure that something has happened and Barlow decides to set a trap.

Promise Made

Weir finds that being a policeman doesn't stop when he goes off duty, particularly as his girl friend Sally has shady connections.

I Mean...Where Does It Stop?

A chance encounter is soon forgotten by Lynch and Graham.  But remembering a face becomes vital when Barlow orders a search for missing money - and a missing man.

A Stroll Along The Sands

Barlow loses a case against a known criminal.  He believes the man is guilty but he is ordered to re-investigate the crime and finds a problem he doesn't want to face.

No Malice

A mysterious meeting at a sports pavilion attracts the attention of Z-Victor Two.  John Watt investigates.  When a sharp warning to a friend is unheeded Watt finds himself at the centre of hostilities.

Profit By Their Example

Barlow's attendance at a police conference starts a spring cleaning at Newtown station.  But the arrest of an elderly drunk by Smith and Weir upsets the efficiency drive.

A Question Of Storage

When a seemingly harmless practical joke goes wrong and leads to a disturbance Lynch finds himself involved in a very personal problem.

Fun And Games

When a young offender escapes from custody he is seen hiding on a roof and DC Hicks is detailed to bring him down.

A Man...Like Yourself

Z-Cars or Z Cars is a British television drama series centred on the work of mobile uniformed police in the fictional town of Newtown, based on Kirkby, Merseyside. Produced by the BBC, it debuted in January 1962 and ran until September 1978.

The Best Seasons of Z-Cars

The Best Seasons of Z-Cars

Season 4

Season 8

Season 12

Season 11

Season 9

Season 1

Season 2

Season 3

Season 5

Season 6

Season 7

Season 10