Concept and creative process
The opening titles for the new crime series ‘Z Cars’, which focused on the life and work of policemen stationed at the fictional Newtown HQ in Lancashire. The use of mobile patrol cars and walkie-talkie communication moved the genre into a different era, away from the local ‘Bobby on the beat’ approach of police series like ‘Dixon of Dock Green’. The titles featured a map of the area covered by the Newtown force and its use of mobile communications. The theme music, based on a reworking of a traditional folk song, became famous in its own right and was adopted as an anthem by Watford and Everton football clubs.