Dempsey and Makepeace is a British television crime drama made by LWT for ITV, created and produced by Ranald Graham. Lead roles were played by Michael Brandon (Lieutenant Dempsey) and Glynis Barber (Detective Makepeace), who later married each other in real life in 1989. Premise The premise of Dempsey and Makepeace is the oddball pairing of two police detectives: an elegant British noblewoman, Sgt (Lady) Harriet Makepeace, and a streetwise working-class New Yorker, Lt James Dempsey, both working for an elite and armed unit of the London Metropolitan Police. When his partner Joey dies in a botched drugs operation and he uncovers police corruption at the highest level, Dempsey is under threat of assassination. With help from his colleagues, he hurriedly leaves New York for London, on the pretense of an undercover international police exchange programme. Harriet "Harry" Makepeace is the daughter of Lord Winfield (Ralph Michael), who owns an English stately home. Reference is made to his having formerly been in the Army or the Secret Service. Makepeace's grandfather is mentioned as having been a Victorian collector of antiques and rare items. Makepeace's mother is mentioned only once, by her maternal uncle Duffy and, it would seem she had died some time ago. Makepeace has made her way up through the ranks of the police force, despite sexism by her male counterparts and the physical demands of the job. Although there is initial reluctance on both sides, Dempsey and Makepeace work as partners in a specialised task force, SI 10, and they make a good team. SI 10 is under the command of Gordon Spikings, played by Ray Smith. A fourth regular role is that of Chas, played by Tony Osoba, who provides useful research and communications in the SI 10 office and occasionally has a more active role. Two double-length episodes were produced, the first being the pilot ("Armed and Extremely Dangerous"), with the second the series 3 two-part opener ("The Burning"). At the height of the series' popularity, and during season 2 particularly, the British tabloid press hounded the lead actors for off-screen stories regarding their then-budding personal relationship. Much of the show's draw came from the good natured "will they or won’t they" interplay and a slowly evolving romance between the main protagonists, made possible by the obvious chemistry between the two lead actors. The show ended with an episode directed by Michael Brandon himself where