The Vice (TV Series)

The Vice (TV Series)

The Vice is an ITV police drama about the Metropolitan Police Vice Unit. It ran for five short series (3 to 7 episodes each) between 1999 and 2003. It tells the story of the London Metropolitan police force's vice squad, where prostitution, underage sex, and other such organized crime are regular occurrences. Most episodes end in such a way where the main villain is caught but often not in a 'naturally' concluded way that you would expect with other TV dramas, and often ending an episode with more questions unanswered than answered.

The small dedicated team is led by Detective Inspector Pat Chappel (Ken Stott) who struggles to manage the balance between his home life and his work life - as do the other members of the team. Working in the seedy underworld leads to a continual dilemma for the team - the tension between the Vice Squad and the vice-related crimes that they investigate runs throughout the series and gives the show a rich viewing experience. The programme often blurs the line of the team staying on the right side of the law, as almost every member of the team at different points submits briefly or permanently to the temptations of either sex, drugs, money or honey traps. Sometimes with drastic consequences.

The show experimented with different formats: Three seasons of two-part, one hour episodes. A single season of ninety minute episodes, and then a final extended season of self-contained one-hour episodes. The show was not continued when Ken Stott decided to leave at the end of 2003.

The Portishead track "Sour Times" is used as the theme music to the show. It also starred Caroline Catz (PC Cheryl Hutchins), David Harewood (Sgt Joe Robinson), Tim Pigott-Smith (DS Frank Vickers), Marc Warren (Dougie) and Rosie Marcel (Kirsty).