The Detectives originated from a recurring
sketch that first appeared on Jasper Carrott's comedy show
Canned Carrott. Because of its success, it was turned into a television series. There were a few differences from the sketch to the TV series, such as Dave Briggs being married in the sketch (to Brenda), while in the series, both he and Louis are single and hopeless at romance. Jasper Carrott and Robert Powell play the bumbling
detective constables Bob Louis and David Briggs. They were bad at their job, to the despair of their boss, Superintendent Frank Cottam (played by Sewell). However, they usually ended up solving their cases. The BBC compared it to the series
Special Branch (1969–74), in which Sewell had also appeared. Mark Lewisohn compared it to
The Sweeney (1975–78), describing Sewell's role as "a deadpan spin on that series' Chief Inspector Haskins". Moreover, the original sketches were introduced by a blue-tinted sequence and musical score that parodied
The Sweeney's opening titles. Each episode showcased different guest stars, and some of them played the same characters they had played in other television series:
Leslie Grantham appeared as Danny Kane from
The Paradise Club, while
John Nettles and
Terence Alexander reprised their roles from
Bergerac. In 2012, BBC1 broadcast a one-off sketch show
The One Jasper Carrott (part of a series showcasing various comedians) which included an extended sketch about Briggs and Louis having formed an incompetent private detective agency, Sherlock and Holmes (the role of Superintendent was now played by
Michael Melia, who had played the character Brian in the second episode of series 1, as George Sewell had died in 2007). ==Characters==