The ominous words “From The North” announce the Granada production Shadow Squad, a popular private-eye show from the late 1950s. In a move that would be adopted by the Batman TV series in the US, twice-weekly episodes were split with a cliffhanger ending. Regrettably, the duo of doubles represented on this disc are the sole surviving output of a show that chalked up nearly 180 episodes over its 3 year run.

Shadow Squad was a late bloomer, having started life in the London studios of Associated Rediffusion, whose output at the time included such other classics such as No Hiding Place (itself overdue a release with whatever episodes may still be left) and Top Secret. The move north to Manchester signaled the departure of original star Rex Garner (who in the show was sent to Australia on a “long investigation”!) and the investiture of Peter Williams as former Scotland Yard detective Don Carter. It was at this turning point that the show really found its feet.

As a concept, Shadow Squad must have been quite cutting edge for its time. Unfortunately the years have not been kind and it stands now as more of a curio to a bygone era, with arch acting and creaky sets. That said, if Dixon Of Dock Green was the elderly relative of The Bill, then Shadow Squad would be The Shield.

Presented here, the two complete stories we have left are ‘Race Against Time’, where a horse-racing betting scam is uncovered and the ominously titled ‘The Missing Cheese’, in which an innocuous robbery from a pub points towards a more mysterious web of unsolved burglaries. Carter is abetted throughout by cockney Ginger Smart (George Moon) and Mrs Moggs who, Columbo style, would always be able to see the current case from a unique perspective. Moon would relocate to a security job at an airport at the end of Shadow Squad for the spin-off series Skyport, the only surviving episode of which is included as an extra here.

The biggest regret is that the final, bizarre, episode of Shadow Squad did not survive, where the team investigates a murder at a TV studio, only to discover that it is the Granada studio and they are actually fictitious characters in a TV show. They break character and wish each other good night before the credits roll. How very Lynchian!

Released on DVD on Monday 14th February 2011 by Network.