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Constable Savage - the nutcase police officer

posted 15 years ago by Altho73
6 replies | jump to latest

Back in the 1980's this TV series showed a sketch called 'Constable Savage' where this nutcase police officer was reprimanded by the police chief for charging people with the following offenses -

Urinating in a public convenience
Loitering with intent to use a pedestrian crossing
Coughing without due care and attention
Wearing a loud shirt in a residential area during the hours of darkness
Walking around with an offensive wife
Being in possession of curly hair

That was hilarious back then, but it's not so funny any more when in today's Britain people have been arrested, reprimanded or fined for the following childish 'crimes'!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! -

Putting litter in a public bin
Putting your bin out too early
Putting the wrong sort of garbage in your bin
Not closing the lid of your bin properly
Walking around in a public park without being accompanied by a child
Allowing your children to draw hopscotch squares on the floor
Allowing your children to build a treehouse
Taking a photograph of a police officer

[–] SteveResin 15 years ago

I think you're missing the meaning of the sketch dude. It's not about Savage arresting people for trivial offences, it's about Savage persecuting a black man because of the colour of his skin. This was a very topical show and at the time in Thatchers Britain the Police were inherently racist.

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Love Is All You Need

[–] jren57 14 years ago

"He's a Jailbird sir"

"YES I KNOW HE'S A JAILBIRD SAVAGE!, where holding him in the cells now, on possession of curly black hair and thick lips!

[–] PurpleProseOfCairo 14 years ago

The first few of those are local authority rules and actually quite sensible and designed to give us all a nicer environment, without overflowing bins besmirching the landscape. Similarly chalking on the pavement - if they're going to clean up after themselves fine, otherwise let them go into your house and chalk on the floor.

There are reasons for all rules - if you and sufficient others don't like them, you can get them changed.

[–] Altho73 12 years ago

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Similarly chalking on the pavement - if they're going to clean up after themselves fine, otherwise let them go into your house and chalk on the floor.
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Oh for goodness sake, get a life!!!!

What exactly is your problem with chalking on the pavement???? Cleaning it up afterwards, for goodness sake, next time it rains it'll wash off

[–] PoppyTransfusion 12 years ago

My favourite sketch ever! Hilariously funny and a frighteningly accurate satire on British policing.

my vessel is magnificent and large and huge-ish

[–] tohu 11 years ago

Their 1982 stage show, 'Not In Front of the Audience', featured a wonderful reprise of this sketch, in which the Inspector again confronts Savage over some new charges he has pressed against the Kodogo family. I don't remember them all, but the classic one that sticks in my mind is (and you have to imagine Rowan Atkinson's priceless agitated delivery)... "Three days later you entered their house while the family was having breakfast and arrested his infant son, Master Wellington Kodogo (aged 3!!) for 'breaking and entering a boiled egg'".

:)))

This sketch had a really shocking line though at the end, which they'd never get away with now...

In the TV sketch the Inspector at one point takes a deep breath, sits down at his desk and asks, with controlled calmness: "Savage, would I be correct in assuming that Mr Kodogo is a coloured gentleman?" And Savage responds, with barely-concealed sarcasm, "Well I can't say I've ever noticed Sir!"

In the stage version, at just the same point in the sketch, the Inspector adopts the same quiet, slow tone of voice: "Savage, would I be correct in assuming that Mr Kodogo is of Caribbean extraction?"
Savage: "Is he, Sir? I thought he was a nig-nog!"

:=00

Can you imagine if they did that now???!! Even taking into account the context of the point they were making, I believe they'd be absolutely crucified for this.

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