Cracker.

ALTHOUGH THIS IS A TRIBUTE

TO THE GREAT ROBBIE COLTRANE,

OTHER ACTORS WHOM I ADMIRE,

WHO ARE RADIANT AND RIOTOUS IN

both comedy and drama, will pop up

to receive accolades.

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What brings this up is an article in the Times
about the series, "Crackers", starring Robbie Coltrane,
which is now being issued on DVD. Hurray for that!
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For those of you not as fanatical about British Police
Procedurals as I, let me explain. Fitz, Eddie Fitzgerald,
Coltrane's character, is a plump, arrogant, masterful,
penetrating, harsh, sharp, forensic police psychologist.
Solves them all, of course, and receives spiritual as
well as physical bruises.
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I place this series just slightly below "Prime Suspect",
Helen Mirren's masterwork. On the level with
"Inspector Morse", with the late, great John Thaw.
And almost side by side with the esoteric,"Wire In the Blood",
with the riveting Robson Green.
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Coltrane's been Hagrid in "Harry Potter and the Sorcerers
Stone", in recent years. But started and was trained In
Glasgow. Was a partner to Emma Thompson with a
comedy troupe, appeared in Kenneth Branagh's "Henry V",
added to the mayhem of Black Adder, as did the original
Bertie Wooster, Hugh Laurie, (opposite the inimitable
Stephen Fry as Jeeves), who is presently wasting
his time as the dissipated and misogynistic "House", when
he should just shave, wash his face and do a bit of song,
a bit of dance, a bit of seltzer down his pants.
But I digress.
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What put Robbie Coltrane's name above the title was "Nuns
on the Run", with the "wacky" Eric Idle, who needs no
introduction here. I admit, I'm a complete sucker for
ridiculous drag and silly Nuns. Quite a transition then to
"Cracker", but my deep preference for comedy doesn't
erase Coltrane's personification of the super sleuth,
Eddie Fitzgerald. Ready for another round of that.