David Bedford

www.davidabedford.com

“Liverpool 1960. As The Beatles head for stardom, one man walks the Liverpool beat.”

Meet The Characters in the Inspector Rocke series

From Rocke himself, to his sidekick Warwick, find our more about the people in the stories.

James George Rocke, known as George, is a Liverpool born son of a Liverpool mother an Irish father. Born in 1920, he is 6 foot tall, with reddish brown hair. He had made it to the rank of detective Chief Superintendent and was renowned for getting his man, by often toeing on the very edge of the boundaries as defined by the police force. Having been brought up in a strict Catholic family, then his religious beliefs around marriage, homosexuality, abortion and contraception are challenged every day in a decade that would rewrite the rule-book.   

Despite his age, he loves the new rock ‘n’ roll music crossing the Atlantic and saw Buddy Holly on his only visit to Liverpool in March 1958. He therefore knows the local music scene well and meets, for the first time, a new group of musicians called The Silver Beatles.

Rocke served in the Kings Regiment from Liverpool during the Second World War, and was involved in the D-Day landings. Rocke, like many veterans, never talks about the war, but during this series he will have to confront German sailors and memories of his service and the deep-rooted prejudices he has with many Liverpudlians, even if he wasn’t aware of them.

Rocke’s new partner who gets introduced in Episode One is from London. He comes across as a racist who framed a black man for a crime he didn’t commit and was demoted, and sent to Liverpool as a last chance. He is a former “teddy-boy” who speaks before he thinks, and lost a brother to a murder, which prompted him to join the Police. He has a lack of respect for authority and is everything Rocke hates in a policeman, but they have to make it work. He has been downgraded from Detective Sergeant to Detective Constable, and sent from the Metropolitan Police to Liverpool as his punishment, which is how he sees it: a punishment. All he knows is London and is full of stereotypical prejudices, that see the north-south divide clash between Rocke and Warwick raise its head on a regular basis. The two policemen are complete opposites and have to learn to work together. Their relationship is at the core of each story.

Inspector George Rocke

Detective Constable Paul Warwick

Chief Constable Richard Bell

A tough talking Liverpool copper who made it all the way to the top. He tolerates Rocke because his results are good, though his patience is tried all the time. They have a good professional relationship, and his bark is usually worse than his bite. Bell is a Mason, which becomes an issue, as Rocke is opposed to everything the Mason’s stand for.

John McKenzie, MD

McKenzie is the police surgeon and a good friend of Rocke. They have worked together for many years and know each other well and have a respect for each other. Originally from Glasgow, McKenzie still has a strong Glaswegian accent, and the stereotypical love of a wee dram of pure malt scotch.