David Bedford
www.davidabedford.com
“Liverpool 1960. As The Beatles head for stardom, one man walks the Liverpool beat.”
From Rocke himself, to his sidekick Warwick, find our more about the people in the stories.
Every great detective has a great car, and Rocke is no different.
He drives a new 1960 Ford Zodiac Mark ll. A British car but with an American feel, with its two-
This was sufficient to allow a 0-
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-
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-
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-
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.
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.