His television career began in the midfifties and although initially playing small parts during the sixties he began to take on bigger roles including the part of Detective Chief Inspector Lewis in the BBCs longrunning Softly Softly 1966 series He often played policemen but none more famous than DCI Frank Haskins in The Sweeney 1974 opposite John Thaw and Dennis Waterman during the seventies where he was an admirable foil to Thaws brash renegade Inspector Jack Regan He was also a regular in other TV series such as The Nineteenth Hole 1989 You Must Be the Husband 1987 and Shelley 1979 all during the eighties and No Job for a Lady 1990 opposite Penelope Keith in the nineties