Van der Valk on Masterpiece

Barry Foster starred as Amsterdam-based police detective Piet Van Der Valk in this popular British crime series. Debuting over Thames Television on September 13, 1972, Van Der Valk originally yielded 25 hour-long mysteries before its cancellation on October 10, 1973. By popular demand, the property was brought back for another batch of 60-minute installments from September 5 to November 21, 1977; on this occasion, Joanna Dunham replaced Susan Travers as Van Der Valk's wife Arlette. This role was again recast when Van Der Valk made its final TV appearance from January 16, 1991 to February 19, 1992, this time as an irregularly scheduled series of two-hour dramas; now, Meg Davies played Arlette opposite the indomitable Barry Foster. When all was said and done, the most memorable aspect of Van Der Valk was its theme song, Jack Tromberg's "Eye Level," which proved to be a top-ten hit on the British charts when it was recorded by Simon Park Orchestra.