The WORST episodes of Dempsey and Makepeace

Every episode of Dempsey and Makepeace ever, ranked from worst to best by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The worst episodes of Dempsey and Makepeace!

This detective/police drama series was based around two mis-matched detectives. Lieutenant James Dempsey was seconded to a new undercover section of Scotland Yard known as SI 10. This was for his own protection following a corruption scandal in the New York police department. Once in London, Dempsey was partnered with a beautiful female Detective Sergeant named Harriet Makepeace, who prefered to be known as "Harry". Together, they worked under the extremely watchful eye of Chief Superintendent Gordon Spikings. Dempsey and Makepeace never really agreed with each other's methods of police work, but they managed to get the bad guys. Michael Brandon and Glynis Barber made the roles of "Dempsey and Makepeace" their own. Their on-screen relationship could never prepare the public for what was to happen in real-life. Michael and Glynis became husband and wife on November 18th, 1989. On November 21st, 1992, three days after their third wedding anniversary, Glynis gave birth to a baby boy, Ale.

Last Updated: 10/26/2024Network: ITV1Status: Ended
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Hors De Combat
star
6.90
39 votes

#1 - Hors De Combat

Season 1 - Episode 5 - Aired 2/8/1985

Frank Price is sprung out of jail, only to be killed by his accomplices. Spikings suspects Price's boss Jack Lang, but when Lang's granddaughter Debbie is kidnapped it seems like someone else is trying to instigate a gang war. Meanwhile, Dempsey is more interested in wooing fellow American Angie Hughes.

Watch Now:Amazon
The Squeeze
star
6.90
40 votes

#2 - The Squeeze

Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 1/18/1985

A heavy duty transit van carrying half a million pounds in used notes is high jacked, drivers and all, and SI 10 is tasked with finding it. Meanwhile, Spikings has his hands full trying to get Dempsey to part with his gun, as it is illegal for police officers in England to carry one.

Directors: Tony Wharmby
Watch Now:Amazon
Mantrap
star
6.94
32 votes

#3 - Mantrap

Season 3 - Episode 9 - Aired 10/25/1986

Dempsey and Makepeace are targeted into a deadly trap which involves both jewels and bank robbers who set the trap, to even the sides Dempsey get help from a boxer who Dempsey sent to jail to help him out.

Directors: Roger Tucker
Writer: Murray Smith
Watch Now:Amazon
The Cortez Connection
star
6.97
32 votes

#4 - The Cortez Connection

Season 3 - Episode 8 - Aired 10/18/1986

When an old girlfriend of Dempsey's shows up it causes problems as Dempsey is in pursuit of a cocaine dealer.

Directors: Baz Taylor
Writer: Guy Meredith
Watch Now:Amazon
Blood Money
star
6.97
32 votes

#5 - Blood Money

Season 2 - Episode 6 - Aired 10/5/1985

An antique dealer is murdered and priceless Egyptian artefacts are stolen. While the crooks try to find a buyer, Dempsey and Makepeace go undercover and find several parties looking to get their hands on the artefacts.

Directors: Graham Theakston
Watch Now:Amazon
The Prizefighter
star
6.97
33 votes

#6 - The Prizefighter

Season 3 - Episode 4 - Aired 9/20/1986

While investigating a death of a boxers, Dempsey and Makepeace discover a counterfeit money laundering scheme.

Directors: Baz Taylor
Writer: Murray Smith
Watch Now:Amazon
Extreme Prejudice
star
7.00
31 votes

#7 - Extreme Prejudice

Season 3 - Episode 5 - Aired 9/27/1986

Dempsey and Makepeace go undercover as Middle East terrorists to find an arms dealer supplying several terrorist groups in Britain, Can they find the dealer and stop him.

Watch Now:Amazon
The Bogeyman
star
7.00
32 votes

#8 - The Bogeyman

Season 2 - Episode 10 - Aired 11/2/1985

Dempsey becomes obsessed with catching a tough guy called Keith Lymon. Makepeace thinks it's because the two men are different sides of the same coin.

Directors: Tony Wharmby
Watch Now:Amazon
Set A Thief
star
7.00
32 votes

#9 - Set A Thief

Season 2 - Episode 7 - Aired 10/12/1985

Dempsey and Makepeace witness a young woman being run down on the street. She turns out to have been a model with connections to drug trafficking and members of parliament.

Watch Now:Amazon
Love You to Death
star
7.00
37 votes

#10 - Love You to Death

Season 2 - Episode 3 - Aired 9/14/1985

Dempsey is stalked by a homicidal women who obsesses over him, and who hates Makepeace for being with him.

Directors: Tony Wharmby
Watch Now:Amazon
Silver Dollar
star
7.00
38 votes

#11 - Silver Dollar

Season 2 - Episode 1 - Aired 8/31/1985

A group calling themselves the African Liberation Army is terrorizing London. During the investigation, Dempsey and Makepeace get into an argument over a misplaced set of car keys which escalates so far that Dempsey decides to turn in his badge and head back to New York.

Directors: Tony Wharmby
Watch Now:Amazon
Nowhere to Run
star
7.02
40 votes

#12 - Nowhere to Run

Season 1 - Episode 6 - Aired 2/15/1985

A truck carrying studio equipment is hijacked. Then it turns out the contents were actually automatic guns meant for a group of Arab terrorists.

Directors: Gerry Mill
Watch Now:Amazon
Make Peace, Not War
star
7.03
38 votes

#13 - Make Peace, Not War

Season 1 - Episode 7 - Aired 2/22/1985

Dempsey takes the place of American hit-man Schwartz to infiltrate a gang of drug dealers who are lacing T-shirts with heroin. Little does he suspect that their main contact, Lei Shan carries a grudge against the real Schwartz. When Makepeace gets her hands on one of the T-shirts via one of her contacts, the undercover Dempsey finds himself forced to bump her off.

Watch Now:Amazon
The Hit
star
7.03
33 votes

#14 - The Hit

Season 2 - Episode 8 - Aired 10/19/1985

After a long night on a fruitless stakeout, an SI 10 colleague is shot by an American hit man right in front of Dempsey and Makepeace. The hunt is on for the killer, who's been targeting a pimp but whose real target seems to be somebody higher up. As luck would have it, one of the prostitutes happens to be an old school chum of Makepeace.

Directors: Tony Wharmby
Writer: Murray Smith
Watch Now:Amazon
Bird of Prey
star
7.03
32 votes

#15 - Bird of Prey

Season 3 - Episode 6 - Aired 10/4/1986

When the main witness of a trail of a drug dealer threatens to withdraw her statement when her daughter is kidnapped, Dempsey goes to the Bogeyman for help.

Directors: Roger Tucker
Writer: David Wilks
Watch Now:Amazon
Lucky Streak
star
7.05
42 votes

#16 - Lucky Streak

Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 1/25/1985

Dempsey happens to be present at a casino when it is robbed and a security guard murdered. Spikings tells him to wake up Makepeace in the middle of the night and start their investigation.

Directors: Tony Wharmby
Watch Now:Amazon
Given to Acts of Violence
star
7.05
41 votes

#17 - Given to Acts of Violence

Season 1 - Episode 4 - Aired 2/1/1985

Dempsey and Makepeace are shadowing Frank Egan, who has just got off Scott free on a murder charge. His next big job seems to involve 'a bird man' and 'haggis'. It leads to Makepeace posing as a floozy and Dempsey as a pilot.

Directors: Wlliam Brayne
Watch Now:Amazon
Cry God for Harry
star
7.05
37 votes

#18 - Cry God for Harry

Season 1 - Episode 9 - Aired 3/8/1985

A priceless collection of jade artifacts has been stolen from Makepeace's ancestral home, Winfield Hall. When she and Dempsey join her father's other guest for a weekend pheasant hunt, the search soon turns into an old-fashioned murder mystery.

Directors: William Brayne
Writer: Neil Rudyard
Watch Now:Amazon
Guardian Angel
star
7.06
33 votes

#19 - Guardian Angel

Season 3 - Episode 10 - Aired 11/1/1986

When Dempsey is nearly killed during an investigation, Makepeace resigns for good from the police force.

Directors: Michael Brandon
Watch Now:Amazon
The Burning (2)
star
7.09
35 votes

#20 - The Burning (2)

Season 3 - Episode 2 - Aired 9/6/1986

While working undercover, Dempsey comes across a former nemesis from New York City.

Directors: Baz Taylor
Watch Now:Amazon
No Surrender
star
7.09
35 votes

#21 - No Surrender

Season 2 - Episode 4 - Aired 9/21/1985

Makepeace gets injured while pursuing jewelry thieves with Dempsey. On her first day out of hospital, they run straight into a bank robbery and hijacking - and Dempsey is reluctant to put Makepeace in any kind of danger.

Directors: Victor Ritelis
Writer: Paul Wheeler
Watch Now:Amazon
In The Dark
star
7.09
34 votes

#22 - In The Dark

Season 2 - Episode 9 - Aired 10/26/1985

Once again, Dempsey and Makepeace are witness to a fellow policeman being shot. In this case it's one of Makepeace's former partners, Tom Bishop, who's dying words involve millions in cash and 'the man in the red coat'.

Watch Now:Amazon
Tequila Sunrise
star
7.09
34 votes

#23 - Tequila Sunrise

Season 2 - Episode 5 - Aired 9/28/1985

Sid Lowe rules an entire London region with an iron fist. When one of Makepeace's informants, Wee Jock gets beat up by Lowe's men, for once it is Dempsey who is the more reasonable one and has to restrain his partner.

Directors: Tony Wharmby
Watch Now:Amazon
Out of Darkness
star
7.09
32 votes

#24 - Out of Darkness

Season 3 - Episode 7 - Aired 10/11/1986

A murderer who is obsessed with Makepeace threatens to kill his hostage within 24 hours if Makepeace will not meet with him.

Watch Now:Amazon
Wheelman
star
7.11
37 votes

#25 - Wheelman

Season 2 - Episode 2 - Aired 9/7/1985

Makepeace poses as reporter Debby Smith to get close to hoodlum 'Marocco' Jack and ends up saving his life from a rival gang. Dempsey joins Marocco's gang by posing as an American driver called Andy Sallapuccio, whom they need to pull off two simultaneous jewel heists. Meanwhile Spikings is facing complaints from upstairs that might lead to SI 10 being shut down.

Directors: Tony Wharmby
Writer: Murray Smith
Watch Now:Amazon