The Gentle Touch (1980)

Crime · Drama

Notable as the first British series to feature a female police officer (predating Juliet Bravo by four months), Detective Inspector Maggie Forbes raises her teenage son while navigating a male-dominated police force following the murder of her police commissioner husband.

IMDb rating: 6.7 (362 votes)
Seasons: 5
Streaming (US): Amazon Prime Video · Shout! Factory Amazon Channel · The Roku Channel · Pluto TV · Fawesome
Language: EN
Type: TV series

Browse shows by rating shape → Open in Rising Shows app → View on IMDb

Ratings refreshed Aug 19, 2026 · 5 seasons indexed

Cast

Seasons

Season 1 (1980)

7.19 avg 7 episodes 7.5 → 7.5 50 min avg

U-shaped

Season 1 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Killers	7.5	47
2	Recoil	7.4	32
3	Help	6.9	29
4	Shock	7.3	28
5	Blade	7.4	26
6	Rogue	6.3	25
7	Melody	7.5	23

Season 2 (1980)

7.23 avg 10 episodes 6.4 → 7.2 50 min avg

Season 2 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Something Blue	6.4	27
2	Decoy	7.9	21
3	Break-In	7.3	19
4	Menaces	7.4	23
5	Hammer	8.3	24
6	Chance	6.9	20
7	Loyalties	6.6	18
8	Maggie's Luck	7.3	18
9	Shame	7.0	22
10	The Ring	7.2	16

Season 3 (1981)

7.18 avg 13 episodes 7.6 → 7.5 50 min avg

Season 3 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Gifts	7.6	18
2	Doubt	7.2	18
3	The Hit	7.3	16
4	Scapegoat	6.8	17
5	Knife	6.4	15
6	Protection	7.1	17
7	Paint It Black	7.0	18
8	Affray	7.3	13
9	Black Fox, White Vixen	7.2	13
10	One of Those Days	7.3	12
11	Vigil	7.2	11
12	Damage	7.5	13
13	Solution	7.5	11

Season 4 (1982)

7.21 avg 13 episodes 6.5 → 7.6 51 min avg

Rollercoaster

Season 4 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Right of Entry	6.5	11
2	Be Lucky Uncle	7.9	11
3	Cause and Effect	7.3	10
4	Auctions	7.1	12
5	Dany	7.0	10
6	Victims	6.9	12
7	The Meat Rack	7.1	11
8	Joker	6.6	10
9	Tough, Mrs. Rudge	7.8	11
10	Private Views	6.7	10
11	Pressures	7.9	11
12	Weekend	7.3	10
13	Who's Afraid of Josie Tate	7.6	10

Season 5 (1984)

7.15 avg 13 episodes 6.9 → 7.2 51 min avg

Season 5 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Finders, Keepers	6.9	11
2	Losers, Weepers	6.5	9
3	Do It Yourself	7.4	10
4	The Conference	7.7	12
5	The Good, the Bad and the Rest	5.9	11
6	Mad Dog	6.6	12
7	Wise Child	7.1	12
8	Appearances Can Be Deceptive	7.6	12
9	Secrets	7.5	14
10	Fox and Hounds	7.4	10
11	Cure	7.2	13
12	A Woman's Word	8.0	11
13	Exit Laughing	7.2	11