Carry On Dick

In 1750 England, King George II orders the creation of the Bow Street Runners to restore order and suppress rising crime. Sir Roger Daley leads the new force, with Captain Desmond Fancey and Sergeant Jock Strapp at his side. They adopt traps and tricks as part of their early policing approach.

Turpin humiliates the Bow Street Runners by robbing Daley and his prim wife, marking himself as their arch-nemesis. His audacious successes fuel his notoriety and keep him one step ahead of pursuit. From that moment, he becomes the force’s most wanted man, forcing the Runners to rethink their methods.

Captain Desmond Fancey is assigned to an undercover operation aimed at luring Turpin to justice, with Sir Roger Daley and Sergeant Strapp backing him. The mission hinges on misdirection and undercover bravado rather than straightforward pursuit. The team begins assembling traps and false identities to close the net.

The Runners nearly capture Turpin and his two partners during a coach hold-up featuring Madame Desiree and her showgirls, The Birds of Paradise. Turpin outsmarts them by sending the would-be captors away in Desiree's coach and slipping away unseen. The failed arrest marks a turning point that intensifies the chase.

Fancey and Strapp travel to the village of Upper Dencher, close to where Turpin's raids are centered. They encounter the mild-mannered Reverend Flasher—who is Turpin in disguise—accompanied by Tom and Harriet. They confidentially plot how to trap Turpin while pretending to be fellow criminals.

The plan centers on meeting at the Old Cock Inn, a dingy hang-out for criminals where Madame Desiree and her showgirls perform. Fancey and Strapp pose as two on-the-run crooks to stage the setup, while Maggie the midwife drops a breadcrumb about Turpin’s birthmark. The combined deception marks the crux of the attempted capture.

Desiree lures Fancey into her room, hoping to locate the infamous birthmark. Harriet and Tom play their parts in the ruse, while Strapp peers into the public toilets to keep watch. The scene builds tension as the supposed target edges closer to capture.

During the ruse, the true identity of the 'man' behind the trap is almost exposed, and Harriet is briefly suspected. She ultimately is revealed to be a woman, and a bracelet—Turpin’s stolen item—ties her to the crime in Lady Daley’s eyes. Rather than release her, the captors detain Harriet to keep the net tight.

Martha Hoggett, the rector’s housekeeper, begins to piece clues together when Mrs Giles, formerly used for cover, is seen in good health at a church jumble sale. Her suspicions threaten Turpin’s disguise and the wider operation, bringing the hunt back under scrutiny. The church setting provides a new angle for the investigation.

With the net tightening, Reverend Flasher delivers an elongated sermon to outwit his would-be captors and slip away. He escapes with Harriet and Tom toward the border, using the distraction to vanish from view. The Bow Street Runners are left to chase a moving target across the countryside.

Harriet’s exposure at the inn has raised the stakes, and Flasher's escape with Harriet and Tom ends their immediate capture. The group heads across the border, leaving the Bow Street Runners grappling with a moving target. The chase continues beyond the night, setting the stage for future confrontations.

Despite the escape, the Bow Street Runners regroup and recalibrate their strategy, vowing to keep pursuing Turpin and his associates. The cross-border escape ensures the manhunt will stretch beyond a single night. The era’s relentless pursuit of criminals continues to define the Runners' early legacy.