Jimmy Nail plays tough cop Spender, forced to return to his native Newcastle after a failed undercover operation in London. He uses tough and unconventional methods to tackle the criminal underworld, but he must also deal with the friends, enemies and family he left behind, and never expected to return to. Sammy Johnson played Spender's sidekick Stick, while Denise Welch played Spender's wife.
Episode 1
D.S. Freddie Spender is an undercover Geordie cop but has been in London for the last 15 years. He and his partner D.S. Colin Driver are on an undercover operation which goes horribly wrong and Spender is transferred back to his native Newcastle, much to his disgust. Upon his return, he must confront an ex-wife and kids, a murky past and some local villains. His boss, Supt. Yelland also has dislikes Spender, and thinks he's a pain in the arse. Yelland assigns Spender to a case involving Raymond Price.
Episode 2
After Yelland tells Spender that he wants him to stick around for a while, he goes undercover on the oil-rigs following the suspicious death of Mr. Patel, an oil-rig worker.
Episode 3
Following a tip-off, Spender and Stick tail the glamorous Lorraine Hope. She's up to something, but what? Then Dan asks Spender to assist another undercover detective (Terry Knowle), who doesn't want his help.
Episode 4
Spender is assigned to look after a female Conservative politician named Bobby Montgomery. However, he is angered when Yelland teams up with him. However, Spender is injured when he is run down by a lorry whilst saving Bobby from being run over herself. After his spell in the hospital, Yelland has Spender put on the sick and his car taken away. However, determined to do his job, he gets a job working for Iain Rutherford, the owner of the lorry which ran him over. Whilst driving for Rutherford he ends up being involved in a robbery!
Episode 5
Spender's god-daughter's boyfriend is killed in a motorbike accident and he poses as an ex army buddy of a drug courier.
Episode 6
Spender poses as an ex-shipyard worker with a load of redundancy money wanting to a nightclub for local villian, Palmer. Spender also investigates a number of dissapearances.
Episode 7
Stick is in court and Spender goes with him as support. After the hearing, Spender befriends Mal Balmer, an ex-boxer. As he gets to know Balmer, he realises that Mal is now a fist fighter.
Episode 8
Spender travels to London after he is summoned back by Inspector Greaves. And when he returns he's faced with the task of clearing Stick's name after he is arrested on suspicion of murder.
