Mark Burdis

Operation Good Guys is a British mockumentary, a fly-on-the-wall documentary series about an elite police unit’s bid to snare one of Britain’s most powerful crime lords. It was first screened on BBC Two from 1997 – 2000. Blurring the line between fact and fiction, it witnesses, on camera, the total breakdown, professionally and personally, of the Operation Good Guys team. Throughout the operation, The ‘Good Guys’ have an unfortunate habit of embroiling into their calamitous world some of the country’s best-known celebrities, from actors and footballers, to TV presenters and even the odd ex-convict.

It was created by Ray Burdis and co written by Ray Burdis, Hugo Blick and Dominic Anciano, although much of the dialogue was improvised by the actors.

The series utilised the concept of a mock documentary capturing the truths of a workplace four years before the notion reached fame in The Office. However, this mockumentary style was watered down slightly when a laugh track was added for the second and third series.

The series was awarded the Silver Rose for Best Sitcom and the Prix de la Presse, voted for by the International Press, at the Montreux Golden Rose Festival.