The first play (broadcast on BBC2 on 6 April 1978) focuses upon Scotland Yard, Detective Inspector Fred Pyle - played by Derek Martin. Pyle is open to corruption from villains and operates a system of 'checks and balances' where certain villains get brought to justice and some do not. After a meeting with his informant Mickey Fielder (Roy Stone), Pyle discovers that a villain from Kentish Town Jack Lynn (Peter Dean), is putting together an armed robbery of a supermarket in Putney. Prior to this Pyle had arrested Clifford Harding (Alan Ford), following a police raid of his home which recovered an illegal firearm. Harding agrees to bribe Pyle to walk away from the firearms charge. Pyle however knows he can get more out of Harding and later on uses Harding's relationship with Lynn to make him turn informant and gain further information about the supermarket robbery. Pyle's informant Fielder reveals the date and time of Lynn's robbery but for some reason it does not happen. Pyle however is determined to nail Lynn and is willing to resort to 'fit up' tactics to gain a conviction - even if he has not actually committed the crime in question. Add to this a cosy relationship with a corrupt lawyer Alex Gladwell (Ken Campbell), and a seemingly blind eye to his activities from superiors within Scotland Yard it seems Pyle is almost a law unto himself...
The second play (broadcast on BBC2 on 13 April 1978) focuses on Jack Lynn. After two of his 'firm' are arrested for an unconnected armed robbery, Lynn is short of personnel and sets about recruiting for the supermarket robbery. He approaches longtime associate John Tully (Barry Summerford), who is interested but has already made commitments to a 'firm' planning an armed raid on a British Gas depot in Romford. Lynn continues with his plans recruiting Tommy Haines (Mike Cummings), to act as a backup man, and procures firearms from Alf Coster an arms dealer with a middle-class grocer front (Philip Hayes). Lynn stores the weapons at a lock-up garage that he rented in a false name, and is ready to go. However he is under pressure from his wife Cathy (Deirdre Costello), to give up his life of crime and go straight. Furthermore Lynn discovers Mickey Fielder is Pyle's informant and has given Pyle details of their supermarket robbery. Lynn decides to postpone the robbery and take retribution against Fielder for informing, giving him a severe beating and smashing his kneecaps.
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