An immensely popular British crime film, Basil Dearden's The Blue Lamp was scripted by ex-policeman T. E. B. Clarke, the writer who arguably did most to define Ealing Studio's post-war identity. The film marked the first appearance of the character of Jack Warner - later to be immortalised in Dixon of Dock Green. The story follows two London policemen whose daily routine is interrupted by a botched robbery and subsequent murder hunt. Starring Dirk Bogarde it was originally released in 1950.