BEWARE OF SPOILERS. SPOILER TROPES ARE UNMARKED.

open/close all folders

Sandford Police

Nicholas Angel

Sgt. Nicholas Angel

Played By: Simon Pegg
Dubbed in French By: Xavier Fagnon

"I don't remember a time when I didn't want to be a police officer. Apart from the summer of 1979 when I wanted to be Kermit the Frog." ^note

A dedicated but humorless sergeant in the Metropolitan Police Service sent to the small village of Sandford for making his colleagues look bad by comparison.

The Ace: Highly competent, a good shot, and physically fit. The opening shows him excelling at various random skills including bicycling, fencing, judo, chess, earning a double-major degree from the University of Canterbury with first honors, setting the Met record for the 100-meter dash, and setting the record for arrests in his department for multiple years. Deconstructed, as he's so effective that he makes the rest of the force look bad, he's so disliked as a result that he's sent to Sandford, and eventually learns not to take himself quite so seriously.
Action Hero: Complete with flying through the air whilst firing his gun.
Actually Pretty Funny: Ends up bursting out laughing when Danny pretends to stab himself in the eye. And before that, when Danny states he'd make a good Muppet.
Animal Motif: Subtle, Nicholas is associated with swans. Nicolas stays at The Swan Hotel and one of his missions involves capturing a swan. In the final shoot-out, the paired shotguns sticking up over his shoulders resemble a swan's partially-lifted wings while swimming. Symbolism-wise, a pair of swans are known to be partners for life and the relationship between Nicholas and Danny is on par with a married couple, with their actors comparing it to a gay relationship. It can also be compared to the ugly duckling, a story about an outcast that grows to be a beautiful swan, like how Nicholas starts the movie as an outcast who takes his job too seriously.
Broken Ace: An excellent cop but a socially inept man. This varies from the genuinely emotional (his breakup with Janine) to the comically overblown (the entire Met is glad to see him go).
By-the-Book Cop: In this own words:
I had to prove to myself that the law could be proper and righteous and for the good of humankind. It was from that moment that I was destined to be a police officer.
The Comically Serious: He's generally rather uptight, stoic and even-toned. This makes his more deadpan comments and lapses in his demeanour all the more funny.
Contrasting Sequel Main Character: In-context to the Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy. Whereas Shaun from Shaun of the Dead is a Loser Protagonist Manchild with Commitment Issues who learns to be more self-reliant in his Coming of Age Story, Nicolas is a Born Winner Super Cop that is Married to the Job who learns to rely on others and develops a circle of friends in the process.
Cool Horse: Ends up on one during the finale. It even makes one of the villains remark on it.
Cool Shades: Which he picks up immediately before his Roaring Rampage of Revenge. Proper '80s aviator sunglasses too, the kind you aren't allowed to wear if you're not going to kick ass and take names.
Deadpan Snarker: Comes out as he's being more open, a way to crack joke while maintaining his serious behaviour.
Defrosting Ice King: Danny takes it upon himself to teach him how to 'switch off'.
Dented Iron: He has sustained several injuries in the line of duty but the only one explicitly depicted in the film was his suffering a stab wound to the left hand courtesy of a criminal dressed as Father Christmas/Santa Claus. In something of a running gag in the opening scene, his superiors repeatedly ask him "how's the hand?" to which he responds "still a bit stiff," and is shown using a hand grip to rebuild strength in it. In the climax, Skinner utilises a Punch Catch to the wounded hand, temporarily disabling Angel, who then performs his own on Skinner when getting his Heroic Second Wind.
Disappointed by the Motive: He initially thought the murders were a part of a grand money-making scheme that allowed Simon Skinner to expand his business. The only part he got right was that Simon Skinner was involved in the crimes, he was part of the Neighborhood Watch who decided to punish all crimes with the death penalty. They did this because Sandford lost the Village of the Year contest 20 years ago and Frank Butterman's wife killed herself afterwards. Nicholas, who has seen everything in London, is completely baffled by this excuse and horrified by their petty ruthlessness.
Doesn't Like Guns: Part of what makes him a good police officer is his desire for a peaceful resolution wherever possible. Doesn't mean he won't break out a shotgun and kick some ass when he needs to.
Drink-Based Characterization: When Danny takes him to the pub, he at first declines drinking, but soon agrees to have one. He then askes the bartender his wine selection. When the bartender responds "red or white", indicating his lack of quality options, Angel opts for a lager instead. Later he's seen drowning his sorrows with a glass of wine.
Experienced Protagonist: Has been a police officer for well over a decade by the start of the film. He had the highest arrest record of any officer in the Metropolitan Police Service and even served with the elite SCO19 unit (analogous to SWAT teams in American police departments). He has even been wounded 3 times in the line of duty, his most recent injury being a stab wound to his left hand.
Expy: He does a good impression of Dan Aykroyd's Joe Friday as a Comically Serious By-the-Book Cop who takes his job a little too seriously.
Fatal Flaw: He's a little too dedicated to his job as a police officer, to the point where it gets in the way of his social life. With help from Danny, he begins to loosen up more and have more balance in his life.
Fair Cop: Look at his arse!
Fire-Forged Friends: Despite his initially rocky start with the Andys, after exposing the conspiracy, he earns their trust and respect.
Foil: To Frank. Nicholas sacrifices his personal life in order to serve the laws, whereas Frank sacrifices the laws to honor his late wife.
The Friend Nobody Likes: Heavily implied in London where the entire police force is all too happy to see him off as part of the plan to see him Kicked Upstairs. His gung-ho By-the-Book Cop tendencies do little to ingratiate himself to the complacent, idle police officers in Sanford as well, particularly the Andys. Though when Nicholas proves he was right all along about the conspiracy they start warming up to him.
Good Cannot Comprehend Evil: Downplayed, as he's pretty good at understanding the motives of most crimes, he can understand regular evil. When confronting the masterminds of the plot he lays out a very rational if amoral plan to enrich themselves with a few targeted murders. What he can't even begin to comprehend is the pettiness that comes from killing dozens if not hundreds of people over the years, including children, just to win a meaningless contest each year. Sgt Angel goes from calm and collected to completely baffled and yelling at them in under a minute.
Hero with Bad Publicity:
- He's a little too good at being a police officer and not much else, so he gets on the nerves of all his colleagues in London because his incredible record makes everyone else look bad, or because they find his excessive professionalism unpalatable. When he gets promoted to Sergeant in Sandford, he only realises this when he sees how happy they all are to see him go. That said, the opening scene establishes that he's popular within the community he polices, likely due to how fair and just he is.
- It's not much better in Sandford. Most of the villagers believe he is neurotic and insanely obsessed with the murders. Of course, it's just an act: they're almost all in on the murders to begin with! His actual skills as a police constable are recognized, however.
I Just Want to Be Badass: Or as he puts it, good at what he does. Which he is, as Danny points out.
Impaled Palm: He was stabbed through the hand by Santa Claus... a Santa Claus played by Peter Jackson.
Improbable Aiming Skills: He's not only an excellent shot with most types of firearms, but throws a can across a field and hits a running thief.
Insistent Terminology: By-the-Book Cop that he is, Angel often corrects other people's vocabulary regarding the police.
- Since women can wear the badge, it's police officer, not policeman.
- Police Force sounds too aggressive, so the proper term is Police Service.
- Police don't call incidents on the road "traffic accidents", but traffic collisions, "because 'accident' implies no one's to blame."
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: From the beginning, Angel is a very cold, emotionless and stoical man who takes his work very seriously. When he meets Danny, he loosens up a bit and learns how to have fun.
Kicked Upstairs: His transfer is coupled with a promotion to Sergeant to disguise it as a reward. His attempts to refuse promotion to stay in London are ignored.
Kubrick Stare:
- Angel gives a rare heroic one in the petrol station kiosk, when the cashier asks him if he can do anything for him, replying in a gravelly voice: "No. This is something I have to do myself."
- It happens again in the police station, when one of the Turner brothers tells Angel that someone from London called for him, and again in the village, when Angel delivers his Pre Ass Kicking One Liner (see below).
Lightning Bruiser: He holds the Met record for the hundred yard dash, and is also an excellent fencer. Both of these come into play.
Logical Latecomer: He is a rare example of this type of character being the protagonist. His status as a foreigner to the town and his determination to follow procedure while everybody else is willing to accept crimes as mere quirks at best and accidents at worst leads to him being shunned while he starts figuring out there is something wrong.
Married to the Job: His main flaw. The crux of his Character Development is learning how to "turn off" and have fun.
No Sense of Humour: Angel is pretty cold, and doesn't exactly go along with Sandford's deeply middle-class sense of bad sitcom humour. Downplayed in the sense that it's not that he doesn't have a sense of humour at all, and it's all in the context of having just made major changes in his life.
Only Sane Man: Nicholas is initially the sole person in Sandford to be suspicious about recent deaths, and the only one in the police service to pay attention to anything suspicious. Everyone else is in denial, stupid or in on the conspiracy. Eventually, Nicolas succeeds at convincing Danny to follow his lead.
Pre Ass Kicking One Liner: The entire NWA stares in disbelief at Angel, who they presume to have been killed by Danny, as he rides back into Sandford on horseback. He dismounts, spits out the pick between his teeth, and says one word:
Angel: Morning.
Precision F-Strike: After he witnesses a rather sudden massacre by the criminal mastermind.
"LESLIE TILLER WAS FUCKING MURDERED!"
Reassigned to Antarctica: His story begins with an (initially) unwanted transfer to Sandford, Gloucestershire, coupled with a promotion to police sergeant.
Red Oni, Blue Oni: Angel is the by the book blue to Danny's more Cowboy Cop red.
Secular Hero: Nicholas may not be a man of God, but he knows right, and he knows wrong, and he has the good grace to know which is which (sic). (His agnosticism is possibly the only detail in the entire movie that isn't fleshed out, though deleted scenes do reveal that he apparently practices Buddhism.)
Straight Man: To Danny in particular, but also to the entire village of Sandford.
Surrounded by Idiots: How he feels in Sandford, thanks to his colleagues being very lazy, apathetic and prone to lame punning. Granted they aren't total idiots, though, they've just been mildly brainwashed into complacency by Frank.
Angel: I chased a suspect from the scene! Innocent people don't run!
Fisher: Maybe it was our old friend the Cactus Thief?
Thatcher: Oh yeah, he was a prickly customer, weren't he? [everyone laughs]
Angel: AM I GOING COMPLETELY MAD?!
Tranquil Fury: His default mood during the final showdown.
Tall Poppy Syndrome: His promotion and transfer was motivated by overachievement on his part.
Token Good Cop: For much of the film, he's the sole officer of the Sanford PD taking his job — and a grisly string of deaths — seriously, with the rest of the department being too lazy and complacent to treat the deaths as anything more than accidents. This is largely due to the influence of Inspector Butterman, who is part of the conspiracy behind the deaths. Ultimately subverted in the end, when Angel and Butterman's own son Danny are able to convince the other bobbies to turn on their superior.
Walking Armory: When he returns to Sandford to take on the NWA, he's carrying an FN FAL, two shotguns and two pistols that are visible and probably a few more guns as well, given that he essentially empties the evidence room.
Wrong Genre Savvy: Nicholas is a pretty keen detective, and is able to suss out that there is a larger conspiracy going on in the town. However, Nicholas thinks he's in a typical crime drama, and as such builds his case around believable motivations such as financial gain or spousal disputes. So when he realizes the Neighborhood Watch Alliance are essentially a group straight out of a horror film and are just a bunch of glorified serial killers, it completely throws him for a loop.

Danny Butterman

PC Daniel 'Danny' Butterman

Played By: Nick Frost
Dubbed in French By: Alexis Victor

"Is it true that there is a place in a man's head that, if you shoot it, it will blow up?"

The son of Inspector Frank Butterman, and Nicholas Angel's new partner in Sandford.

Action Hero: Well, he wants to be one because he wants to be like the characters from cop movies. His dream is realized in the finale.
Be Careful What You Wish For: He's a big fan of action Buddy Cop films and at one point laments to Nick that he feels he's missing out on a lot of action like car chases and shootouts. Come the end of the film, he joins Nick in a shootout with the NWA and, to his dismay, is forced to takedown and arrest his own father.
Big Brother Worship: While Angel isn't his actual brother, it's clear that Danny looks up to him a lot and pays attention to every lesson Angel tries to teach.
Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: ...he improves. Once he figures out what's actually going on and what needs to be done, The Ace from the Met couldn't ask for a finer partner.
Calling the Old Man Out: He points out to Frank he's gone Knight Templar in his efforts to make Sandford a perfect town, and even calls him out on his claims that he is doing it all for Danny's mother, stating that she "would kill herself all over again" if she had lived to see what he has become.
Chekhov's Skill: The ketchup sachet trick.
Cowboy Cop: He tries to be this, but he mostly comes off as inept. He ends up embracing this status at the end of the film though as Nicholas teaches him to be a more competent officer.
Disney Death: Or so it seems, until it's revealed in the epilogue that he survived.
The Ditz: He's a born-and-raised resident of Sandford, so it comes with the territory.
Fake Defector: Later on, it's suggested he was part of the NWA, only to be revealed he was just acting so he could get his friend out of there, and later helps to defeat them without hesitation.
Grew a Spine: Initially he's completely subservient to his father, acting more like a teenager than a grown adult. By the end of the movie after some Character Development and discovering the truth of Sanford, he becomes much more willing to stand up for himself.
Frank: Danny, step away from the sergeant.
Danny: No, Dad.
Frank: Danny, you'll do as you're told.
Danny: I'm not taking orders from you anymore.
Hidden Depths: The flipbook animation he doodled in his notebook indicates that he's actually a halfway decent animator
I Just Want to Be Badass: See Action Hero.
Manchild: Danny is a big kid, basically. He's happy-go-lucky, friendly to everyone and doesn't seem to have a bad bone in his body.
Meaningful Name: The Big Fun comic relief character happens to have the last name "Butterman".
Missing Mom: His mother. It's revealed late in the movie that she killed herself after failing to win the Village of the Year trophy for Sandford. At the end of the movie, he and Nicholas pay a visit to her grave to lay some flowers.
Nice Guy: While definitely a tad dim, he's obviously well-meaning – and it's implied that his father's infantilised him a bit. Once he starts thinking for himself and absorbing Angel's lessons, he gets notably smarter.
Parrot Exposition: Tends toward this in regards to Angel's lessons – he has a shockingly good memory for it, too!
Sweet Tooth: Like his father, he has a fondness for ice cream.
Taking the Bullet: For Angel; subverted in that he survives.
"The Reason You Suck" Speech: Delivers one to his dad in the final act, telling him that he has done something so horrible in the name of his deceased mother that she would find it inexcusable.
Danny: Mum is dead, Dad. And for the first time in my life, you know, I'm glad. If she could see what you've become, I think she'd probably kill herself all over again!
Took a Level in Badass: ...but with some help from Angel...

Frank Butterman

Insp. Frank Butterman

Played By: Jim Broadbent
Dubbed in French By: Jean Pierre Moulin

"Far be it from me to stifle your flair, Sgt. Angel, but this isn't London."

Sandford's jovial police chief and Danny's father.

Affably Evil: A warm, jovial, fatherly man who's the mastermind behind the whole conspiracy.
Archnemesis Dad: To Danny towards the end of the film, after his son makes it clear he's not going to be party to his villainous actions.
Big Bad Friend: He has a better shot at being the real Big Bad with Skinner as The Dragon, given his level of authority in the town and how he seems to be wearing a unique uniform at the meeting indicating him to be the leader of the NWA. Either way, he's seemingly Nicholas' new boss, and the fact Butterman's in on the conspiracy shocks and appalls him.
Broken Pedestal: While none of the Sandford Police Service are happy when they learn he's been privy to corruption and murder, as part of his colluding with the NWA, Danny, his son, is especially devastated at how low his father has sunk.
Cool and Unusual Punishment: Punishes his officers (or at least Danny) for poor behaviour by forcing them to treat the rest of the station to dessert foods (implied to be Danny's least favourites). In retrospect, this is clearly a part of keeping any hint of criminal activity or police misconduct off the books to help maintain the illusion of Sandford's perfection.
Cool Old Guy: He might seem like a nebbish, lovable old grandpa but he reveals himself to be a highly competent policeman who earned his top-ranking position. Of course, he's also evil.
Cowboy Cop: In the sense that he sees the village as his protectorate and himself as the sheriff who has carte blanche to go as far as needed to enforce the law. This is foreshadowed when he references himself as a "wild west nut" at the beginning and wears a sheriff costume at the churché. At the finale he dual wields a pair of Colt 1851 revolvers. Ironic, considering he's in the perfect position to be Da Chief, a character Cowboy Cops commonly butt heads with.
Dirty Cop: Oh God, is he ever, given that he's been party to countless murders and covered each one up to make them look like accidents. What should be noted is that he is a very unusual Dirty Cop in movies, as unlike most movie dirty cops who take bribes or are motivated by some other sort or greed, Frank's motivation is more akin to a Knight Templar. However, he does still cover up the crimes of his co-conspirators as well as covers up his own crimes, fitting the corrupt cop archetype.
Disproportionate Retribution:
- He and the NWA started the whole "kill anyone who threatens our town's image" scheme thanks to a group of travelers ruining Sandford's chances of winning the Village of the Year award one year and indirectly leading to his wife's suicide.
- On the other side of "Disproportionate," whenever Danny cocks up, Frank's punishments for him always involve making him buy desserts for the station, which of course Danny gets to eat as well. After the twist, we see that this is because he can't bring himself to kill Danny but still needs a way to keep his un-policeman-like conduct off the books so it won't reflect badly on the town at large.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Uhhhh… He certainly claims as much, saying that all his actions are to make his wife Irene proud that Sandford is and always will be Village of the Year. But Danny points out she would have hated the lengths he's gone to, something that briefly gives him pause. (It doesn't last.) As for Danny himself, Frank doesn't kill him even after he does things that could conceivably make the village look bad like DWI, but when Danny finally defies him, he opts to arrest and frame him along with Angel.
Evil Counterpart:
- To Nicholas. Both are dedicated to their jobs and obsessed with maintaining order, however unlike Nicholas, Frank is willing to abuse his authority and kill anyone in order to uphold what he views as "justice." While he doesn't see himself as evil, he is very aware of it, commenting how he was once an idealistic by-the-book cop like Nicholas.
- Also is one to Danny. Both are socially naive and somewhat incompetent… too bad that in Frank's case, he's simply pretending to be stupid to hide his evil.
A Father to His Men: He's very jovial and personal with his officers. Until they turn on him, at least.
Knight Templar: Bordering on Tautological Templar. To him, Murder Is the Best Solution to keep Sandford the perfect village.
Love Makes You Evil: After his wife Irene committed suicide, Frank loses it and starts the conspiracy that drives the plot, all out of love for Irene.
The Man Behind the Man: Skinner is initially suspected as the conspiracy mastermind until Frank's involvement and leadership is revealed.
"Not So Different" Remark: In his soft, subdued Motive Rant, he starts by saying, "I was once like you, Nicholas. I believed in the immutable word of the law."
Oh, Crap!: During his botched getaway at the end, his face says it all when he finds out about the swan hidden in the back of Angel's police car.
Politically Incorrect Villain: Despite coming off as a friendly and accepting Cool Old Guy, even when explaining the dark truth to Nicholas, during his speech Frank suddenly takes on a nastier, more bitter tone when speaking of the "gypsy scum" that he blames for causing Sandford's perceived decline and his wife's death. They were the first people he and the NWA killed.
Principles Zealot: After his wife killed herself, Frank swore to maintain peace and stability at any cost. He did this by convincing the NWA to join him in killing anyone who threatens the peace.
Revenge Is Not Justice: While what happened to Frank is rather sad (losing his wife), Nicholas and Danny point out to him that it's no excuse to murder innocent people, especially for reasons as petty as somebody having an annoying laugh.
Sanity Slippage: His wife committed suicide and he was left to raise Danny by himself. In his grief, Frank rationalised the event as "If Sandford never lost the competition, then she wouldn't have killed herself" and convinced the Neighbourhood Watch Association to join him in making all "crimes" suffer the death penalty. When Nicolas convinces the police to turn against Frank, he insults them all and tries to kill them.
Sinister Sweet Tooth: Much like the rest of the Sanford police, has a weakness for ice-cream and cake. He's also in charge of the Neighbourhood Watch Alliance that's secretly running the town from behind the scenes, ordering the assassination of anyone who dares spoil Sanford's image as the "perfect" village.
To Be Lawful or Good: His wife's suicide drove him to choose a twisted version of lawful above all else.
Tragic Villain: Frank used to be a good police officer. But after Sandford lost the Village of the Year award 20 years prior, and Frank's wife, who spent so long trying to make the village perfect for the adjudicators, committed suicide, Frank and the NWA have strived to "make Sandford great again," even if it means having to kill anyone who gets in their way.
Villainous Breakdown: A minor one when the Sandford police turn on him.
Frank: You're... You're not seriously going to believe this man, are you!? ARE YOU!? HE ISN'T EVEN FROM 'ROUND 'ERE!! YOU INCOMPETENT FLATFOOTS!!
Wardrobe Flaw of Characterization: The Inspector dresses in a Victorian-era constables' outfit that looks more like a costume, compared to the by-the-book Angel who dresses professionally. Before the twist, this is meant to show how laid-back and old-timey the atsmophere in Sandford is, and how he doesn't take his job as the Da Chief too seriously compared to the hardnosed Angel. After the twist it's to show that he's stubbornly still living in the past and can't let go of the idyllic fantasy of Sandford as a perfect rural village. It's also an early hint that he's aligned with the NWA, as the outfit aligns with the rustic aesthetic they force on the town.
Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds: Everything he did was for his dead wife.

The Andys

DC Andy Cartwright & DS Andy Wainwright

Played By: Rafe Spall & Paddy Considine
Dubbed in French By: Jérémy Prevost & Julien Sibre

"You wanna be a big cop in a small town? Fuck off up the model village."

An inseparable pair of detectives of the Sandford police who take an instant dislike to Angel.

Bash Brothers: They fight together as a team in the finale.
Big Brother Worship: Cartwright is implied to have this towards Wainwright. When Wainwright is hit in the face with a jar of bolognese sauce during the storming of the supermarket in the finale, making it appear that he's covered in blood, Cartwright flies into a rage and begins firing on the attackers.
Brilliant, but Lazy: They're utterly indifferent to almost every aspect of their jobs and express annoyance any time they have to do actual work but they do prove to be quite good when pushed to it.
Cool Shades: Proper Cop 'Shades, though of a lesser caliber than Angel's.
Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: As with the rest of the SPF, they're somehow well-versed in riot gear use and tactics.
The Dividual: The two of them never appear separately in the film and are collectively referred as "the Andys" by other characters most of the time. They're often prone to Speaking in Unison or Finishing Each Other's Sentences, despite not being twins or even brothers.
Fire-Forged Friends: Both of them with Angel, Wainwright in particular.
Heel–Face Turn: Downplayed, since they weren't so much "villains" as apathetic, if annoying bystanders, but they do both become a lot more friendly to Angel after the pub shootout.
Heterosexual Life-Partners: With each other, of course.
Jerkass Has a Point: Despite their apathy, most of their rebuttals for Angel's suspicions are logically sound and reasonable by most standards.
- The car accident by all accounts looks like an accident. No one has any reasonable motives for wanting to murder the two victims, and any potential suspects have a solid alibi. Despite Martin Blower being a legal solicitor he represented the entire town's interests meaning no one had any reasonable motive for wanting him dead. Not only that but Angel's observations are circumstantial at best, meaning there is no actual evidence of foul play or suspects.
- The fridge magnate George Merchant is infamous for his drunken escapades and has been known to cook while intoxicated. Superficially no one has any logical reason to want him dead either. Not only that but the last two people who saw him alive are Nicholas and Danny who have no real testimony to add for his death.
- Unfortunately for Angel most of the Murders are like that, it's only with the final killing that they are entirely unreasonable with Angel's assertions and even then Angel's manic behaviour can make his testimony seem unreliable.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: They warm up to Angel later.
Man Children: They behave more like immature, rowdy high school students than police officers.
One-Steve Limit: Averted. Both of them are partnered together and share the same first name. Additionally while their last names are different they have the same basic origin. A cartwright makes carts and a wainwright makes wagons.
O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Andy Wainwright is always rowdy and immature like Andy Cartwright but when Angel reveals the truth about Frank Butterman and Sandford, and Frank becomes unhinged, his response means that this means business.
Frank: You're not seriously going to believe this man, ARE YOU!? ARE YOU!?!? HE ISN'T EVEN FROM ROUND HERE!
DS Wainwright: [takes off his sunglasses] Maybe... It's time to give it up, sir.
Pornstache: Andy Wainwright. It's noted in commentary that their characterization is "a couple of boys playing cops," and part of that is the proper Cop Mustache.
Those Two Guys: They are always seen together.

Tony Fisher

Sgt. Tony Fisher

Played By: Kevin Eldon
Dubbed in French By: Patrick Borg

"Very good. What he said."

A police officer in the Sandford Police Service. He is first met when PC Nicholas Angel arrives in Sandford and is touring the Sandford Police Station. Throughout most of his appearances, he asks Nicholas for advice on what should be done.

Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Let's make one thing clear – Sgt. Fisher is the last person on the force you'd expect to ever describe as a badass of any sort. Then the final battle happens.
Captain Obvious: It's plainly clear that his only talent is explaining things, and not very well.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: At first, he's a Jerkass, especially to Angel, whom he takes an instant dislike to. Fisher fears that Angel will take his job, possibly because he's aware of how incompetent he truly is. Nevertheless, he eventually warms up to Angel, increasingly relies on him to guide him in situations he's never had to deal with before, and willingly follows his orders during the climax fight while he goes after the big boss with Danny.
Angel: Can you handle this, Sergeant Fisher? We're going to go after the big boss!
Tony: We're on it, Sergeant!
The Strategist: Reveals a talent for riot tactics in the final battle, enough that he actually impresses the exceptionally well-trained Angel, an expert in riot tactics in his own right. Turns out, he has two talents.
What He Said: He 'asks' Angel what he 'reckons' and then acts like he's agreeing instead of stealing.

Doris Thatcher

PC Doris Thatcher

Played By: Olivia Colman
Dubbed in French By: Julie Dumas

"I could've given you the tour. I've been around the station a few times."

The only female police officer in the Sandford Police Service (a label she tremendously enjoys). She is first met when Sgt. Nicholas Angel arrives in Sandford and is touring the Sandford Police Station. Pretty much her every other line is an innuendo.

Action Girl: In the finale.
Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: With the rest of the SPD in the finale.
Double Entendre: She's essentially a Carry On film that's gained sentience and become a police officer.
Hurricane of Puns: She's full of these. Proper British laugh riot, this lady.
Interplay of Sex and Violence:
Doris: Nothing like a little girl on girl!
Really Gets Around: If you believe all of Doris's Double Entendres, she's the town bicycle and she doesn't care who knows it.
The Smurfette Principle: She is the only policewoman in Sandford. Ask Danny, he saw her bra.

Bob Walker

PC Bob Walker

Played By: Karl Johnson
Dubbed in French By: Patrice Dozier

"Tits."

The oldest police officer in the Sandford Police Service. He is first met when Nicholas Angel arrives in Sandford and is touring the Sandford Police Station. Throughout all of his appearances, he speaks in an inaudible mumbling sound and always has his dog, Saxon, with him.

Dirty Old Man: The only time he utters actual words, they're 'tits' and 'cocks'. Which is usually after Doris makes a really bad Double Entendre.
Jaded Washout: Seems spectacularly apathetic. One fan explanation is that he remembers what the town used to be like, and/or has some idea of what the NWA has been up to, considering how quick he was to believe Angel's explanation.
This Explains So Much: When Angel tells him the truth about Frank and the NWA, he says that he "reckon's he's got something there." as if the final piece to a puzzle finally fell into place for him. (Given how old he is, it's possible he'd been harbouring suspicion for years prior.)
The Unintelligible: His accent is so broad it's almost impossible for non-locals to understand him. Danny has to translate for Nicolas's benefit on more than one occasion, until the end. At one point, he's used as a translator for the even more unintelligible Mr. Webley.
Those Two Guys: With Saxon.

Turner

Sgt. Turner

Played By: Bill Bailey

"Nobody tells me nothin'."

A pair of twins who respectively work the night and day shifts as desk sergeants at the Standford Police Station.

Always Identical Twins: To the point they're played by the same actor, and the fact they're twins is itself held back for a small but not plot-threatening reveal near the end. Their hair is different though, and they read different genres of books. Both by the same author, of course.
Locked Out of the Loop: The night shift's sergeant is never told anything, to the extent that he's not present at the finale.
Polar Opposite Twins: One Turner is grumpy and abrasive ("Nobody tells me nothin'."), the other is good-natured and amiable.

Saxon

Played By: Sampson

A dog in the Sandford Police Service. He is first met when Nicholas Angel arrives in Sandford and is touring the Sandford Police Station. He is constantly with PC Bob Walker, and is always ordered to patrol areas.

Team Pet: Is mostly functional as a mascot or pet, as Sandford is really not the sort of place that can make use of his actual talents.

Popwell

Played By: N/A

Angel's predecessor in the Sandford Police Service, a sergeant who also was transferred from the Metropolitan.

Driven to Suicide: To public knowledge, he couldn't stand the humdrum routine of Sandford compared to the Metropolitan Police Service and eventually killed himself. In actuality, he was murdered by the NWA when he discovered their plans.
The Ghost: He's never seen alive. Angel (and the viewer) only gets a brief glimpse of his corpse stashed underneath the castle's caverns alongside others who were got rid of by the NWA, with his still-intact beard being his only identifying marker.
He Knows Too Much: Apparently, the NWA killed Sgt. Popwell because he learned their secret and refused to participate in their murderous conspiracy.
Manly Facial Hair: He's described by Frank as having "a great, big, bushy beard!" It's strong enough to still be intact on his rotting corpse.

Neighborhood Watch Alliance

As a Group

Affably Evil: They come off as very genuine and pleasant most of the time, even as they murder people for the slightest mess-ups and shortcomings.
A-Team Firing: None of them can hit the broadside of a barn even with scoped rifles and submachine guns. Justified, however, in that the UK has very strict gun control so practicing with their firearms without drawing attention would be out of the question.
Berserk Button: Making the town look bad in any way, and thus jeopardizing their chances of winning Vilage of the Year, will get you in their bad books.
Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Nearly all of them are friendly, cheerful and helpful on the surface but don't let it fool you. If they feel even for a second that you'll threaten their chances at winning the "Village of the Year" award, they will brutally murder you without a second thought.
Creepy Monotone: Particularly when talking about the Greater Good. ("The Greater Good!")
Disproportionate Retribution: Their entire MO. They brutally murder citizens for transgressions that include bad acting, shoplifting, underage drinking, having a gaudy house, poor grammar or just having an annoying laugh.
Evil Is Petty: The reasons they committed the murders? Eve and Martin were terrible actors who flaunted their affair, George Merchant's mansion didn't fit the village's aesthetic, Tim Messenger had terrible grammar, and Leslie Tiller wanted to move to another town. Anything they feared could threaten their chances at winning the Village of the Year award, they'd kill the person who was responsible for it. Angel is left aghast by this.
Evil Old Folks: Most of them are leaning towards the older side and all are unrepentant killers to the core.
Felony Misdemeanour: They're perfectly willing to murder people for being irritating, just because it might ruin their chance of winning the Village of the Year competition. Or murder them then blow up their house just for being an eyesore.
Fun with Acronyms: They are straight outta Sandford.
Hanlon's Razor: At first Nicolas assumed they were committing their crimes as part of a scheme to make money off the land in Sandford. In actuality, they wanted to maintain their title of "Village of the Year" by killing anyone who poses a threat to it. Nicolas is just baffled by this underwhelming and petty excuse.
Hypocrite: Their motto is that they're "a community that cares", yet they kill their own residents on a daily basis without a hint of hesitation or remorse. Nicholas rightfully calls them out for this.
In the Hood: They tend to operate in hooded cloaks when murdering people, which helps hide the reveal that all of them are in on the conspiracy.
Made of Iron: In the final battle, members suffer various injuries that, given the rather advanced age of most, should've definitely killed them, yet they somehow survive, since they're all being shown processed for arrest. Although most of them are fairly typical of action films like getting shot, a special mention goes to Roy Porter: who gets a bear trap clamped on his head and lives. In fact, Tom Weaver is the only confirmed casualty.
Murder Is the Best Solution: Ugly house? Being a bad actor? Having an annoying laugh? Stealing biscuits? Being extremely irritating? All deserving of murder.
Never Mess with Granny: Most of the women in the NWA range from moderately to very old, and all of them (besides Leslie Tiller, who's killed off beforehand) are shown packing heat in the final battle.
Nosy Neighbor: Justified because of being a neighborhood watch (although not adverse to using their walkie talkies to spread gossip, or at least Paver does) then Played for Horror when it turns out that they look into any reason the neighbors don't fit to kill them.
Not-So-Well-Intentioned Extremist: They want to make Sandford absolutely perfect in every way and have opted to make every punishment for every crime the death penalty. Their logic of benefitting the greater good allows them to justify murder and blowing up a house.
Obsessively Normal: Their decision to commit lots and lots of murder is fueled by their desire to maintain their village completely up to whatever standards are required to win the "Village of the Year" award (which are probably pretty high, being British Serious Business and all). Anything that deviates from said standards, even something as inane as having an annoying laugh or owning a McMansion, makes you a target.
Pure Is Not Good: Their goal is to create the perfect town in order to win a "Village of the Year" award. Their means of achieving this is murder for the pettiest reasons.
Reflexive Remark of Reverence: Whenever anyone mentions "the Greater Good" (The Greater Good!) one of them will repeat it. Starts off with the couple who run the local pub, where the wife repeats it to show she's a dim bulb, then it gets creepy come the reveal. Especially since they can't seem to stop saying it.
Nicholas: How can this be about the greater good?!
Killers: The Greater Good.
Nicholas: Shut it!
Rural Gangsters: Not a gang per se, but still they are a murderous conspiracy that rules over their fiefdom in the country (specifically in Gloucestershire) with an iron fist, killing lesser criminals alongside everybody else.
Would Hurt a Child: Among the bodies Nicholas discovers in the catacombs are the underage drinking youths he booked on his first day. They also repeatedly reference plans to "eradicate" the gang of hooded schoolkids, which becomes even harsher due to a deleted scene revealing the redheaded leader of the group, Gabriel, is Weaver's grandson, a detail that Weaver seems oblivious of at the time but Angel is well aware of.
When Elders Attack: Though decidedly more homicidal than most. Instead of umbrellas, they use lethal weaponry like guns and blades.

Simon Skinner

Simon "Sissy" Skinner

Played By: Timothy Dalton
Dubbed in French By: Edgar Givry

"I'm Simon Skinner, and I run the local Supermarché. Stop in and see me some time. My discounts are criminal! Catch me later!"

The manager of Sandford's supermarket, Somerfield. He is a member of the Neighbourhood Watch Alliance and has won several trophies for fun-running events.

Alliterative Name: Simon "Sissy" Skinner.
Arch-Enemy: To Angel. Frank is the Big Bad, but Skinner is a much more personal enemy to Angel.
Blood Knight: He's very excited to fight Angel and the police for – service.
Skinner: My, my. Here come the Fuzz.
Card-Carrying Villain: He seems to be perfectly aware that he's the bad guy in an action film and is absolutely loving every minute of it.
Cool Car: He drives a silver Jaguar XKR convertible with a vanity licence plate.
Corrupt Corporate Executive: Subverted. Sure he's an evil murderer, but he runs his supermarket in a pretty clean way, business-wise. Angel was completely wrong with his theory that the murders were a land grab for the sake of his company, though Skinner admits later he found it Actually Pretty Funny.
Deadpan Snarker: He makes a lot of jokes, many of them puns.
The Dragon: While he's set up as the Big Bad, he's really Frank's underling.
- Dragon-in-Chief: While he's technically Frank's underling, he is the most active villain in the story and has free rein running the cult.
Embarrassing Nickname: Skinner is occasionally referred to as "Sissy", which comes from him attending ballet classes in his youth.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Leslie Tiller is his cousin. He even states that he's not happy about killing her.
Even Evil Has Standards:
- He's fine with murder, but running over a swan? That's where he draws the line, apparently.
- Despite being a murderer, he runs his supermarket honestly. This, along with the aforementioned refusal to kill a swan, is one of the few morals he has.
Evil Gloating: Downplayed. He just can't help taunting Angel with little hints of his culpability, like playing "Fire" on his car stereo after Merchant's house goes up in flames.^note
Evil Has a Bad Sense of Humour: Between the murder jokes, and playing music on his car stereo which reflects the crime scenes, Skinner is the member of the conspiracy who has the most warped sense of humour.
Faux Affably Evil: He's a fun-running champion and enjoys a cordial relationship with his staff and customers. Though he's still a remorseless, cold blooded serial-killer with a severe empathy deficit.
Hoist by His Own Petard: A subtle one. He slips on a model van sporting the logo of his own supermarket and gets impaled on the spire of a model of the church, which he previously used to kill someone.
Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: A rare non-fatal case, right through the mouth. Ouch. Hurts like hell for him too.
Insane Proprietor: As shown in his character quote, he puts on this sort of persona when first meeting Angel.
Lack of Empathy: Zig-Zagged. Almost never shows any guilt or remorse for the murders he commits in the name of the NWA, except Leslie Tiller, his own cousin and fellow NWA member, saying ruefully that her death was "a terrible shame," but he ultimately went along with it due to her insistence on leaving Sanford.
Large Ham: As the decoy, Skinner is the most theatrical member of the NWA.
Last-Second Villain Recovery: After his beatdown in the model village, Skinner regains consciousness long enough to pull out a box cutter and charge Angel in one last, desperate attempt to kill him. However, thanks to being groggy from the beatdown and drenched with water from nearby sprinklers, Skinner ends up slipping on a toy truck modeled on the delivery trucks of his own supermarket and gets non-lethally impaled on a model church spire.
Laughably Evil: Skinner is supposed to appeal to the audience's darker sense of humour despite his complicity in the murders, and even because of it, as demonstrated by his tendency to make jokes about the circumstances of death.
Not-So-Well-Intentioned Extremist: It's implied that he doesn't care about the greater good for Sanford, and just simply enjoys killing to satisfy his own bloodlust.
Obviously Evil: C'mon, how can you not suspect this guy? Of course, it turns out him being so obvious draws attention away from the others of the NWA and Inspector Butterman being part of it, and Skinner himself being a flunky rather than the mastermind.
Obvious Villain, Secret Villain: Skinner draws attention to himself as a suspect so that the other members of the Neighbourhood Watch Alliance can evade suspicion, especially Inspector Frank Butterman.
Punctuated Pounding: "Get! Out! Of my! Village!"
Real Men Wear Pink: He was a ballet dancer in his youth.
Red Herring: Subverted. While at first it seemed blatantly obvious Skinner killed all of the victims as part of an overly-complex plan to secure valuable land, he has a rock-solid alibi. Turns out Angel was half-right; he was just wrong that Skinner was the only murderer, and he got the motives wrong too.
Sadist: Unlike the other killers in the film, it's implied Skinner seems to take joy in killing his victims, and is not even the least bit ashamed of it.
Sharp-Dressed Man: He's usually dressed in a nice suit, fitting for a character played by a former James Bond.
Slasher Smile: He doesn't seem able to smile in any other way.
Smug Smiler: He's frequently smiling with delight.
The Sociopath: He shows no empathy or regret for his killings. And while the other murderous members of the cult believe they're doing the right thing (or so they believe), Skinner seems to be only in it to satisfy his own bloodlust.
Villain Respect: He can't help but smile when Nick returns to Sandford, alive and armed to the teeth. Then again, maybe he wanted to kill the man personally.
Would Hurt a Child: He takes young Aaron A. Aaronson hostage.

Prof. Tom Weaver

Played By: Edward Woodward
Dubbed in French By: Yves Barsacq

"You'll find that we run a very tight ship here."

A professor and a citizen of Sandford. He is first met when Nicholas Angel is touring the Sandford Police Station. Tom is the Civilian Liaison for the Neighbourhood Watch Alliance.

Asshole Victim: You won't be shedding a tear for him when he dies at the end.
Big Brother Is Watching: Serves as Sandford's surveillance.
Casting Gag: Back in 1973 Woodward starred in The Wicker Man where he, as a young no-nonsense cop, came to a quiet village and worked to root out a dark mystery. Ironic, huh?
Dragon Their Feet: He turns up after the NWA have all been arrested, and subsequently he's the only member to be killed.
Face Death with Despair: His last words as he's a split second away from being blown up are a very nervous "Oh, God, no!"
Felony Misdemeanour: He gets really worked up over the Living Statue, and teenagers just hanging around.
Hypocrite: Accuses Angel of being a busybody at the end of the movie, even though he's far more of a busybody, using his cameras to spy on everyone in Sandford, and getting worked up over teenagers sitting around.
Karmic Death: He's the only member of the NWA who gets killed. And to really hammer it home, he gets blown up by a sea-mine.
Meaningful Name: His name is Weaver, and he's woven a web of surveillance around the village, like a spider.
Nosy Neighbor: Exaggerated and Played for Horror. With the NWA's cameras and mandate, he is Sinister Surveillance incarnate.
Not-So-Harmless Villain: Sandford PD completely forgets him and he almost kills Danny.
Oh, Crap!: After being pinned down by an active sea mine, his last words are, "Oh God, no."

Joyce Cooper

Played By: Billie Whitelaw
Dubbed in French By: Lucie Dolène

"Fascist."

The wife of Bernard Cooper; together they run the hotel. She is the first Sandford citizen that Nicholas Angel meets.

Affably Evil: Before the twist, she's shown as a perfectly pleasant person. However, she's perfectly willing to kill just to win "Village of the Year."
BFG: She wields one in the climax. It makes her beehive hairdo wobble. (Granted, it's not really that big, being a Steyr-Solothum MP34 submachinegun, but Billie Whitelaw was a petite actress so it looks enormous in her hands.)
Death Glare: Shoots Nicholas a truly impressive one when she thinks he's calling her a "hag." But once she realizes he was referring to the crossword, she goes back to her warm smile.
Hell Hotel: The hotel is portrayed as a rather creepy place, and her first lines are reminiscent of a horror film. It seems to be eccentricity rather than actual malice. Ultimately, however, it deserves this reputation.
Hypocrite: Angrily calls Nicholas Angel a "fascist," even though all Nicholas is doing is bringing genuine justice to Sandford, and she's pretty fascist herself. Granted it may have been just a Meaningful Echo, and she may not understand what the word meant. She also uses a Second World War German submachinegun during the final battle, which would be right at home in the hands of a fascist.
More Dakka: Notably is the only member of the NWA who wields an automatic firearm in the climactic shootout - all others use rifles, handguns and shotguns.

Bernard Cooper

Major Bernard Cooper

Played By: Eric Mason

Joyce Cooper's husband.

Close-Range Combatant: He is the only member of the NWA to attack Nicholas with a melee weapon. His weapon is a cavalry sabre.
Majorly Awesome: Well, past his prime.
The Quiet One: In his first scene, he's asleep. He says nothing throughout the rest of the film until he yells at Nicholas as he attacks him with a sabre, and then mourns his hip once downed.
Retired Badass: Judging by his title and that his skill with his sabre seems to be limited only by his age.
Senior Sleep-Cycle: Spends most of his time dozing off.

Dr. Hatcher

Dr. Robin Hatcher

Played By: Stuart Wilson
Dubbed in French By: Philippe Catoire

Sandford's resident doctor. He is first met at the Neighbourhood Watch Alliance meeting.

Agony of the Feet: He frequently gets shot in the leg and foot area.
Deadly Doctor: Not so deadly, since he goes down pretty easily.
Dr. Jerk: While casually insensitive for most of the film, he is one of the most mocking NWA members during the shooting, enjoying his tirade against Nicholas and Danny.
Meaningful Name: His name is Hatcher and he helped with Danny's birth. This comes up later as he tells Danny: "I brought you into this world. I think it's rather fitting that I should be the one to take you out of it."
Running Gag: Getting shot in the leg. "He's a doctor, he'll deal with it."
Super Doc: Dr. Hatcher assisted with Danny's birth thirty years ago, acts as the police coroner, and says that he'll be the one to treat Nicholas if he's ever injured on the job. Partly justified as he's the only medical professional in a quiet village miles away from the nearest forensic coroner or CSI department. Also justified in that he's part of the conspiracy, and having him around to pronounce cause of death makes it easier to cover up the murders as accidents.

Rev. Shooter

Rev. Philip Shooter

Played By: Paul Freeman
Dubbed in French By: Bernard Tiphaine

The cleric of Sandford, and a member of the Neighbourhood Watch Alliance.

Badass Preacher: He actually manages to shoot Angel directly and probably would have killed him if not for Angel's bulletproof vest.
Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Shooter isn't the kindly Reverend he pretends to be.
Hypocritical Humour: He's a minister, yet screams a somewhat blasphemous "Jesus Christ!" when Danny shoots him in the shoulder.
Little Useless Gun: Carries a pair of Derringers concealed on the sleeves of his robe and shoots Angel with them at the climax, but being of such short caliber they are successfully stopped by Angel's Bulletproof Vest. The rest of the Alliance carry firearms that would have been actually lethal if they had managed to hit him anywhere but the shoulder.
Meaningful Name: His name is Shooter. He packs two Derringer pistols, held akimbo.
Nothing Up My Sleeve: He hides a pistol in each sleeve, and actually manages to get good two shots off at Angel that likely would have killed him if he wasn't wearing his vest. Guess minister's robes are good for that.
Precision F-Strike: "Fuck off, Grasshopper."
Punny Name: Reverend Philip Shooter, or "P. Shooter."
Shut Up, Kirk!: When Angel delivers a short speech to Shooter, the good Reverend responds, "Fuck off, Grasshopper!" and shoots him with his previously-concealed pistols.
Sinister Minister: Due to being a member of the NWA who is complicit in the murder conspiracy, Rev. Shooter demonstrates behaviour that would make God ashamed.

Michael Armstrong

Michael 'Lurch' Armstrong

Played By: Rory McCann

The very unintelligent henchman of Simon Skinner who works at Somerfield.

Affably Evil: He's generally quite pleasant when he isn't going around murdering people for the NWA.
Bald of Evil: He's completely bald and a ruthless henchman for the NWA.
Dumb Muscle: His role for the NWA.
The Brute: For the NWA, and Skinner in particular.
Giant Mook: He's 6'6", incredibly strong and works at the disposal of the villains.
Jerk with a Heart of Jerk: Angel, being the good cop he is, knows that Lurch is developmentally disabled and during their second fight he makes an attempt to talk him down, asking if killing people for the NWA is really what he wants. Lurch hesitates for a moment... and then responds with "Yarp."
The Juggernaut: Lurch is massive and nigh unstoppable.
Mental Handicap, Moral Deficiency: He's mentally disabled due to being the product of Parental Incest, and gladly helps the NWA in their schemes.
One-Word Vocabulary: Downplayed. He can say "Yarp" and "Narp."
Psychopathic Manchild: He has the mind of a child, yet he's willing to kill, but gets distracted by a cuddly monkey. When he's lined up for his mugshot, he's crying.
Danny: Dad says he's got the mind of a child.
Unskilled, but Strong: He doesn't display much fighting aptitude, but is a towering mass of muscle.

Greg and Sheree Prosser

Played By: Trevor Nichols and Elizabeth Elvin

Bad "Bad Acting": Implied through Informed Ability. The other members of the NWA tout them being much better thespians than Martin Blower, but their entire history as actors is Greg being an extra in Straw Dogs (1971) and Sheree playing a cadaver in an episode of Prime Suspect. Does not stops them from taking over the production of "Romeo and Juliet" after Blower bites it.
Battle Couple: Not that it does them much good.
The Quiet One: Each have a line apiece in greeting Angel on his morning jog but otherwise don't speak.
Revolvers Are Just Better: Both of them wield revolvers during the shootout, with Sheree's boasting a nickel finish and pearl grips.
Small Name, Big Ego: Fancy themselves as semi-professional actors, waiting in the wings for their big breaks. Have had a role as an extra and a cadaver between them. They go on about it endlessly.

Mr. Treacher

Mr. A. Treacher

Played By: Tim Barlow

Guy walking around in a trench coat.

Conspicuous Trenchcoat: Draws Nicholas's eye almost immediately. Why is he wearing such a clunky coat when it's not cold enough to warrant it? Danny laughs at the suggestion he's hiding something beneath it, but later, in vain, tries to revive the topic to resuscitate Nicholas's enthusiasm. Turns out Treacher's hiding a mean gun.
Grumpy Old Man: Seems perpetually grouchy. In the final moments of the film, he is the NWA member most visibly angry and indignant at the proceedings and is the first one to draw a gun and fire on Angel.
No Name Given: Unlike the other NWA members, his first name is never revealed. Only his first initial is shown on a commemorative plaque.
Meaningful Name: "Treacher" is an archaic word with the same word as "treacherous". He's also a lawbreaking murderer. It's also a Shout-Out to "The Siege of Treacher's Farm", the novel that inspired the movie Straw Dogs (and explicitly the Sam Peckinpah version, with one other member of the NWA mentioning he was an extra in said film).
The Voiceless: And rarely discussed by the other characters, making him the most mysterious NWA member.

Leslie Tiller

Played By: Anne Reid
Dubbed in French By: Claude Chantal

Sandford's resident gardener and a member of the Neighbourhood Watch Alliance. Her gardening skills helped put Sandford on the map. Too bad it doesn't save her from her murderous colleagues when she decides to pack up and move away.

Ambiguously Evil: A member of the NWA, but her niceness appears genuine and it is unknown to what extent, if any, she was involved in their more murderous activities.
Catchphrase: Whenever she mentions any of the deceased persons, she appends "god rest [him / her / the lot of them]."
The Coroner Doth Protest Too Much//Cut Himself Shaving: Despite Angel having personally witnessed it and unsuccessfully chased down her killer, Leslie's death is ruled as an accident where "she tripped and fell on her own shears".
If I Can't Have You…: Non-romantic variant. The NWA didn't want her moving away, since she would take her famous gardening skills with her, so they murdered her.
Simon Skinner: Cousin Leslie was a terrible shame... but it seems she was set on moving away.
Tom Weaver: We couldn't have her sharing her green fingers with anybody else.
Reverend Shooter: Not least those heathens at Buford Abbey!
Dr. Hatcher: If we can't have her... no one can.
Impaled with Extreme Prejudice//Impromptu Tracheotomy: Gets shanked through the neck with her own pruning shears by an NWA member.
Meaningful Name: She's a gardener, and her name is Tiller. Hard to get more blatant than that.
Token Good Teammate: Implied to have been this for the NWA, given her argument with Skinner and the fact she was planning to move away from the village in stark contrast to their cult-like devotion to it.

Annette Roper

Played By: Patricia Franklin

Runs the shop where Nick and Danny buy Cornettos.

Curb-Stomp Battle: Fails to land a single shot on Angel and is the first to get taken out when a bunch of hoodie-wearing kids storm her shop and tackle her.
Saying Too Much: Annette is responsible for the entire NWA's plot unravelling, by asking Danny if they've made any progress catching those murderers plural instead of murderer single, Nick realizes there has to be more than one murderer and snaps out of his funk.

Amanda Paver

Played By: Lorraine Hilton

The local primary school's headmistress.

Dual Wielding: She packs two pistols (and a thermos of tea) in her bicycle's basket, and even lands a shot on Angel.
Evil Teacher: She shows no reluctance in going along with Tom Weaver's plans to rid the town of its "hoodie infestation", which is several of her own students.
Toyota Tripwire: Danny takes her out by opening his car door in her path and sending her flipping over it.
Villainous Crush: She's implied several times to be attracted to Angel. Though it doesn't stop her from trying to kill him, and she actually comes closer to that than most of her fellow NWA members.

Roy and Mary Porter

Played By: Peter Wight and Julia Deakin

Disproportionate Retribution: They were complicit in Tim Messenger's death in retaliation for him listing Mary's age as 55 "when actually [she's] 53".
The Ditz: Mary is very clearly the lesser intellect of the two, often just repeating the last thing her husband's said. In fact, it's through this that the mantra of "the Greater Good" is introduced to the audience.
Drink-Based Characterization: The lack of selection in their pub is meant to characterise them as rustic villagers.
Not-So-Well-Intentioned Extremist: Downplayed. While they are willing to have underage drinkers killed to preserve the best village award, they initially try to keep the underage drinking restricted to their establishment to avoid carnage: only betraying the underage patrons after Nicolas arrests the latter en masse.

Sandford Citizens

Tim Messenger

Played By: Adam Buxton
Dubbed in French By: Thierry Wermuth

A journalist who often asks Nicholas to be interviewed, with little success.

Cruel and Unusual Death: He has his head splattered into pieces by a falling piece of the church.
Genius Ditz: He lacks in social graces and has a track record of spelling mistakes but he is a very skilled reporter.
Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: By a piece of a church, which falls on his head and stays embedded in his upper body.
Intrepid Reporter: Clearly would like to be this, and so reports on Sandford with considerable zeal.
Meaningful Name: A messenger with a message for Angel and/or the town in general.
O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Nicholas goes to dismiss him again at the fete, until Tim very seriously expresses his need to relay some extremely important information... that leads to his grisly demise. He even greets with Nicolas with a formal "hello" rather than his usual, jovial "Hi-hi!"
Right for the Wrong Reasons: From his investigative reporting he manages to piece together that all the "accidental" deaths are actually a murderous conspiracy. However, he would've believed - as Nicholas does after trawling through Tim's articles — that it was related to the land development scheme rather than the petty desires of the NWA.
Rouge Angles of Satin: In-Universe. His grasp of spelling is amazingly awful, especially for a reporter. In fact, he even writes Angel's name as Angle. It's why the NWA kill him.
Spanner in the Works: Nick finds out in his articles that he assumes Skinner was involved in a land-buying scheme. While it turns out that's not the reason he was killed, it helps Nick connect Skinner to the murderers.
Verbal Tic: "Hi-hi!"
Your Head Asplode: A piece of the church roof falls on him, splattering his head.

Martin Blower

Played By: David Threlfall
Dubbed in French By: Bernard Alane

A respected Solicitor from Sandford. He was playing the leading role of Romeo in the famous play Romeo and Juliet along with Eve Draper.

Amoral Attorney: We never see him practice law, but he's perfectly fine with going way over the speed limit. Blower is also taking advantage of inside information about a political decision to profit on a real estate deal.
Asshole Victim: Defied. He may be a little smug, but Nick makes it clear that he didn't deserve to be murdered.
Bad "Bad Acting": During the Romeo & Juliet production, except when it comes to kissing Eve Draper. Angel is distinctly unimpressed. His appalling acting is ultimately why the NWA kill him.
Camp Straight: Blower acts rather effeminate and camp, but he's carrying on an affair with Eve Draper.
Cool Car: Drives a yellow Saab 900 Convertible with which he exceeds the speed limit.
Dawson Casting: In-universe, he plays Romeo, who is supposed to be somewhere in his late teens.
Hate Sink: In a downplayed example, Martin is presented as irritating and smarmy in contrast to the main characters and antagonists, but his demise is still portrayed as disproportionate.
Jerkass: Basically every irritating and entitled motorist rolled up into one.
May–December Romance: As an older fellow, is having an affair with the more youthful Eve Draper.
Meaningful Name: He blows a lot of hot air, but backs down when confronted by a police officer.
Large Ham: Especially during the play. Also, "STOP WRITING!"
Off with His Head!: Decapitated via axe, with his death framed as a "traffic collision" alongside Eve.
Slimeball: Martin's pompous attempts at invoking 'charm' and 'status' as the village attorney are portrayed as entitled and sleazy. Even so, his demise is portrayed as Disproportionate Retribution for his admittedly appalling acting.

Eve Draper

Portrayed By: Lucy Punch

An employee at the Sandford village council planning office. She was playing the leading role of Juliet in the local theatre production of Romeo and Juliet along with Martin Blower.

Annoying Laugh: The reason she's killed, in addition to being a terrible actress and having a "sordid" affair with Martin Blower.
Bad "Bad Acting": During the Romeo & Juliet production, she's even worse than Martin. The only convincing part of her performance is when she and Martin kiss.
The Ditz: Intelligence is not her strong suit.
May–December Romance: Having an affair with the visibly older Martin Blower. She tends to favour the older gentleman in general.
Danny: Marcus Carter's big brother said he'd fingered her up the duck pond.
Meaningful Name: Both a reference to Evelyn Draper in Play Misty for Me, and a play on eavesdropper.
No Kill like Overkill: She gets stabbed multiple times and then beheaded'.
Off with Her Head!: Decapitated via axe, with her death framed as a "traffic collision" alongside Martin.

Tina

Portrayed By: Alice Lowe

Ax-Crazy: During the fight in the super-market, she runs at the police screaming and brandishing a knife.
Curb-Stomp Battle: They don't even need to open fire on her. She's simply blindsided and knocked on her ass by Doris with a wet floor sign while she's still charging at the cops.
Perpetual Frowner: She rarely deviates from her bored gaze.
Sexy Secretary: For Skinner. She works part-time as a table dancer at a place called 'Flappers'.

Arthur Webley

Portrayed By: David Bradley

A farmer in Sandford. Nicholas Angel, Danny Butterman, Bob Walker, and Saxon are called to his house when James Reaper complains that he has been cutting hedges that don't belong to him.

Collector of the Strange: He's collected hundreds of guns of all range and sizes, not to mention an old sea mine.
He Knows Too Much: Accidental example. When Angel asks about the absurd amount of unlicensed firearms Webley holds in his farm, Webley's answer is that he "found them". Considering the arsenal the NWA has (including multiple semi-automatic and automatic weapons such as an Steyr MP-34), it is implied that Webley found one of their weapons caches and this led to him being murdered (if he was not killed for being a law breaker, or a hedge-cutter).
Killed Offscreen: Nicholas gives him a citation for owning an entire arsenal of illegal firearms and he turns up later on with the rest of the dead bodies that the NWA has killed.
Meaningful Name: Mr. Webley has a massive collection of guns, fitting for someone named after a revolver.
More Dakka: So much so, that they have their own theme on the soundtrack ("Lethal Fuzz," which samples from Lethal Weapon trailers).
Mass "Oh, Crap!": Initiates one with Nicholas and Danny when he seemingly sets off the sea mine he has locked in his shed.
Small Role, Big Impact: The arsenal in his house, which Angel confiscates, is what allows him to get armed to the teeth for the climatic confrontation with the NWA.
The Unintelligible: They need to bring around the slightly more intelligible Bob Walker to translate for Danny, who translates Bob for Nicholas.

George Merchant

Portrayed By: Ron Cook

A successful businessman in Sandford.

Big Fancy House: Which everyone hates, and why he is killed.
Bunny-Ears Lawyer: A drunken clown but a successful one.
Can't Hold His Liquor: Gets incredibly drunk after an "accidental death" in the town, forcing Nick and Danny to take him home, and it helps the NWA make his death look like a drunken attempt at cooking gone wrong. Also, since the victims of the "accidental deaths" are two close friends of his, his overdrinking in the pub could be seen as a result of him drowning his sorrows.
Jerkass: Double-parks his big-ass Range Rover in the supermarket car-park without a care in the world, and built a ridiculously ostentatious house.
Kill It with Fire: One of the NWA members knock him out and blow up his house with him in it, making it look like an accident.
Meaningful Name: He's a rich merchant.
Nice to the Waiter: Merchant is fairly courteous to Nicholas and Danny when he drunkenly mistakes them for cabbies after they deposit him at his doorstep.
Rich in Dollars, Poor in Sense: He built a really tacky mansion in the middle of town and is frequently drunk.
Self-Made Man: George is described as a self-made millionaire.
Stealth Pun: He got rich through kitchen appliances; he's a fridge magnate (magnet).

The Swan

Portrayed By: Elvis

(honk)

A local swan who escapes from 'the castle' and proceeds to evade Sandford Police.

Chekhov's Boomerang: It keeps on coming back.
Danger Takes a Backseat: In the finale, when it takes down Frank. Turns out, swans can be even more deadly than you've heard.
Evil-Detecting Dog: Swan in this case. It's fine when Nick and Danny put it in the backseat, if a little put out. Butterman is another story; it attacks the man and causes him to crash.
The Runaway: It constantly runs away from its human.
Running Gag: Its continual evasion of the Sandford Police Department, and the repeated fact that a swan can break a man's arm.
Swans A-Swimming: Sandford's resident swan, it's apparently not content with looking graceful in the castle pond.

Aaron A. Aaronson

A local kid that Nicholas and Skinner run into in the finale.

Alliterative Name: Aaron A. Aaronson. It's so ridiculous that Nicholas believes him to be a joke person made up by the Andys at first, only to do double take when meeting the real AAA.
Brick Joke: the Andys mock Nicholas' intention to investigate the entire town's phonebook by asking if he will start with Aaron A. Aaronson. Fast forward to the finale and it's revealed that there is indeed a person with that name in town.

Metropolitan Police

The Sergeant

Portrayed By: Martin Freeman
Dubbed in French By: Rémi Bichet

A member of the Metropolitan Police Service. He calls Nicholas Angel into his office to inform him of his recent promotion to Sergeant, as well as his transfer.

The Cameo: For Martin Freeman, who had a previous cameo in Shaun of the Dead and has a supporting role in The World's End.
Desk Jockey: The Sergeant is an admitted Desk Jockey, and he's actually rather proud of it.
Jerkass: He's a smarmy prick to Nicholas pretty much from the get-go, aside from what little sympathy he might have for the latter being stabbed in the hand.
Large Ham: You can tell Martin Freeman is trying to make the most of his screentime.
No Name Given: He's only known as 'Sergeant'.

The Inspector

Portrayed By: Steve Coogan
Dubbed in French By: Constantin Pappas

The Inspector at Nicholas Angel's station.

Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: He tries to act friendly and polite, asking about Angel's previously injured hand and telling him that Sanford is a great place to hide the true motive for stationing him there.
The Cameo: Uncredited, for Steve Coogan.
No Name Given: He's only known as 'the Inspector'.

The Chief Inspector

Ch. Insp. Kenneth

Portrayed By: Bill Nighy
Dubbed in French By: Georges Claisse

A Chief Inspector at the Metropolitan Police Service. He is called into the office by the Met Inspector and the Met Sergeant in order to convince Nicholas Angel that he is indeed being transferred.

Break the Haughty: He's less smarmy and arrogant and more grovelling in his second appearance when trying to persuade Nick to come back to London, as it turns out he was pretty much the only one preventing crime from spiralling completely out of control.
Brutal Honesty: While the Sergeant and Inspector tip-toe around the issue, Kenneth comes right out and tells Nick the reason he's being "promoted."
Chief Inspector: The fact of the matter is, you've been making us all look bad.
The Cameo: For regular Wright alumni, Bill Nighy.
Da Chief: Likely to be the most senior officer at the station.
Jerkass: He's more directly nasty to Angel than the Met Inspector or Sergeant, showing no gratitude for Angel's exemplary service and taking nasty pleasure in transferring him.
Only One Name: Out of Angel's three Met bosses, he's the only one named and even then, it's only a first name.
Screw the Rules, I Make Them!: His seeming philosophy, as he explains to Angel.
Angel: With respect, Sir, you can't just make people disappear.
Chief Inspector: Yes, I can. I'm the Chief Inspector.

Janine

Portrayed By: Cate Blanchett
Dubbed in French By: Anne Mathot

A crime scene investigator for the Metropolitan Police Service and Nicholas Angel's ex-girlfriend. When he gets transferred to Sandford, he goes to her to inform her. There, she attempts to connect with Nicholas, but he instead focuses on their job.

The Cameo: She's played by an uncredited Cate Blanchett.
The Faceless: Her face is covered due to her mask.
Glasses Pull: Parodied with her pulling off her crime scene goggles, which has no effect due to the mask.

Characters / Hot Fuzz

Edit Locked