I am a murder mystery fan. I love them all. All started with Steve McGarrett in Hawaii Five-0. Every Friday night when my dad went round to his mates house to prepare the motorbike for the weekends motor racing and I would be plonked down in front of the Friday night TV. This love has followed me all through my life.
I love Agatha Christie stuff, Miss Marple and Poirot - so gentle and contained. Sherlock Holmes and Lord Peter Whimsey kept me company all last summer on my iPod. So it was a tremendous treat when Sherlock Holmes came to our screens in an all too brief 3 episodes last Autumn with the wonderful Benedict Cumberbatch in the title role. Funny how you follow someone to see where it leads you and I now find myself thoroughly enjoying Benedict in Cabin Pressure (11.30 Friday Radio 4). A beautifully written show by John Finnemore. After hearing it more times than I can recall the last episode of series 2 titled 'Limmerick' still has me crying with laughter when Arthur is quizzed on the phonetic alphabetic.
Midsomer Murders is a fabulous piece of TV and are great to accompany an afternoon snooze. You don't miss a thing. Plus I've seen them all so many times they are like old friends. However the new DCI Barnaby (Neil Dudgeon) is great. They are being very slow at letting these episodes out - about one a month is all we seem to be getting. Also the recent furore over the show has shown me how little time journalists spend on getting to know something they are writing about. They all said something about the 'village where all the murders happen'. Well if they had watched even part of one episode they would have discovered that it is the County of Midsomer. I love the way the production team ensures the branding works, on court houses, libraries, schools, buses. All meticulously done. The new Midsomer Murders has a much grittier edge and the production values are more urban and street, than chocolate boxy, and it is all the better for it.
Lewis - well there's a treat indeed. I used to like Morse and never really noticed Kevin Whatley although I recognised him from Auf Wiedersehen Pet and Peak Practice. And here he is in Lewis with the title role but is so unassuming that his side kick really does steal the show. I am a fan of both Kevin and now of Laurence Fox. Having been to Oxford recently I appreciate the golden gorgeousness of the place and that comes across in the show.
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This spring and summer has been a real treat to feed my lust for all things murder mystery. The shining stars for me have been (in no particular order): Case Sensitive. How gorgeous is Jason Issacs and all set in the moody, mysterious and beautiful Edinburgh. I love it when the hero plays just on the edge of the law whilst remaining honest and true. The ladies around him are played wonderfully and make the whole story marvellous from beginning to end. It has to equal the Rebus stories for its use of the city it is set in and the wonderfully dark loner that is Ken Stott in the title role.
Scott and Bailey. How great to see women in the title roles for a change. Lesley Sharp, Suranne Jones and Amelia Bullmore. Gruesome cases to solve and occasionally the plot has no twist or turn which in itself can be a bit of a twist. Nice that the heroes have real lives and are not loners which the male heroes usually are. Beautifully cast and humourously done.
Luther. Some shows are so realistic that they leave you feeling just a little bit nervous. And Luther (Idris Elba) is one of those. There he was with his team solving murders committed in E1 just as I was heading off down to London, E1 no less. Butterflies all the way I can tell you. You have to love the slightly unhinged characters in this show - particularly the women who are played darkly and playfully as appropriate. I agree with Grace Dent (Guardian Guide TV OD) when she say, "One is never completely at ease with Luther, both during the show and for several hours afterwards, and I love it for that." The extra bonus with Luther is that it has one of the McGann brothers in it. In this case it was Paul, who I have been a big fan of since the Monocled Mutineer and Withnail & I back in the late 80s. 'Here, Hare Here' makes me laugh every time.
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