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In a previous column we reviewed several popular British television series that the library has in DVD format. Since then, we have added many other titles of the same genre. If you like puzzles and like to be challenged, then you will certainly enjoy these stories. In most episodes you are given a set of clues and solve the crime along with the characters. Surprise endings are common, but are believable. You can watch each episode on its own but to gain a deeper understanding of the underlying relationships and character development, you should watch the episodes in order. Here are a few British mystery series you might like to try: History meets mystery in the award-winning PBS series, "Foyle's War." Set in World War II Britain, each episode blends real-life war stories with tales of treachery and suspense. The chief character is Detective Chief Superintendent Christopher Foyle of the English town of Hastings. Foyle and his colleagues find themselves investigating the violence and opportunism the conflict of war has fostered on the home front. Sir David Jason stars as Detective Inspector Jack Frost, a down-to-earth "street copper," in the highly popular series, "A Touch of Frost." Frost characterized as sloppy, untidy, hopeless with paperwork - but unmatched at solving mysteries. He is experienced and dedicated to his work, but he is always clashing with his superiors, mainly represented in the series by Superintendent Norman "Horn-rimmed Harry" Mullett. This popular series will conclude in 2009 after 17 years, following David Jason's decision to retire the role. A mystery series set in a variety of beautiful English and European country gardens, "Rosemary & Thyme," features two friends who, although partners in a gardening business, often find themselves in the middle of a crime scene. The character of Laura Thyme is a former policewoman whose husband has abandoned her for a younger woman; Rosemary Boxer is a plant biology professor whose career is cut short. They discover their shared love of the soil and a natural inquisitiveness. The show is a mixture of gardening and detective investigation as the duo delves into the world of crime, solving the various mysteries that happen to follow them. Although the series ended in 2007, it is still worth a look. "The Inspector Lynley Mysteries" is a series of BBC television programs about Detective Inspector Thomas "Tommy" Lynley, 8th Earl of Asherton, played by Nathaniel Parker, a Scotland Yard and his working class sidekick, Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers (Sharon Small). In addition to the tensions involved in solving a variety of murder cases, the series thrives on the characters' clashes regarding personality, gender and class. "When it debuted on PBS in 2002, The Wall Street Journal declared The Inspector Lynley Mysteries "fully worthy of the Mystery! label." Six years later, it's time to say goodbye to American novelist Elizabeth George's seemingly mismatched partners. Agatha Christie's "Poirot" series is based on Agatha Christie's crime novels and short stories. This whodunit series is named after its star sleuth, Hercule Poirot, a famous former Belgian policeman, who settled for good in London after the war, soon so famous as an infallible private detective that he becomes a society figure in his own right. In each episode Poirot gets to solve a crime mystery, mostly murders, along with his faithful English sidekick Captain Hastings and his Scotland Yard rival, Detective Chief Inspector Japp. Other series you might want to take a look at include: "Inspector Lewis," featuring Inspector Robert Lewis, the former sidekick to the legendary Inspector Morse, five years after Morse's death. "The Last Detective," based on the Dangerous Davies novels by Leslie Thomas, follows Detective Constable 'Dangerous' Davies as the odd man out in his small London police station. Campion, a detective series released in 1989, is based on the novels by Margery Allingham. We hope you enjoy watching these great series. Newspress.com www.theinspectorlynleymysteries.net © 2007 - 2010 Debby Phielix. All rights reserved. |
