Overview
As Hercule Poirot was fond of saying: “One needs to stimulate the gray cells”. British mysteries definitely exercise the mind while being very entertaining. The television adaptations are excellent. Usually the acting is superb. The stories are well written and acted. For the American viewer like me the scenery, the language, the culture and the human interaction differs enough to add an additional dimension to the stories. Class and privilege are often underlying themes.
If you are looking for car chases, explosions and endless gun battles, these mysteries are not for you. If you like puzzles and like to be challenged, you will like these stories. Generally you do not witness the crimes. You are presented the clues and you solve the crimes along with the characters. Many have surprise endings, but they tend to be plausible endings. Most are based on the characters created and stories written by the finest mystery novelists. There is excellent character development which helps the viewer understand the actions of the characters. Although each episode's story stands on its own and is usually told in 100 minutes, you should watch the episodes in order to understand underlying relationships and personal histories.
You can review episode summaries of my favorite British mystery television series by clicking on these links. Here are the series I enjoyed most: Foyle's War starring Michael Kitchen; A Touch of Frost starring David Jason; Inspector Linley starring Nathaniel Parker and Saron Small; Midsomer Murders starring John Nettles; Inspector Morse starring John Thaw; P. D. James mysteries starring Roy Marsden; Poirot starring David Suchet; Prime Suspect starring Hellen Mirren; Wire in The Blood starring Robson Green; Inspector Lewis starring Kevin Whately; The Last Detective starring Peter Davison; Agatha Christie's Marple starring Geraldine McEwan; Lord Peter Wimsey starring Ian Carmichael; Blue Murder starring Caroline Quentin; Ruth Rendell Mysteries .
I try to watch one episode a night until I complete what is available for a specific series. Adding all the series together, there are hundreds of episodes. If you would like to add these to your personal library, they can be purchased at ShopPBS. A portion of the proceeds with go to support public television. There is no better way to escape for awhile then to brew a cup of tea, prepare a small dessert and settle into a comfortable chair to enjoy one of these mysteries.
Watch these great series from the beginning!
Many have only seen recent episodes from these series on television. Some of these programs have been on for years, but are only broadcast in America occasionally. Click here to go to my aStore on Amazon.com where I have already listed the available DVDs and videos plus British teas and desserts for your convenience or search product DVD or VHS by series title using the box below to see what DVDs or videos are available. I have also included links to my aStore at the end of each episode summary page. Add these great British mystery programs to your library.
This is an American website and the DVDs are in the proper format to play on US and Canadian DVD players.
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In addition
As I mentioned earlier, all these series have been inspired by some of England's greatest mystery writers: Agatha Christie; P. D. James; Lynda La Plante; Val McDermid; Anthony Horowitz; R. D. Wingfield; Colin Dexter; Caroline Graham; Leslie Thomas; Elizabeth George (an American); Dorothy L. Sayers; Cath Staincliffe. I have noted at the bottom of each episode summary the writer who inspired the individual series. Search BOOKS by author using the box provided above to see what books and audio books (CD or cassette) are available from these great authors.