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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 an 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.

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 Sharon Small; "Midsomer Murders" starring John Nettles; "Inspector Morse" starring John Thaw; P. D. James mysteries starring Roy Marsden, Martin Shaw and Helen Baxendale; "Poirot" starring David Suchet; "Prime Suspect" starring Helen 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; "Ruth Rendell Mysteries"; "Blue Murder" starring Caroline Quentin; "Rebus" starring Ken Stott; "Wycliffe" starring Jack Shepherd.

<-- Please scroll through the menu on the left using the left scroll bar. Click on the picture of the series you want to read about. An episode summary of the series will appear in this window. Use the right scroll bar to read through the summary.

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. You may want to bookmark this site. I will be adding more episodes as I view them. 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 below 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. I have also included links to my aStore at the end of each episode summary page. Add these great British mystery programs to your home library.

Click here to visit my DVD store!

This is an American website and the DVDs are in the proper format to play on US and Canadian DVD players.

If you are a librarian at a public library click here.

When you purchase a DVD or other product through my aStore you are actually buying through Amazon.com with all the security and customer service provided by Amazon.com. I get a small commission which does not affect your price and helps support this site. Please consider making your purchase through my aStore - Thanks!

Also you may search product DVD or VHS by series title using this search box to see what DVDs or videos are available.

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; Ian Rankin; William John Burley. 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 or visit my aStore

Important! If you only received this page and there is no menu on the left, please click on BritishMysteries.com

Thank you!