Prey (Chris Lunt, 2014)

So, a Fugitive-like drama in three parts with two of my favourite British actors. I liked the premise already. Not only that, but you get to see John Simm running around covered in mud and blood and Craig Parkinson with a beard. What else could I possibly ask for?

Jokes aside, I really enjoyed it: I liked the pace (rather frantic, but the story demands it) and I enjoyed the performances, including the unusual performance by the actress who plays the main detective, not something you normally see in a TV police drama; I love how flawed, pathetic and almost unprofessional she seems and how you move from being annoyed by her to having all your hopes on her in order to save poor John Simm. And all the twists were really exciting.

SPOILER: Will poor Craig Parkinson ever get a different type of role? It really seems like he has ‘Traitor’ written on his forehead or something.

8/10

Casting the Runes (Lawrence Gordon Clark, 1979)

Nice to see how ITV took over from BBC in their tradition of adapting MR James’s ghost stories for the small screen. This certainly has the same feeling and there is even a wee reference to the superb Night of the Demon, which is based on the same story. Nice to see Iain Cuthbertson as the baddie, too; he plays very good villains indeed.

The rest, even though it has deviations from the original text, still feels very MR James, so if you like the story you won’t feel disappointed. I seem to be a weird case: this particular story does not seem to work that well for me when I read it, I’ve always preferred the adaptations, not sure why.

Rating: 8/10

The Bletchley Circle (Jaime Payne et al, 2012)

This turned out to be much better than I expected. After the initial disappointment of realising that it wasn’t actually set neither at Bletchley Park, nor during he war, I found myself actually quite liking the story.

The ‘case’ itself is nothing out of the ordinary, but it gets more and more exciting. The highlight are definitely the main characters, as they are all rather likeable and believable. Glad to read a second series has been commissioned; I’m curious to know how they develop. I hope to get more Enigma Machine in the new instalment!

Rating: 7/10

Endeavour (Russell Lewis, 2013)

A TV about a young Inspector Morse? Why not. After all, it’s on on Sunday nights, the perfect time for detective dramas.

I have to say I found the main character hugely distracting: on several occasions I found myself staring at his ginger sideburns and not paying any attention at what he was saying. The boy is, indeed, rather handsome.

Nonetheless, I enjoyed the series as a whole, and not only because of the protagonist. Episode 3 (‘Fugue’), the one about the serial killer, is indeed excellent and the rest are really good fun. I love the period detail, especially all the smoking – for how weird and out of place it seems nowadays – and the suits. Nonetheless, in this respect I must admit there are a few scenes that seem far too modern, like the singer in the cabaret bar in the last episode.

But, as I say, very enjoyable if you like detective dramas. I only wish I had watched more ‘Inspector Morse’, as I’m sure I missed a lot of references.

Rating: 7.5/10