Dial M for Middlesbrough

For three years I've tried hard to like these 'murder mysteries'. Some decent actors struggle with awful scripts and dreadful plots. You soon couldn't care less who is the murderer and just want it all to finish. Few if any, redeeming features. Comparisons with Carry On films or similar are well wide of the mark. These make Carry on Columbus look funny and this is by far the worst of that canon. Pitiful in the extreme.

This horror-mystery comedy sequel to Murder on the Blackpool Express (2017) and Death on the Tyne (2018) takes imagery from umpteen horrors and whodunnits, and gives it all a pretty good comic spin. I suppose a reasonable description would be 'Cluedo meets I Know What You Did Last Summer'. We're treated to plenty of familiar UK TV comedic and dramatic actors - often playing against type (standouts are the wonderful Phil Davies, Annette Crosbie, Jason Donovan (beautifully parodying his real life persona), Sian Gibson, and the irrepressible Johnny Vegas). The whole cast look like they're having a ball, sending up just about every slasher trope you can think of - including increasingly ludicrous amounts of blood 'n' guts. At an hour and a half it's long enough to do justice to the idea without overstaying its welcome. Like most straight horror films and thrillers it's at its most entertaining when you don't know the answer to the mystery, but the solution is a funny (and unexpected) one. 7/10.

Yes the plot and outcome are OK. The journey there is sadly so bland and innocuous, I found myself doing that modern thing of making a distraction by browsing about on my phone, using this "comedy-drama" as background noise. It was laboured and lacking any really rich dialogue. Heavy use of backing music and eternal editing. Ed Bye, still a great director, must consider this a low career point, as I'm sure a lot of the acting talent felt too. Johnny Vegas and Sian Gibson anchor it OK but they visually struggle to keep this entertaining. I've seen the offerings in this occasional series ( Draper Tours) of whodunnits from writer Jason Cook, who must have signed a lucrative deal to really get these passed for broadcasting. The highlight was Jason Donovan who (ironically for me) was the stand out of all the characters. Annette Crosbie can do no wrong too. The real mistake is that it feels it's made as a theatre farce. Over acted and loud with pregnant pauses as if waiting for the audience to laugh or applaud. Unfortunately, not many of us did.

Great cast but oh my the story was written by a 12 year old bored with their English assignment. Dull story and dull laughter.

Avoid this non laugh out loud rubbish TV movie. It makes the 70's confession movies look like a Hollywood production.

The other 2 were pleasant distractions but this just wasn't. I think I missed the crazy old people that are usually on the bus. This was mostly the 2 of them and a new cast of extras that I didn't find funny at all.