Devices and Desires - Part 1

Politics and a serial killer reunites DCI Adam Dalgliesh and Kate Miskin who is an acting DCI in a Kent community rocked by the death of two women.

The press has dubbed the killer as the Whistler because he whistles a tune. There is also a carving made to the forehead of the victims. The press are unaware of this.

Dalgliesh has been sent because both victims worked in a nuclear power station. The new Tory government want to expand nuclear power and concerned about anti nuclear activists. Maybe there is a political motive to the murders.

The setting of a post Three Island incident of the late 1970s USA works well with the paranoia of the time. It is good to see Miskin again and how Dalgliesh does not want to overstep his mark even though he is meant to be the lead investigator.

It is certainly an eerie first parter. The ending raises more questions as you think the apparent murderer is dead.

My rating may be a bit harsh. I vacillate on Bertie Carvell in lead role. It is a very considered performance and perhaps my preference for Roy Marsden means I'm too critical. Sometimes it feels like they're all trying too hard to get it right and they're not. The anachromisms are iritating and that's an area where they haven't tried hard enough.

For me it doesn't evoke the period well enough. If viewers weren't alive in the 70s it is probably fine but I do wish they wouldn't use modern terms and phrases so much. Do they not realise they're doing it? Or do they think the audience can't cope with the real terminology, speach patterns and the like? There are so many things that jar and I can't always tell why that is. The anachronisms don't help and they always annoy me. Many programmes have them, there just seem to be more in Dalgleish.

Having said that it's almost impossible to render the past accurately unless dealing with purely factual matters. We are influenced by the times we live in and cannot free ourselves from that enough to know what it really felt like to live in the past that existed before we were born. It's hard enough to connect with times we did live through, without it being coloured by our later or present life. Our views change too over time and our memories can become distorted, unreliable, imperfect and therefore inaccurate. All without our necessarily being aware of that. Not everything. However, I digress. A frequent failing.

Back to the subject.

It doesn't help that I think the earlier adaptations were better. I'm aware that's in retrospect and I might not feel that if I saw them again. I do though think Roy Marsden fitted the role of Dalgleish better.

I read all the books and enjoyed them a great deal but that was a long time ago.

None of this matters much and my older sister, who is quite discerning. Very much enjoys these. It's all subjective anyway. I'm happy that people are enjoying and perhaps discovering P D James's work, in whatever format.

Two female employees from Larkskill Nuclear plant are killed, by a man the press has named The Whistler. Dalgliesh teams up with former colleague DS Kate Miskin, who's operating as acting DCI.

With a lack of Christmas day drama, I chose to save this for the evening, and I'm glad I did, it's a cracking first episode, a cracking and rather accurate telling of a fine book.

It tapped into the whole buzz surrounding nuclear, both the excitement and genuine fear that existed at the time. It also taps into the terror women faced, at the hands of Peter Sutcliffe, very well scripted.

Very well made, it looks great, especially the visuals of The Power plant, strong visuals.

It was great to see Kate back, I've definitely missed her this series, so it was good to have her back for the final two parter from series three.

It's a fine start.

8/10.