The Mrs Bradley Mysteries

Five glorious murder mysteries, that keep you baffled, and look decadent. The production values are spot on, the sets and costumes are spot on. A word you'd use is lavish, plenty of art deco, lots of that pre war glamour. The music is glorious.

Diana Rigg is sublime in the title role, talk about meant for a part, she has the charisma, the charm, the voice, and dare I say it the grandeur for the role. Dudgeon is great, as are a wealth of brilliant guest stars, Phyllida Law, Lynda Barron and Ronan Vibert, they played a blinder with Peter Davison, he was terrific.

What a shame it only lasted the one series, this deserved to run a lot longer. The finale was my favourite episode. 8/10

I am puzzled by the negative reviews, not to mention the show producers' decision to pull the plug after airing just a handful of stories. Here we are in 2015, awash in much-acclaimed period costume TV dramas which serve up contrived, soap-ish plots and uneven dialogue - neither particularly at home in the prewar era they pretend to capture. By comparison, Mrs Bradley Mysteries sparkles. The exteriors and interiors alone are hypnotic. The acting is spot on. A great many feminist messages are shared but without rubbing the viewer's nose in it. There is wit and affection and murder mystery on par with Agatha Christie. I enjoyed every minute. Strongly recommended.

Diana Rigg is back in top form as the larger than life (but firmly grounded on human misdemeanours) character of Mrs. Bradley. Neil Dudgeon and Peter Davison provide a solid counterweight to her flights of fancy and intuition, which is a bit ironic for Davison - who made part of his career out of playing Margery Allingham's super-sleuth(and upper class to boot) Campion. I have only had access to three episodes, but they are lengthy enough for characters to develop and for the interplay between them to become a given. I think the acting, art direction, sets and music will take anyone to heaven. This is way above (& beyond) any Agatha Christie screen adaptation - and Diana Rigg *is* Mrs. Bradley, much in the same way that Jeremy Brett *was* Sherlock Holmes. Bravo!

Dame Diana Rigg is as smooth as a glass of brandy, but don't let that fool you. She's intelligent and clever in the role of the thrice-divorced Mrs. Adela Bradley in the Mrs. Bradley Mysteries series. Adela solves mysteries in a variety of interesting places- from a haunted house to a lovely seaside resort- along with her sidekick/chauffeur George (Neil Dudgeon). Bradley has the best of advice and sarcasm to offer to those involved in her cases, and the audience too. The series of mini-mysteries is very enjoyable to watch- the 1930s period costumes, props, and cars bring out the best in this sexy, savvy series that keeps you on the edge of your seat in pure fun.

I dismissed this series as shallow when it first came out. Maybe I was dazzled by the settings and costumes and didn't stick with it (though I love mysteries). I've just seen several repeats and I'm hooked. Mrs Bradley and George Moody are real, 3-D characters.

Much is suggested but not said. Rigg and Dudgeon are wonderful actors (also Phyllida Law in one episode) and Rigg has all the style of her Avengers days. Only Peter Davidson's character seems a little colourless. The plots are preposterous (the worsted viper????), but who cares? Why are Gladys Mitchell's books out of print? (By the way, folks, it's set in the 20s, not the 30s. The helmet-like cloche hats and waistless short dresses should be a clue.)