The Doctor Blake Mysteries

Starting watching this show on PBS last year and it is excellent. It gives a view of what Australia and the Far East was like politically after WW2 which is not very well understood by Americans. Hope the show continues with more of the rich political history of Australia. Acting and character development is good. Surprised by the writes tackling difficult topics and give a slant on them that most Americans can learn from. Mysteries are sometimes obvious but still worth watching. PBS should keep this series coming to America. Australia is such an interesting country which has an extraordinary rich history and this show gives a peek at it. Keep up good work

I first came across this series a couple years ago and since then have looked forward to each new series and have not been disappointed every episode has hit the mark.

Craig McLachlan breaks away from his likely lad image and makes a brilliant job playing the maverick police surgeon Dr Lucien Blake. The wonderful Nadine Garner plays his housekeeper Jean Bezley to perfection. Equally brilliant is Joel Tobeck as the police inspector and former school mate of Dr Blake.

The inter play between Dr Blake and his housekeeper is major source of amusement running through the series. Both characters have back stories that put obstacles in the path of a romantic outcome. Joel Tobeck's police inspector has the tricky job of managing Dr Blake he admires Blake's brilliance but has to reign in Blake when breaks procedure and takes the investigation of at a tangent.

Watch and enjoy every episode is a gem.

Recommended series. Lucien Blake (Craig McLachlan) is an ex-POW now practicing medicine in post-WW2 Ballarat, Australia who gives the local police headaches by his obsessive refusal to accept the obvious explanation when called to the scene of a murder in his official capacity. Engaging characters, elegant ensemble acting, and fantastic period sets make this a winner for those who love a good murder mystery. Close attention is required for those who don't speak Australian. Erotic tension between the Doctor and his no-nonsense practice manager/housekeeper Jean (Nadine Garner) adds spice to the mix. Despite being it's highest rated show, the series inexplicably has been canceled by the network. Yet another Dr. Blake Mystery.

Just found this in the UK and loved it. It is a classic example of the period detective genre like 'Ripper Street' or 'Murdoch Mysteries' with a little bit of 21st century hindsight. That is par for the course. I didn't find Blake at all grumpy - quite the opposite. I get a little fed up with the short tempered detectives of the likes of Frost or DCI Banks. But Blake is anything but that. Setting the series in Ballarat rather than Melbourne also allows it to have the feel of a small town environment that the Aussies seem to love to do. Think of 'Blue Heelers', 'A Country Practice' or (dare I mention them) some of their soaps. As with most Australian dramas there is an underlying positiveness - despite the traumatic past that the characters might have had.

I love this show more for nostalgic reasons. I use to live in Melbourne, Victoria for 4 years and loved Ballarat and Bendigo. I lived in a state that had a large Italian/Greek population and many of the characters that have appeared on the show absolutely look like that. The character is a bit withdrawn and wooden, but then that was typical back in those times. I grew up in Perth, the west coast, and most of the men back then were restrained. The housekeeper reminded me of some of my aunts keeping a stiff upper lip and all emotions to yourself. Some of the plots are very good, and some kind ah. I am looking forward to the next season.