The Mrs Bradley Mysteries

Produced in 1999 length 1 hr. 22 min. Based on the novel "Speedy Death" by Gladys Mitchell.

Mrs. Adela Bradley (Diana Rigg), an amateur sleuth has her Bunter, oops, I mean chauffeur George (Neil Dudgeon). The pair plays off on another as if they could read each other's minds.

It is the year 1929. We are privy to Mrs. Bradley going to her ex-husband's funeral as background. "Today, a funeral, tomorrow, an engagement party. Life goes on, n'est-pas?" says Mrs. Bradley as she has been invited to her Goddaughter Eleanor's (Emma Fielding) engagement party. There, as in all good mysteries, we are introduced to the main characters (soon to be suspects) as Eleanor's affianced is mysteriously dispatched that evening. Who could have done it and why? The investigating doctor must prepare for a real shocker and so do we.

People who are used to this type of British mystery will have pretty much guessed the answer by this time. However, it is fun to see how the characters slowly realize what happened. By the way, will anybody else be dispatched in the process?

"Speedy Death" is a part of a series of Mrs. Bradley on film.

"Speedy Death" takes one DVD There are two more DVDs each with two complete standalone stories for a total of five.

You may be spending time saying where have I seen that actor before as they are immensely popular in the British mystery series.

Death at the Opera The Rising of the Moon Laurels Are Poison The Worsted Viper.

There are five episodes in this series, but sadly only the first one is available right now at Britbox and Amazon, with a Britbox subscription. (Something about expired rights.) That's too bad, because I'm picky about the British mysteries I watch, and here was one of the few Britbox ones that I actually found highly watchable.

Mrs. Bradley is a divorcee with a loyal chauffeur who helps her solve murders. She is unorthodox to say the least, not the least bit sentimental, and embarrasses her grown son to no end. She threw cigars on his father's coffin at the cemetary. (Her ex-husband loved cigars.)

In this first story, Mrs. Bradley is staying the weekend at the home of family friends who are celebrating the engagement of her goddaughter. Only her fiance drowns in the bathtub, and something very strange is revealed about him after the drowning.

Was it an accident or murder? Of course, we know it was murder and so does Mrs. Bradley. Now she just has to prove it, as well as figure out why other odd things are going on in the home. I figured out who the murderer was before the end, without even trying to do so. I never try to do so, because I just watch mysteries for a hopefully intelligent and enjoyable ride. I like the cozy type and this series fits the bill.

..but sadly, i found the writing not nearly up to snuff of most BBC mysteries. Combined with directing at a snail's pace, I longed for Miss Fisher mysteries set in the same era where the pace didn't put me to sleep. The acting is good as you would expect from these veterans, but they just don't have much to work with in terms of script.

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.)

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