Armchair Thriller

As another (excellent) reviewer has pointed out, the stories are hit or miss. Unfortunately, there's no way to review each one and so we'll have to deal with the series of stories as a whole.

Armchair Thriller ran for four years from 1978 to 1982. It features fantastic TV acting talent bu loses points for script editing. That creepy opening music was written by Roxy Music legend Andy Mackay.

For older viewers there is tremendous nostalgia value to be had here. The stories are on par with similar series' that were out at the time, like Thriller, Tales Of The Unexpected, Chiller, Hammer House Of Horror, etc.

It was a time when the money-making independent TV channels (LTW, Anglia, Thames, etc) were raking in the dough and had the cash to splash on making great TV.

This compendium of tales differs a little bit from the others in as much as the stories were in several half-hour weekly shows. Some as few as four episodes and some as many as six. Back then we had a bit more patience! But the parts were introduced nicely with still shots and an explanation of what had happened in previous episodes.

Thoroughly enjoyable for us older folk... but perhaps there's nothing left in these vintage series' for the younger set.

I remember seeing this show when I was very young. It was really disturbing, to the point where I had trouble sleeping (particularly that intro sequence). The acting was brilliant, the stories were imaginitive. The show is high quality throughout.

A series of mysteries with one thing in common, intrigue, suspense and all manner of sinister goings ons.

Expect kidnaps, robberies, dognapping, murder and much, much more, the show has a lot of variety.

If like I do, you enjoy the classic mysteries, Thriller, Hammer House of Horror, Tales of The Unexpected, Rivals of Sherlock Holmes etc, then I think this will be one you'll enjoy.

Don't expect consistency throughout, it does vary quite a lot in terms of quality. Quiet as a Nun and The Limbo Connection are two that I watch on quite a regular basis, both are terrific, intriguing mysteries, both have a subtle horror vibe, at the other end of the scale, The Girl who walked quickly and The Circe Connection, I found both quite painful, very slow, very dull, such a contrast.

Antonia Fraser's Jemima Shore character got her own series some years later on, but Patricia Hodge played the title character instead of Maria Aitken.

The main controversy I've always thought, The Chelsea Murders, often maligned, it sits almost the very bottom in the IMDB ratings, and yet I'm a fan of it, it was a production nightmare apparently, it wasn't finished, and underwent a huge edit to go out as a single, feature length production, it's one of my personal favourites, it's chilling, it's well paced, I think it's too easily overlooked.

I really did like the Night time Thames introduction, it's certainly a bit different, and gives you a vibe of something Dark and late night ahead of you, then come those wonderfully sinister opening sequences, and that tremendous music.

Expect a whole host of well known faces, you'll see James Bolam, John Shrapnel, Zena Walker and Maria Aitken, as well as many more.

8/10.