Campion

I have fond remembrances of this show from when it was first broadcast on the BBC. It is well above the usual costume detective dramas of the period and later. Campion is a real human with faults and failings and has the best sidekick ever in Lugg. I recently watched "Death of a Ghost" on VHS from the first series of this show. The VHS I watched was released in the UK by WH Smiths in 1991 and has been butchered.

The story as originally screened ran for two 50 minute episodes, but the run time on this tape is 81 minutes. Allowing for a duplication of credits I still reckon 20 or so minutes was very obviously and clumsily chopped out. There were gaps in the narrative and If you are looking to buy this series check the running times on the back of the case before you buy. Each story should run at 100+ minutes.

This show has a number of sexy ingredients - English countryside, 1930s glamour, grand mansions and stately homes. Yet on balance, I found it less satisfying than other literary adaptations from this era. In seeking to be faithful to the original written stories, it picks up quite a bit of baggage that seems to speak to now-dated, prewar female sensibilities. This includes the central character's 'privileged' yet unexplained background. I'm sure 80 years ago, the very notion of a mysterious do-good aristocrat opting to fight crime would leave the ladies with a tingling sensation in their undergarments; not so much nowadays. There are other scenes, and twists and turns, which feel bookish and just packed in for good measure; they may have worked at the time, and especially on paper, but contribute little to the TV version. Mr. Campion himself fits the bill well - after all, avoiding to cast any remotely dashing male characters has been de rigueur in portraying 30s England. But after a while, his eternally goofy grin gets tiresome, particularly as there is not much else we learn about his background, childhood, career, personal life or romantic entanglements. The same applied to Lugg -- yes, the acting is amazingly realistic but after two episodes, the expression 'one-trick pony' will come to mind. All in all, a nice show to spend a quiet Saturday evening with, without getting shaken and stirred in the process.

Peter Davison is perfect as "Campion" in these mysteries from 1989-1990.

If I were to compare this series to Inspector Alleyn, the difference is in the personality of the detectives. The Campion episodes are more lively, as Campion rubs elbows with both the low and the high classes with ease. He also is very whimsical.

I believe this is a take-off on Lord Peter Wimsey, more of one than the Inspector Alleyn mysteries. Campion has his manservant, Lugg, who is devoted to him and obviously from the streets. Brian Glover is great in the role.

Campion always looks very dapper and wears wonderful horn-rimmed glasses. The episodes are brighter in look than the Alleyn mysteries, and, like the Alleyn mysteries, they have high production values. Campion's background is a mystery. He's obviously well-educated. In the books he's supposedly related to royalty and cut off from his family, and he's not using his real name.

High quality mysteries, very well acted, with a lovely song which Peter Davison sings at the beginning which sets up the series perfectly: lyrical, tuneful, and bright.

This BBC production is light, engaging fun beautifully filmed. Its main strengths are the performances of Peter Davison and Brian Glover along with the impeccable art direction of Steve Keogh. The repartee between Campion and Lugg from the novels is translated well. In the series, both characters are composites of their literary counterparts who evolved considerably over the course of the nine novels published in the 1930s (the first one, "Crime at Black Dudley" was not filmed). If you don't have the time or inclination to read Ms. Allingham's early novels, watching this series is the second best thing. The screenplays are generally faithful to the novels given the expected amount of condensation required to fit each into a hundred minute film, and the episode casts feature numerous fine performances by supporting characters. Overall, a good example of how to bring novels to the screen. In summary, if you like the classic, British country-house murder mystery, this is a fine example of that genre you shouldn't miss.

"Campion" is a mystery adventure series starring Peter Davison as the title character. Campion is apparently a rich guy who is posing as 'Campion'. Who he really is isn't certain...though there are hints he's a minor member of the nobility. However, he doesn't act all that stuffy and is ably assisted by the least stuffy guy you can imagine, the lovable Mr. Lugg. Together the pair help solve crimes and seek adventure...much like Bulldog Drummond in various 1920s-40s B-movies.

So what do I like about the show? Well, I like Lugg and Campion...they are interesting characters and make the show fun. What I don't like is that often it seems as if Campion knows things too easily and too quickly...solving mysteries which don't seem possible based on the information the audience has seen. Still, it's fun and light entertainment...and worth a look.