Hetty Wainthropp Investigates

Everything works in this show- the acting, the story, the pace, the directing...As others have said, it is comforting and engaging. I love Patricia and her chemistry with all co-actors( including "Keeping"); she has a special talent.Absolutely a treasure. They so should have been allowed to make more episodes

Gently amusing, occasionally dramatic, quirky English TV series which features a cast of peerless players who you will soon find warming your heart each week. Recommended as a stress reliever for all sitcom weary viewers and potential travellers to England. 10 out of 10 rating given by this viewer.

What really makes this series is Hetty's demeanor. It's hard to explain but she is comforting and fierce at the same time. I love the humdrum British world it takes us to, a different culture and setting than the one I live in, but I appreciate that it gives me a taste of simpler times.

My favorite episodes: Helping Hansi (a German gardener is being harassed by residents of a building complex and pinned as a Nazi. His acting of his isolation was really good.) Woman of the Year (Hetty solves a crime at a home for battered women. It's well done) , Runaways (Again a hard topic is addressed: Hetty finds out where a two mentally disabled young adults who are in love ran off to), Fisticuffs .

While most of the episodes are slow moving, I enjoy Patricia much more in this series than in Keeping Up Appearances, where her character got increasingly annoying. These type British series are far superior to the bland Hallmark Mysteries series with their model perfect casts and boring stories.

This show is a great hours worth of British television. The main character, Hetty,who is played by Pat Routledge is best known for her ever social climbing status character Hyacinth BUCKET, pronounced Bouquet. The rest of the ensemble make you feel like they could be your next door neighbors. Geoffery, Janet and Hetty's husband Robert have that "real" feel about them. The show revolves around an older lady who does detective work, with the help, at times, from the local police inspector, D.C.I. Adams. The show has a nice flow to it, and the story lines are played out at a nice pace. A show worth watching whenever you can find it on PBS. Let's hope soon that we can find it on Video or DVD in the near future.