Campion

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.

With his "owlish" glasses and a manservant named "Lugg" Margery Allingham's Albert Campion at first seems like a real twit . However, once you see our bespectacled hero in action you realize that he is a very distinctive sleuth capable of solving maddening mysteries. Aided by his valet cum assistant and friend, Magersfontein Lugg he faces each case in a stylish 1930's approach that was typical of the "golden age" of English Mysteries. Peter Davison is perfectly cast as Albert (whose true name and parentage are still a mystery) and he fits into his 1930's clothes and locations with ease and grace but it is Brian Glover as Lugg who really steals the show. A former wrestler before he became an actor, Glover plays his part so convincingly that one wonders how he could have been anything else in real life but Albert's sidekick. The two tackle some interesting cases in fabulous locations and wonderful period cars. If you like the protagonists from the golden age like Lord Peter Wimsey and Tommy and Tuppance , Campion is for you. Since this first appeared on "MYSTERY!" in 1989 it was never available on video. Now for the first time it is on both VHS and DVD.

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.

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.

I think the other reviews cover the lion's share of what there is to say, but just a few comments:

• As of this writing, "Campion" is available on streaming Netflix, unabridged and with no commercials.

• I love the opening and closing theme music, especially from the first season. I am not sure why they changed it up for the second season.

• "Sweet Danger" is my favorite episode of the bunch, without a doubt.

• Peter Davison did a fabulous job in all the episodes and he is dressed to the nine's. No one else but Brian Glover could have been Lugg. The production values are quite high.

• I have not read the books but plan to start sometime this summer.