The Doctor Blake Mysteries

I first came across this series a couple years ago and since then have looked forward to each new series and have not been disappointed every episode has hit the mark.

Craig McLachlan breaks away from his likely lad image and makes a brilliant job playing the maverick police surgeon Dr Lucien Blake. The wonderful Nadine Garner plays his housekeeper Jean Bezley to perfection. Equally brilliant is Joel Tobeck as the police inspector and former school mate of Dr Blake.

The inter play between Dr Blake and his housekeeper is major source of amusement running through the series. Both characters have back stories that put obstacles in the path of a romantic outcome. Joel Tobeck's police inspector has the tricky job of managing Dr Blake he admires Blake's brilliance but has to reign in Blake when breaks procedure and takes the investigation of at a tangent.

Watch and enjoy every episode is a gem.

The Doctor Blake Mysteries may not quite be among my favourite shows of all time, but it's a riveting series that keeps getting better and one of the better detective drama shows in recent years. Unfortunately, it's buried within BBC's daytime television scheduling and aired at a time where most people will be at school or work, and the show deserves better than that.

The post-war period is beautifully evoked in the sumptuous but also atmospheric settings and scenery and charming costumes and period detail. The series is beautifully shot and atmospherically lit, the dark grey-ish tinge being very appropriate and adding much to the overall feel of the series. The episodes are scored sensitively and the haunting theme tune gets embedded in the brain, while the direction is suitably restrained but the crimes and solutions sometimes have a genuine eeriness.

Writing is consistently good, with great thought-provoking dialogue that always makes the mystery elements interesting but the atmosphere doesn't ever feel too grim. The story lines, apart from moments of slow pacing in the first season, are so riveting, with suspensefully written cases that you care about getting solved, that one can't wait for the next episode. The solutions are never too obvious either, nor are they too complicated. The characters are well-written and are more than just stereotypes (although it took me a while to get used to Munro, who is the complete opposite of Lawson in a not-so-good way), Lucien is a fascinating title character.

Craig McLachlan is superb in the role as well, quite possibly his best role and certainly the best acting he's ever done. He seemed an unlikely choice at first, but the characters suits him perfectly. All the acting is very good actually, and seldom if ever any less.

All in all, a riveting series that deserves better treatment scheduling-wise. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Recommended series. Lucien Blake (Craig McLachlan) is an ex-POW now practicing medicine in post-WW2 Ballarat, Australia who gives the local police headaches by his obsessive refusal to accept the obvious explanation when called to the scene of a murder in his official capacity. Engaging characters, elegant ensemble acting, and fantastic period sets make this a winner for those who love a good murder mystery. Close attention is required for those who don't speak Australian. Erotic tension between the Doctor and his no-nonsense practice manager/housekeeper Jean (Nadine Garner) adds spice to the mix. Despite being it's highest rated show, the series inexplicably has been canceled by the network. Yet another Dr. Blake Mystery.

A nice little gem out of Australia. The premise about Dr. Lucien Blake, a police surgeon (kind of like an earlier era law enforcement medical examiner) who can't escape the shadow of his super successful father, also a doctor is intriguing. Blake (portrayed with a steady hand by Craig McLachlan) makes a few totally human assumptions along the way in each weeks mystery. This means he messes up and sometimes is lead down the wrong path before finding the right one. I like this because it means there aren't too many ridiculous jumps in logic when the sleuthing happens and the clues are followed. Sometimes the mysteries can be solved by the audience before the end but sometimes not. Again, I like something that makes me think a bit. Its also nice to watch a show from Australia that doesn't feature the tired stories about bubble heads hanging out on a beach or some forgettable vapid slapstick comedy thing. Great show, solid cast, nice tidy little, well-written under-an-hour whodunits. Grab a cup of tea or Java and have a sit-down and watch this show if you like mysteries.

Starting watching this show on PBS last year and it is excellent. It gives a view of what Australia and the Far East was like politically after WW2 which is not very well understood by Americans. Hope the show continues with more of the rich political history of Australia. Acting and character development is good. Surprised by the writes tackling difficult topics and give a slant on them that most Americans can learn from. Mysteries are sometimes obvious but still worth watching. PBS should keep this series coming to America. Australia is such an interesting country which has an extraordinary rich history and this show gives a peek at it. Keep up good work