Sócios no Crime

As it's the anniversary of Agatha Christie's the BBC have decided to revive her lesser known characters from the 'Partners in Crime' series of novels and short stories.

Sunday night seems to be the perfect time to put this kind of drama. not only is it well shot but the stories are just about taxing enough to be interesting, while not too demanding. Stretching one novel into two parts seems to be a smart move too.

As for the casting I know David Walliams divided a lot of opinion in the press but to be honest I was surprised by his performance. He brings a lot of warmth to the character and there was real subtlety in what he did.

The real star of the show though for me is Jessica Raine, who shines as Tuppence in every scene she is in. She makes the dynamic between her and Walliams believable and can play both the drama and the comedy of the stories well.

Overall a good addition to Sunday night telly. Long may it continue.

This has been a wonderful series, its great to have a story stretched over 2-4 episodes rather than 12-30 which seems to be the norm now. Of course this was a 3-parter so it was perfect.

I am not at all familiar with this story, as I imagine most others aren't either, but it was a thrilling little adventure, though I have to admit certain plot twists weren't entirely surprising it was still gripping and fast moving.

JR was fabulous and very believable in her role, the energy and feistiness she brought was great. And I just adored her outfits too. I look forward to seeing more of her in this role, and others. She thrives in the 1950s it seems.

David Walliams, in my opinion, was entirely miscast. I could count the number of times his facial expression changed on one hand. He just appeared stunned/frozen all the way through, even in the parts where you would expect a deeply strong emotional reaction to someone you love being in danger or a facial-flutter when your own life threatened or you are caught out by someone.

He just came across as unenthused, lacking energy and uncaring like he couldn't be bothered to act. If that is how the character is MEANT to be then that's a different matter, but I think he was going OTT on the old fashioned 'stiff upper lip' quiet, introvert and calm etc etc.

And frankly I didn't think the chemistry between them was zinging.

This aside I will watch the next story and hopefully this will improve. Overall it is a wonderful show, just let down by the lead male.

Maybe it is because I read the books or saw the (1983) (TV Mini-Series with Francesca Annis and James Warwick), that it takes some time to accept the characters in this (2015) (TV Mini-Series with Jessica Rain and David Williams.) then when you think about it the characters are what they are supposed to be and not particularly what you would have written them as.

This is a 1950's period piece and the characters, clothing, cars, etc. Are quite convincing.

We follow the partners as they move from their mundane life as beekeepers to quasi investigators of spies and other despicable characters. With the help of friends and relatives, they foil evil plots against man, king, and country.

Agatha Christie was not smothered up by the TV scriptwriting. There are of course changes for the different media. It took a bit of time to get used to as I would not have given a good rating until well into the story.

The negative reviews of this series are laughable. Is it spot-on Agatha Christie? No. Is it fun? Yes. Suspenseful and enjoyable. Jessica Raine is not attractive? Oh, please. Yes, David Wallaims' character is a bit of a dolt, but that's part of the charm of the series. The acting is fine; the script is fine; and the stories are engaging. The episodes each ended with engaging cliff-hangers, and the resolution of each was believable. The series also captures a post-war '50s feel quite nicely. Some of the folks who reviewed this seemed determined not to like it, and it might not be your cup of tea. But I found plenty to like here, and wish that they had made more.

The series title is misleading as it has little to do with Agatha Christie if you are a purist, but it is entertaining enough for a quick break from reality. I love the sets and costumes in general; the setting is just post WW2. They did not have Botox and filler back then. A number of the female characters are pumped full of the stuff as their eyebrows are situated so high and arched on their foreheads and their cheeks so round and full, they have that all too common permanently surprised or even pained clown look that many celebrities have today. Unfortunately, the art of acting with a natural expression that includes facial expressions is becoming a lost art.