Les enquêtes de Foyle

This is a compelling and oddly comforting drama. There is the setting and the time -- Hastings, on the southern coast of England during World War II. Hastings of course was the site of the last successful invasion of England, in 1066, and that threat seems real in the early days of the war. In the series, it is a provincial town where Deputy Chief Superintendent Foyle tries to solve local crimes of theft and murder, while dealing with wartime problems of black markets, sabotage and espionage. In addition to meddling from police superiors with their own agendas, Foyle must contend with bureaucratic and military interference from London as the war creates situations that lets criminals go free.

Then there are the scripts and the actors, not to mention the overall quality of the production -- lucid photography, theme music with echoes of Brideshead Revisited, period clothing, vehicles, etc. The writing is measured, intelligent, no wasted words. Honeysuckle Weeks and Anthony Howell in the supporting roles of Samantha Stewart and Paul Milner are excellent and play off each other well.

But the show belongs to Michael Kitchen and you wonder why you've never seen this actor before and when you will see him again. He conveys the competence and integrity you want in your hero, but the real attraction, I think, is that he is the ultimate father figure. He is concerned about people without wearing it on his sleeve; gruff, even curt, but letting us glimpse the tenderness behind it; and he is wise, not only a clever detective but wise in the ways of the human heart. He is a father not only to his son, Andrew, an RAF pilot, but also to Sam and Milner and to any number of characters in the various episodes, including his goddaughter in the last (final?) episode. Invariably, this father knows best. While he conveys a sense of vulnerability, you never have the feeling Foyle has really made a mistake. This is why I think the films are comforting. With all the chaos of war, and darkness of human behavior, Foyle moves through it all, self-possessed, caring, and ultimately, even when circumstances beyond his control keep him from actually incarcerating the wrongdoer, successful in protecting his charges from evil.

The most derogatory remark I've ever heard an intelligent people make about this program is that it drags on a bit, but quite frankly that's only because ITV go and stick 25 minutes of adverts into a otherwise perfect fluid 95minute program. I suppose you could argue that the sheer lack of offended and dishearten viewers is testament to its boring nature, but that quite frankly is nonsense as well. You see the thing about this program is that it soothes you, it's relaxing to watch but doesn't insult your intelligence. I could go on for pages and pages about the acting, writing and attention to period detail but I won't bother because by the looks of it many before me have done so already. The two simple and only facts you really need to know about this program are that Kitchen is an underrated genius and that as detective/murder mysteries go this is, and will remain, a timeless masterpiece.

Foyle's War tackles a great many of perceived truths of World War 2 head on, attempting to show a view of wartime Britain in a new light. These are dealt with against the backdrop of a murder which the considered, but burdened detective is called to.

Michael Kitchen is absolutely superb as Christopher Foyle. He plays him with a subtle mix of determination and humanity; each performance is multi-layered, giving the viewer the opportunity to see something new each time. The support cast is also extremely good, with each character given appropriate depth and screen time.

Overall, this is one to get if you like to watch well-crafted, intelligent drama.

Foyle's War follows the life of a detective and his team based in Hastings in the south of England during the Second World War.

Although he is obviously called on to investigate crimes, the programme deals with so much more - there is a real feel for what it must have been like to be in Britain when it stood alone against Hitler, when the outcome was not just uncertain, but may well have meant invasion and persecution. The period is therefore much more than a "backdrop". For instance, Foyle's son is in the RAF, and his sergeant was seriously wounded in Norway.

The scripts are intelligent, the plots engrossing and, with casts drawn from the cream of British actors, the performances are impeccable.

What a great series {so far}. Well done to the cast & all the many others associated/involved with this series. Both my parents were caught up in the war: My Dad was in the RAF, & my mum being nine years younger was evacuated from Portsmouth to an Aunt who lived in the 'country'. I never knew what a 'funk hole' was until watching this series, & when I mentioned it to my Mum, she quite calmly said 'oh yes we all knew about them'. I'm sure others may think that some things are not accurate, but books don't always tell the truth: if ever in doubt ask someone who lived through this time period. Let's hope series three lives up to the other two.