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The Herald Scotland
15-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
When even Downton's Mrs Hughes turns to cosy crime, we are in TV hell
Now, despite this disliking of the soft crime genre, Logan is set to star in her own series Murder Most Puzzling. This suggests two things. She fancies the idea of fronting a telly series for the first time more than she dislikes the conceit. And you don't need to be a TV sleuth to work out that having your name on top of the titles guarantees a nice little earner. Phyllis Logan in Downton Abbey with Jim Carter (Image: free)We don't know the specific reasons why the one-time head housekeeper Mrs Hughes in Downton doesn't like cosy crime drama, as she said in the Radio Times, but surely she suspects the genre to be an oxymoron. As we all know, crime isn't cosy at all. It's horrific, often featuring acts of evil. Yet, television insists on re-producing nonsensical daftness, knowing that some (OK, some millions) of viewers buy into a formula that's older than Agatha Christie's Remington. What is the formula? First, find yourself a nice location. Beaches are always good. A paradise island even better. But then nice libraries in upstate New York can work well, as can a country cottage in the Cotswolds. What you will never, ever see is a cosy crime series set in a Glasgow close, just a few yards away from the shooting gallery, or in an Edinburgh housing scheme in which triple glazed windows can't keep out the sound of feral teenagers revving stolen motorbikes. Second, the central character has to be rather odd, eccentric. And never, ever sexy. (Ashley Jensen however is such a good actor she was able to suggest a hint of sexiness in Agatha Raisin.) That's why the cosy crime series are fronted by the likes of unkempt priests, (Father Brown) strident nuns (Sister Boniface), duffel-coated curly-haired magicians (Jonathan Creek) and chubby head chefs turned shamus (Pie in the Sky). Cosy crime also has its own murdering preferences. Such as poison. Blowdarts are popular, or bullets fashioned from ice. And one episode saw a woman off her husband with a head blow, using a leg of lamb. (Which was then cooked and served up to investigating police officers). TV companies know of course they are serving up silliness. But so often they argue that these marshmallow-soft crime series are actually good for the public health. Read more No, honestly. They tell us that by accepting the idea of some old biddy with a twinset and a typewriter being able to solve the mysteries that leave professional detectives clueless, this is actually good for our mental health. It offers the chance to wild swim in a world that doesn't exist; yes, a world of criminality, but it never ever asks us to view a bloody or battered body (far less a dismemberment). Sure, there are murderers, but they are very often tidy, middle-aged men with a butterfly collection, who wear Roger Moore polo necks and enjoy an exclusive gym membership, and are married to community artist Penny, who is having a secret affair with her pickleball coach. And these cosy crime stories always feature storylines that are tied up in a bow so cute it could have been worn by Elton's wedding chihuahua as it clipped up the aisle with the couple's wedding rings inside the little bejewelled box on its back. The storylines may feature the odd tale about catfishing, or Ponzi schemes or crypto currency, but they almost never feature the backdrop to the real world we're facing, tales, for example of frozen pensioners who have to choose between food or one bar on the electric fire. Indeed, when viewers switch on to watch the likes of Hetty or Agathy, they can escape into a nice uncluttered clear space far from reality, a space that exists only between the ears of TV commissioning editors. Remember the daft, absurd alternative universe that was Bergerac, with its running storyline whereby an island's top cop was daft about a known diamond thief? Unbelievable. Even though the jewel snatcher was played by Liza Goddard. Phyllis Logan in Lovejoy with Ian McShane (Image: free) So, Phyllis is right to open up about her lack of love for the genre. But let's go further. It should be deemed a crime to continue to reproduce cosy crime. Any writer who even contemplates the creation of a series in which the central character wears cardigans, Bermuda shirts, drives a Triumph roadster or tippy taps at a vintage typewriter should be taken in for questioning. Yes, yes. I know I once wrote a TV crit singing the praises of Ludwig. But that wasn't a cosy crime drama, was it? Okay, I know, that like Logan's new character he was also a puzzle solver. But his twin brother, whom he impersonated, was a cop. So that made it all right, didn't it. Oh, come on. It can't be a crime to watch any series which features Anna Maxwell Martin. Can it?
Yahoo
15-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Play based on best-selling novel coming to area next week
A STAGE production of The Girl on The Train is set to visit Bath. The play will come to the Theatre Royal from Tuesday (February 18) to Saturday, February 22. The show will star Giovanna Fletcher as Rachel Watson and Jason Merrells as Tom Watson. The thriller is based on the internationally acclaimed best-selling novel by Paula Hawkins. It has been adapted by Rachel Wagstaff and Duncan Abel. Fletcher said: "I am delighted to be leading the company of The Girl On The Train as Rachel Watson at venues across the UK. "Paula Hawkins' psychological thriller has gripped millions of readers worldwide with its Hitchcockian tale of suspense and mystery. "What better place than the theatre to take us through its voyeuristic window and deep into Rachel's story?" The novel has sold more than 20 million copies and inspired a film starring Emily Blunt. Merrells is known for his roles in TV shows including Happy Valley, Agatha Raisin, and Emmerdale. The cast also includes Daniel Burke as Kamal Abdic, Zena Carswell as Anna Watson, Samuel Collings as Scott Hipwell, Natalie Dunne as Megan Hipwell, and Paul McEwan as DI Gaskill. To book tickets for the Bath shows, call the Theatre Royal Box Office on 01225 448844 or visit
BBC News
10-02-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Olly Rix joins cast of BBC's BAFTA Award-Winning Casualty
Casualty has announced Olly Rix (Agatha Raisin, Our Girl, Call The Midwife, The Royal Shakespeare Company) as the latest addition to the BAFTA Award-winning BBC show, made by BBC Studios Drama Productions. Olly is set to take on the role of charming but complicated Clinical Lead Flynn Byron and will first appear on screens from March, in Casualty's upcoming new miniseries Internal Affairs. Flynn Byron is a complex character driven by his past demons and the need to make his mark. As the new Clinical Lead Consultant at Holby City ED, Flynn joins the NHS fresh from a tour of duty. He's a man with a purpose, and with a fierce resolve to make a difference. He faces the challenge of instilling change in a system weighed down by bureaucracy, all the while grappling with the trauma he has experienced and a deception that threatens to be his undoing. Olly Rix says: 'It's been a pleasure to join the Casualty cast in such a dynamic role. Flynn crashes into the world of it from a very different background, resulting in a complex and exciting story in Internal Affairs and beyond. It's a brilliant new chapter for the show and I am excited for the audience to get to know Flynn." Roxanne Harvey, Executive Producer of Casualty for BBC Studios, says: 'Flynn's journey promises to resonate with viewers, exploring the often emotional toll of working in the NHS, the cost of making tough decisions, and the possibility of redemption when you're confronted with the consequences of your actions.' As recently announced, Casualty's Internal Affairs will also feature acclaimed actor Robert Bathurst (Downton Abbey, Cold Feet , Doctor Who), who is set to take on the guest role of Russell Whitelaw, a top-tier surgeon who has commanded the operating room for years with his unmatched skill and domineering personality. Robert Bathurst Said: 'Joining Casualty for three months was very enjoyable; it's so well run, well written and well directed. They built an operating theatre especially for this block of stories so all of us, actors and crew, were on a voyage of discovery. As always with Casualty there were brilliantly qualified advisers on hand to make it seem as real as possible. The Emergency Department film set was just like being in a hospital - I kept getting lost." Made in Cardiff, Casualty is a BBC Studios Drama production for BBC iPlayer and BBC One. It is executive produced by Roxanne Harvey for BBC Studios, with Rebecca Ferguson for the BBC. The series producer is Liza Mellody Casualty continues Saturday 15 February - available 6am on BBC iPlayer and 9.20pm on BBC One. Previous episodes of Casualty are available to stream on BBC iPlayer now. JE About BBC Studios The main commercial arm of BBC Commercial Ltd, BBC Studios generated revenues in the last year of £1.8 billion and a third consecutive year of profits of over £200 million. Able to take an idea seamlessly from thought to screen and beyond, the business is built on two operating areas: the Content Studio, which produces, invests and distributes content globally and Media & Streaming, with BBC branded channels, services including and BritBox International and joint ventures in the UK and internationally. The business made more than 2,800 hours of award-winning British programmes last year for a wide selection of public service and commercial broadcasters and platforms, both in the UK and across the globe. Its content is internationally recognised across a broad range of genres and specialisms, and includes world-famous brands like Strictly Come Dancing/Dancing with the Stars, the Planet series, Bluey and Doctor Who. BBC Studios | Website | Press Office | Twitter | LinkedIn | Instagram |
