Ladies and Gentlemen may I introduce you to your new obsession....Agatha Raisin!
So I came across Aggy by complete accident. A few years back, I think it was around new years, my mum (an avid murder mystery fan) had seen an advert for a one off telly show titled Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death. Now this is intriguing for two reasons: 1. Food & murder, ding ding we are onto a winner and 2. Why on earth would a quiche be deathly. After laughing at what was bound to be a ridiculous murder mystery with a half hearted plot (think Hallmark movies) I resigned myself to a night in with the 'rents to put this show to shame.
Now what I didn't anticipate was how much I would actually enjoy this wacky ol' narrative. And just for those who think perhaps it is a load of tosh, it went on to spur 3 series after the stand alone pilot and a 4th has just been commissioned so noses out thank you!
Speaking of the 3 series, the third has just finished 2 or so weeks ago, for some reason Sky decided to lump both episodes together to make it 2 hours long rather than split a story across two weeks like originally planned. Considering we are in lockdown and there is precious little else to watch, wouldn't it have been a better plan to savour new content? Apparently not, instead they put on a now 2 hour show, quite late in the evening so the avid follower must strain their brain to stay awake! Not a good call at all considering following a murder mystery takes a lot of brain cells to understand what's going on regardless of how simple the plot is. But my grievance here is unrelated. My actual problem with the third series was that it just lacked the same umph as the previous two. Don't get me wrong, Agatha is as bulshy as ever and I love, love, love Ashley Jensen as her! But the supporting characters suddenly became so two dimensional, and it just didn't feel right. Especially as Gem's cousin came in and nabbed her man while filling in her absence! This especially didn't sit right as I shipped Gemma and Bill so hard....Katy Wix I miss you!
So a little bit of background is probably needed as it has come to my attention that a lot of people have missed out on this little gem, when asked last year by a work mate who Agatha Raisin is on the way to Sainsburys (other supermarkets are available) I may have stumbled a little bit, because in truth, I wasn't prepared for such a question, it was as new to me as it will be for the majority of you. But now I can confidently give some context in a short run down of the narrative.
Long story short Agatha Raisin was a high end PR professional and decided to give it all up for a life in the country based on a childhood holiday. She moved to this village called Carsley and immediately regretted it as she felt like an outsider to the close knit village. Throughout her misadventures she wheedles her way into her village's heart by solving murders with her ex assistant Roy, her cleaner Gem, a bobby Bill, and the occasional help of her complicated love interest James.
Something I didn't realise until my mum got hooked was the fact this show is based on a series of books under the same name. Each episode focuses on a slightly warped for tv version of an Aggy novel. M.C Beaton sadly passed away at the end of 2019 but a little birdy told me that there are still plenty of Agatha Raisin novels to be released by her estate in the coming years, fingers crossed it's true!
Now I am guilty of only reading the first 3 books. I am also guilty of complete blasphemy when I say I preferred the warped plot of the telly version to the written word. I'M SORRY. Agatha and James's chemistry is too strong for me to resist and for that reason alone I like to see it on screen. My mother tells me at some point in the next few books James runs off to be a monk, this displeases me. The character's development in series 3 equally displeases me as suddenly he lost his fierceness. We ended series 2 with his harshly passionate display of love for Agatha, they were finally together after all that messing about, the fierce yet blunt ex soldier and the brassy PR turned sleuth, things couldn't have been better! Then the first few episodes of series 3 James becomes a love sick puppy, stuck between Aggy and his history book tour. He lost his fierceness, he lost his overwhelming intelligence and military harshness. It just didn't sit right. And then he left, for a reason I have no idea why because SOMEONE WAS TALKING OVER THE TV AS I WAS TRYING TO WATCH. Lockdown is a roller-coaster ladies and gents, especially when you share a house with your immediate family.
Another minuscule problem I have with the third series is it just isn't as fast paced and witty as the others. This is the one where Agatha is now an established PI, she's official, why does it all now feel less serious than before? There's a dynamic that just doesn't feel right, it feels rushed. Which is odd considering my sources (my mum) tells me that series 2 and 3 were filmed back to back. Agatha suddenly loses track of all the important little details she had focused on before, and throws important tropes at the others to explore rather than getting down and dirty. A true shame as the last block of episodes where almost back to the shows former glory! I especially enjoyed seeing Nancy Carroll in a guest role, I haven't seen her in anything since Father Brown, another favourite of mine, and it gave me great pleasure in knowing the sets are shared between the two shows so she must have felt a home from home!
Now that I've mentioned all that bothers me, let me tilt the scale in the other direction by telling you how much I love this show! I feel like Agatha is a modern mix of Miss Marple and Amelia Peabody. She's brash, blunt, and fierce. All of which makes for an excellent character especially when one is supposed to stand out from the crowd. This brings in a comedic element into a somewhat lighthearted village murder mystery. And despite however much I love Aggy, nothing will ever persuade me to move to Carsley (or Badger's wood from Midsomer Murders for that matter).
I have to say my favourite episode of the entire series has to be The Witch of Wyckhadden. It's spooky, it has Scooby Doo vibes with a haunted hotel, and I just love the borderline supernatural feel. I feel like The Haunted House could have matched this if it was slightly more fast paced, however I did enjoy the concept. That's it, that's my standpoint here, this is a grown up version of Scooby Doo minus the dog.
To truly understand my ramblings I feel as though it's probably best just to watch the series? I promise you you'll enjoy some aspect of it or another. It also has many a familiar face (Ashley Jensen, Matthew Horne, Katy Wix).
To sum it up then or else I'll be writing a friggen book here, I'm going to award the Agatha Raisin telly series a humble 8/10. It is fun and lighthearted for a murder mystery. Perfect for an autumnal Sunday, it is homely, cosy, and all you could want from a depiction of a sinister crime. Now I promise we will revisit this once I have completed the book series and I can do a thorough comparison, but until then my friends, stay safe and peace out!
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