Hetty Wainthropp Investigates - The Complete First Season

Starring:Suzanne Maddock
Studio: Acorn Media
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
Mystery buffs and Anglophiles will find Hetty Wainthropp to be delightful and uniquely entertaining company. Hetty has just turned 60, but she is not about to "ride serene into the evening tide," as her doting husband so poetically puts it. "I'm not 60 and I never will be," Hetty proclaims. "I'm not a senior citizen." Hetty wants to matter, so she gets a job at her local Lancashire post office. But that wouldn't make for much of a miniseries. Before you can say "cheeky monkey," she has involved herself in a deadly case of pension-fund fraud, and made a splash on the front pages as a "Super Gran Sleuth." The redoubtable Patricia Routledge, best known as Hyacinth Bucket on the beloved Britcom Keeping Up Appearances), does lovely work as Hetty, who first appeared in David Cook's 1986 novel, Missing Persons. Cook co-wrote the six first-season episodes contained on this three-disc set. Two of the episodes, "Fingers" and "A Higher Profile," did not air during this miniseries' original presentation on the PBS series Mystery. Hetty is not as quaint as Miss Marple, nor her cases as seamy as Jane Tennison's Prime Suspect mysteries. She is a formidable character in her own right, opening her own private detective agency, and recruiting a 17-year-old shoplifter (Dominic Monaghan from the Lord of the Rings trilogy) to be her "devoted sidekick." A rogue cop, a roving arsonist, and other unsavory characters are no match for the woman who won't rest until things add up. As one police inspector grudgingly admits, "She's an extraordinary woman. She's no Miss Marple, but." But, indeed. --Donald Liebenson
Description
Life as a private detective begins at 60 for sprightly Lancashire housewife Hetty Wainthropp (Patricia Routledge, Keeping Up Appearances). Her newly retired husband, Robert (Derek Benfield, Rumpole of the Bailey), thinks she ought to be winding down with him, but Hetty takes a job to make ends meet and accidentally discovers her natural gift for sleuthing. Finding an eager sidekick in destitute teenager Geoffrey Shawcross (Dominic Monaghan, The Lord of the Rings trilogy), Hetty sets up her own detective agency, puts her sensible pumps to the pavement, and proves she has what it takes to be a gumshoe of distinction.
Includes two episodes not seen on Mystery!
DVD BONUS FEATURES INCLUDE exclusive interview with Patricia Routledge, photo gallery, and cast filmographies.

Hetty Wainthropp Investigates - The Complete First Season
Average customer rating:

Great Mysteries

Hetty Wainthroop Investigates, Series 1 & 2

Excellent Product

Hetty is Ab-Fab

Schizophrenic Cosy Series

Hetty Wainthropp Investigates - The Complete First Season
Starring: Suzanne Maddock
Manufacturer: Acorn Media
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0002HODEK
Release Date: 2004-09-07

Amazon.com

Mystery buffs and Anglophiles will find Hetty Wainthropp to be delightful and uniquely entertaining company. Hetty has just turned 60, but she is not about to "ride serene into the evening tide," as her doting husband so poetically puts it. "I'm not 60 and I never will be," Hetty proclaims. "I'm not a senior citizen." Hetty wants to matter, so she gets a job at her local Lancashire post office. But that wouldn't make for much of a miniseries. Before you can say "cheeky monkey," she has involved herself in a deadly case of pension-fund fraud, and made a splash on the front pages as a "Super Gran Sleuth." The redoubtable Patricia Routledge, best known as Hyacinth Bucket on the beloved Britcom Keeping Up Appearances), does lovely work as Hetty, who first appeared in David Cook's 1986 novel, Missing Persons. Cook co-wrote the six first-season episodes contained on this three-disc set. Two of the episodes, "Fingers" and "A Higher Profile," did not air during this miniseries' original presentation on the PBS series Mystery. Hetty is not as quaint as Miss Marple, nor her cases as seamy as Jane Tennison's Prime Suspect mysteries. She is a formidable character in her own right, opening her own private detective agency, and recruiting a 17-year-old shoplifter (Dominic Monaghan from the Lord of the Rings trilogy) to be her "devoted sidekick." A rogue cop, a roving arsonist, and other unsavory characters are no match for the woman who won't rest until things add up. As one police inspector grudgingly admits, "She's an extraordinary woman. She's no Miss Marple, but…." But, indeed. --Donald Liebenson

Description

Life as a private detective begins at 60 for sprightly Lancashire housewife Hetty Wainthropp (Patricia Routledge, Keeping Up Appearances). Her newly retired husband, Robert (Derek Benfield, Rumpole of the Bailey), thinks she ought to be winding down with him, but Hetty takes a job to make ends meet and accidentally discovers her natural gift for sleuthing. Finding an eager sidekick in destitute teenager Geoffrey Shawcross (Dominic Monaghan, The Lord of the Rings trilogy), Hetty sets up her own detective agency, puts her sensible pumps to the pavement, and proves she has what it takes to be a gumshoe of distinction.
Includes two episodes not seen on Mystery!
DVD BONUS FEATURES INCLUDE exclusive interview with Patricia Routledge, photo gallery, and cast filmographies.

Customer Reviews:

Great Mysteries.......2007-01-12

Hetty is a delight in solving crime. These short movies were fun to watch and not so easy to solve yourself. These are a must see for mystery lovers at all ages.

Hetty Wainthroop Investigates, Series 1 & 2.......2006-08-30

The Hetty Wainthroop Series is a very special treat for my Wife and I. We lived in England for six years with the United States Air Force and truly appreciate English productions. Patricia Routledge is an outstanding actress and this particular series truly brings out the best in her career----a great investment!

Excellent Product.......2006-08-19

This is an excellent product because of 1] excellent casting, 2] plausible plots and intriguing settings.

Hetty is Ab-Fab.......2005-07-15

I was curious about this series. I had only heard about it and had never seen a broadcast. So I was skeptical. But I had enjoyed the Mrs. Bradley Mysteries and others who had enjoyed those had suggested these. I am so glad I took the plunge. Hetty is an absolutely fabulous character who refuses to take a back seat at the age of 60. Determined to "matter," she forges ahead and finds herself in the middle of a mystery. Before she knows it, she's taking on investigations as a profession, with a young man whom she turns from a latent shoplifter into a crack investigator's partner. Patricia Routeledge is thoroughly believable and adorable in the role. I am looking forward to the next set of DVD's on this series. I must say, it's refreshing to see a late 20th Century mystery (as opposed to the usual Golden Age era) that is more logic puzzle than CSI. These days there's far too much forensics and far too little charm!

Schizophrenic Cosy Series.......2005-06-30

I'd say this series one collection is rather a mixed bag. There's an overall cosy tone to the series, and the chemistry between feisty, old Hetty (the always wonderful Routledge) and young Geoffrey (Dominic Monaghan, with charm to spare) is excellent. The pilot episode, which is half-again as long as the other episodes, is the best, because it's the one that concentrates most strongly on these appealing characters. It also doesn't hurt that it has a more intricate (and wild!) mystery. The next-strongest episodes in this collection are Fingers, about a seeming Mafia kidnapping, and Widdershins, about possible satanic goings-on in an English village. The latter even manages to make some good points about problems of the elderly. But the other three episodes veer into heavy social problem melodrama that ill suits the cosy format of the show. One of these episodes is the much-maligned one with the deaf-mute character. This one is just a total mess, and features much too little of Hetty and Geoffrey. Not much better is an episode about a schizophrenic man. It's definitely on the dark and depressing side. The last episode in this collection deals with a pyromaniac. Hetty solves the problem through an incredibly improbable coincidence. So much for the little grey cells! Worse, the problems of a teenager with an illegitimate child are a major theme of the show, but they are never adequately addressed. This is one disturbed girl, who allows herself to be picked up by a middle-aged man interested in sado-masochism (a creepy scene sadly played for Benny Hill style laughs), but the final scene implies that she will live happily ever after. I was not convinced. I suppose it's admirable that the series wanted to deal with serious social ills, but I think they bit off more than Hetty, who is definitely in the Miss Marple mold, could chew. Hopefully there will be episodes in the second collection that are less schizphrenic and have undiluted cosy appeal. Since this series probably owes its revival to Dom fans, let me just add that, whatever you think of the series, you won't be disappointed with Dom. His star appeal is readily apparent here, several years before Lord of the Rings began to film.

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