Lewis - series seven episode one a review

Here is a review I received on Lewis today, thought you might like to read it.

The Telegraph
Daisy Bowie-Sell reviews the first episode of the final series of ITV1's spin-off from detective drama Inspector Morse.

When Lewis first aired in 2006, 11 million watched the pilot, eager to see if the series could fill the void left by the long-running Inspector Morse. Making Robbie Lewis, once Morse’s Sergeant, into an Inspector was a gamble: there was an intriguing balance met by pairing John Thaw’s curmudgeonly, borderline alcoholic Morse with Kevin Whately’s clueless, straight-down-the-line, Lewis. Laurence Fox as Sergeant Hathaway - sidekick to Lewis now Lewis was no longer sidekick to Morse - added some spice, but having Lewis in charge was never going to be as fun as when Morse was in the driving seat.

Though the programme has never quite matched the thrills of Morse, it has been a constant audience-puller over its six series – with 7-8 million regularly tuning in. But now, after playing the character since 1987, Whately has finally had enough. There have been rumours over the last year that both he and Fox were getting itchy feet, and ITV have now announced this series will be Lewis’s last.

As if preparing for a slow fade (sudden burn out would never be Lewis’s style), each two-hour storyline in the seventh series has been spread across two single one hour slots (shown a week apart), where in the past they would have been broadcast in one evening. This removes one of the joys of the programme – one hour is too short to disappear into one of those improbable, inexplicable storylines. It barely allows you to get a hold on who the characters are, let alone guess whodunnit.

But the plot in this first episode was as delightfully bizarre as the best of Lewis. Dodgy Oxford students feature – specifically the victim, a man who, unbeknown to his wife, had been moonlighting as a psychic, duping the recently bereaved into thinking he could talk to their loved ones.

There were oddballs-a-dozen, including the wonderfully enigmatic Justine Skinner, played by Beatie Edney. Skinner once poisoned her next door neighbour’s cats with the same drug used to kill the victim and, therefore, is a suspect. Sanjeev Bhaskar appeared towards the end as assisted dying campaigner Kanan Dutta, who advised Lewis on the murder, and although he featured very little in this episode, it's likely there will be more from him and his gloomy wife in the second episode.

There was also mention of a government conspiracy, plenty of red-herrings and a shock cliffhanger to whet the appetite. This was classic Lewis, let down by the frustrating decision to keep us waiting seven days for the follow up.

Out-Foxed At Last?

I've just received this in my emails and thought you might like to read it. Good on Kevin and Laurence for taking some time out to do other things, good luck to them.

Daily Mirror

By Jane Simon

If this is the last series of Lewis it will leave a gap in the murder mystery market

Lewis, ITV1, 9pm tonight (UK)

Laurence Fox is off to Hollywood with his actress wife Billie Piper, and Kevin Whately just fancies a year off.

But I, for one, will miss Lewis, and it will leave a big gap in the market for a murder mystery that doesn’t glorify violence (Silent Witness), isn’t obsessed with Victorian serial killers (Whitechapel) or is just complete nonsense (Midsomer Murders).

I’ll especially miss Fox who, as Lewis’s more ­charismatic sidekick James Hathaway, has always had that air of looking as though he wishes he were anywhere else about him.

In this week’s episode, which also stars Sanjeev Bhaskar (as crusading dad Kanan Dutta), he’s seen in a neck-brace after a car shunt, but it’s hard to say whether this has any relevance or whether Fox got another tattoo on his neck which make-up decided was too much of a ­challenge.

We’ll have to wait until next week to find out as each story is now being screened in two parts.

This week’s crime – a post-grad student is murdered while ­moonlighting as a clairvoyant – is an excellent example of a typical Lewis plot, intriguing enough to make you overlook the fact it’s also quite daft.

As the duo investigates, there are signs this might be a good time to quit.

After all, when you spot a murderer and haven’t got the energy to give chase or even dial 999, maybe it’s time to call it a day.

Perhaps Kevin Whately should give New Tricks a ring.

Happy New Year

Well we reach 2013, and this year in May marks my 40th year of being  a fan of this wonderful actor John Thaw! So starting on the 1st May and continuing everyday till 9th June (which is 40 days) I am going to mark this grand occasion with 40 performances of John's career! I will post them ALL on 1st May, so if any of you want to join me in my celebration you can do.

Sorry I haven't posted much last year but my laptop has died on me, so using my iPad that my lovely friend and my sister got me in 2011 for my 50th birthday sadly doesn't take USB sticks, so I can't post photos until I can afford a new laptop.

May I wish you all a wonderful New Year this year, and thank you for keeping my blog going, and more important help keeping John's name alive.
Best wishes
Janet

Edgar Wallace Mysteries

On 22nd October vol 5 & 7 of the Edgar Wallace Mysteries will be released, these will contain the episodes DEAD MAN'S CHEST and FIVE TO ONE, which both star John Thaw, and if you have never seen them I highly recommend you treating yourselves.

NB: the date has changed, please take note if ordering or waiting for these in the UK!

The Bofors Gun

Coming to DVD on 20th August Discription from Amazon website Nichol Williamson and David Warner star in this savage and uncompromising 1968 British film classic, set on a British Army base in Cold War Germany. Lance Bombardier Terry Evans (David Warner) is about to be sent home for officer selection and training. All he has to do is make it through one more night, in charge of a small guard detachment.... Young and ineffectual, Evans is not respected by the national servicemen he commands. Flynn (Ian Holm) doubts his decisions while cockney Featherstone (John Thaw) is filled with contempt for him. Gunner O Rourke (Nicol Williamson) is openly insubordinate at first. Very quickly, it becomes obvious that O Rourke is going mad and that army discipline shatters when confronted by someone very dangerous and with nothing left to lose... Adapted from his own play by John McGrath, The Bofors Gun won the 1969 Best Supporting Actor BAFTA (Ian Holm) while Nichol Williamson was BAFTA nominated for Best Actor. This truly unforgettable film has now been digitally remastered and restored especially for its first ever release on DVD.

LEWIS actor Laurence Fox has revealed.....

 the seventh series of the popular ITV1 drama will be the last.

He says both he and the crime drama’s star Kevin Whately had agreed to call it a day.

In the show, which followed on from Morse after the death of John Thaw, Laurence plays Detective Sergeant James Hathaway and Kevin is Inspector Robert “Robbie” Lewis.

Confirming the end of the show, Laurence said: “Kev and I have decided we want to do other things, otherwise it all gets a bit samey.”

Laurence, whose next job is playing a squaddie on stage, also said he and wife Billie Piper plan to move to the US to pursue work there.

I personally think this is a good idea, as seven series will be more than enough of this series, and it will give the actors a chance to go on and do other things. I wish Laurence and Kevin the best of luck in whatever they decide to do next, and I look forward to seeing these great two actors on screen soon in something new.

The Sweeney on blu-ray!

Here is the link for series 1 of The Sweeney on blu-ray out 24th September, here is their description... http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sweeney-Complete-1-Blu-ray/dp/B0085UDHDE/ref=sr_1_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1338209042&sr=1-1 Product Description "We're The Sweeney, son - and we haven't had any dinner." Rough, tough and politically incorrect in the way that only the best '70s drama series can be, The Sweeney is one of the major television successes of the last fifty years. Featuring John Thaw as the irascible Detective Inspector Regan and Dennis Waterman as his loyal 'oppo', Detective Sergeant Carter, this benchmark television series is now available on Blu-ray at a previously unseen level of quality. Special Features * Brand new High Definition transfer and restoration * Brand-new commemorative booklet by Archive TV historian Andrew Pixley * Dolby 5.1 track along with original as-broadcast Mono and music-only tracks * Interview with creator Ian Kennedy-Martin * Commentaries with Dennis Waterman, Garfield Morgan, producer Ted Childs, writers Trevor Preston and Troy Kennedy-Martin, directors Tom Clegg and David Wickes and editor Chris Burt * Episode introductions by guest stars Warren Mitchell, Wanda Ventham, Prunella Gee, John Forgeham, Billy Murray, Tony Selby and Dudley Sutton