gridoon2024 Review of The Mrs Bradley Mysteries

The Mrs Bradley Mysteries (1998–2000)

Short-lived but enjoyable period-mystery series

[7/10 · 9 April 2011]

An IMDb user who went to the trouble of writing a brief summary for this series describes Mrs. Bradley as "a naughty Miss Marple", and I think that's an accurate description. Mrs. Bradley is just as observant and intelligent as Marple, but certainly a lot more adventurous, blunt and forward-thinking. Dianna Rigg is an excellent choice for the role - I cannot think of another actress that could possibly do a better job with it. She is accompanied by her chauffeur, George Moody, who also doubles as her resourceful crime-solving partner; he is certainly a more useful sidekick than Captain "Good Lord!" Hastings is to Hercule Poirot. The series starts on a high note with the terrific "Speedy Death", which would not suffer in comparison to most Poirot and Marple stories, then it takes a slight dip with the next two episodes, "Death At The Opera" and "The Rising Of The Moon", but picks up again for a strong finish with "Laurels Are Poison" (the darkest episode) and "The Worsted Viper" (the most unpredictable). In all 5 episodes, the reconstruction of the late-1920s era is beautiful (antique car buffs, in particular, will have a lot to admire), and the jazz music that plays throughout is simply wonderful. The Region 2 DVD containing all 5 episodes (the first one runs 90 minutes, the others about an hour) can now be bought for a price lower than a single movie, so if you are a mystery fan, do the right thing and add it to your collection.