The Inspector Lynley Mysteries

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The Inspector Lynley Mysteries
Format Crime drama
Starring Nathaniel Parker
Sharon Small
Lesley Vickerage
Catherine Russell
Country of origin United Kingdom
Original language(s) English
No. of episodes 23
Production
Running time 90 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel BBC One
Original run 12 March 2001 – 1 June 2008

The Inspector Lynley Mysteries is a series of BBC television programmes about Detective Inspector Thomas "Tommy" Lynley, 8th Earl of Asherton (Nathaniel Parker) of Scotland Yard and Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers (Sharon Small). In addition to the tensions involved in solving murder cases, the series thrives on the characters' clashes regarding personality, gender, and class, since Lynley is an earl (a peer of the realm), while Havers comes from a working-class background.

All episodes from the first two series and two from the third are based on novels by the American author Elizabeth George, though the author's plots and characters are often significantly altered. Later episodes are original stories for television based on her characters. The first broadcast was on 12 March 2001. The theme music is by Debbie Wiseman.

In August 2007, the BBC announced its intention to make no more episodes of The Inspector Lynley Mysteries. Fans of the series mounted a campaign to save the series with a petition and contacts to the BBC.

In the first episode, Lynley drove a Peugeot 607; in subsequent early episodes, he drove a Jensen Interceptor, and in later episodes a Bristol 410. Despite the frequently recurring remark in PBS Mystery! presenter Diana Rigg's introductions to the series that Lynley "is the one with the Bentley", he never drove a Bentley on TV. (He does, however, in the George novels.)

Exterior shots were filmed at the Bircham Dyson Bell solicitors offices on Broadway, central London. In the pilot episode the character of Helen was played by Emma Fielding.

Contents

Episode list [edit]

Episodes are based on the novel of the same name unless marked *

Pilot
  • A Great Deliverance (12 March and 13 March 2001)
Series 1
  • Well-Schooled in Murder (8 April 2002)
  • Payment in Blood (15 April 2002)
  • For the Sake of Elena (22 April 2002)
  • Missing Joseph (29 April 2002)
Series 2
  • Playing for the Ashes (10 March 2003)
  • In the Presence of the Enemy (17 March 2003)
  • A Suitable Vengeance (24 March 2003)
  • Deception on His Mind (31 March 2003)
Series 3
  • In Pursuit of the Proper Sinner (4 March 2004)
  • A Traitor to Memory (11 March 2004)
  • A Cry for Justice (18 March 2004)*
  • If Wishes were Horses (22 March 2004)*
Series 4
  • In Divine Proportion (17 March 2005)*
  • In The Guise of Death (24 March 2005)*
  • The Seed Of Cunning (31 March 2005)*
  • Word Of God (7 April 2005)*
Series 5
  • Natural Causes (20 July 2006)*
  • One Guilty Deed (27 July 2006)*
  • Chinese Walls (3 August 2006)*
  • In The Blink Of An Eye (10 August 2006)*
Series 6
  • Limbo (2007) broadcast postponed, but was broadcast on BBC One: 8.15-9.45 pm 25 May 2008 (BBC Entertainment: 11 November 2007)*
  • Know Thine Enemy (16 June 2007) broadcast postponed, but was broadcast on BBC One: 8.00-9.30 pm 1 June 2008 (BBC Entertainment: 18 November 2007)*

Regular cast [edit]

Actor Role
Nathaniel Parker DI Thomas Lynley
Sharon Small DS Barbara Havers
Lesley Vickerage/Catherine Russell Helen Clyde/Lynley

Guest cast [edit]

Guest cast includes: Bill Nighy, Jemma Redgrave, James McAvoy, Kari Corbett, Phyllis Logan, Richard Armitage, Samantha Bond, Honeysuckle Weeks, Stella Gonet, Neve McIntosh, Gabrielle Drake, Caroline Hayes, Mary Stockley, Henry Cavill, Indira Varma, Isabella Calthorpe, Simone Bendix and Jenny Agutter.

International broadcasts [edit]

United States: All episodes were broadcast on PBS from 2002 to 2008. A Great Deliverance was broadcast on the series Mystery! in two parts as Inspector Lynley I on August 19 and 26, 2002. Series 1 was shown on Mystery! as Inspector Lynley II on August 31 and September 7, 14, and 21, 2003. Series 2 was shown on Mystery! as Inspector Lynley III on September 5, 12, 19, and 26, 2004, and was rebroadcast on August 14, 21, 28 and September 4, 2005. Series 3 was shown on Mystery! as Inspector Lynley IV on June 26 and July 3, 10, and 17, 2005. Series 4 was shown on Mystery! as Inspector Lynley V on September 10, 17, 24 and October 1, 2006. Episodes 3 and 4 were rebroadcast on August 26 and September 2, 2007. Series 5 was shown on Mystery! as Inspector Lynley VI on September 9 and 26 and October 7 and 14, 2007. Episode 4 was the final broadcast of Mystery! before WGBH retooled the classic anthology series, along with Masterpiece Theatre, into Masterpiece. Series 5 was rebroadcast on the new series Masterpiece Mystery! on August 24 and 31 and September 7 and 14, 2008. Series 6 was shown on Masterpiece Mystery! as Inspector Lynley VII on August 10 and 17, 2008.

DVD [edit]

The complete Series are available on DVD in Germany [Edel] and the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland and most continental European countries except Germany, distributed by Acorn Media UK.

External links [edit]

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Inspector_Lynley_Mysteries&oldid=547704948"