List of Jonathan Creek episodes
This is a list of episodes of the British television drama series Jonathan Creek.
Series 1 (1997)
# | Title | Running Time | Directed by | Original Air Date | Viewing Figure[1] | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | "The Wrestler's Tomb" | 90 minutes | Marcus Mortimer | 10 May 1997 | 9.31 million | |
An exuberant artist is found dead at his home. A burglar is charged with murder but protests his innocence to Maddy Magellan, a writer with a reputation for clearing miscarriages of justice. The only alternative suspect is the artist's wronged wife who was well aware of his affair with his model, but how could she have left her city office without her P.A. seeing her leave? After a chance meeting at one of magician Adam Klaus's shows, Maddy recruits the initially reluctant Jonathan Creek, the actual designer of Adam's tricks, to provide her with some ideas about how the wife could have reached the scene of the crime, but Creek soon uncovers an even more sinister side to the case. First appearance of Alan Davies as Jonathan Creek and Caroline Quentin as Maddy Magellan. Guest Stars: Sheila Gish, Saskia Mulder, Anthony Head (his only appearance as Adam Klaus), Colin Baker, Alistair McGowan. | ||||||
2 | "Jack in the Box" | 60 minutes | Marcus Mortimer | 17 May 1997 | 9.35 million | |
After Maddy successfully campaigns to free a man she believes to have been wrongly imprisoned for murder, the elderly husband of the victim, a retired comedian, is found shot dead in his nuclear fall-out shelter. The otherwise empty bunker is locked from the inside, which would suggest the man shot himself, but he has crippling arthritis in his hands, and couldn't even pour himself a drink, much less pull a trigger, so how did he actually die? Guest Stars: John Bluthal | ||||||
3 | "The Reconstituted Corpse" | 60 minutes | Marcus Mortimer | 24 May 1997 | 8.28 million | |
Zola Zbzewski has made her money and reputation by being one of the most cosmetically altered women in Britain. However, when she publishes her autobiography, her cosmetic surgeon and ex-lover is outraged by what she says about him and threatens to sue. He is later shot dead at his home. Zola is the most obvious suspect and an earring with her DNA is discovered at the crime scene. But when Maddy investigates she finds Zola has a watertight alibi — camcorder footage made by a stalker proves that she was at home. Later, a new wardrobe is delivered to Maddy's flat. After seeing that it is empty she gets it up to her flat only to discover Zola's dead body inside it. Guest Star: Nigel Planer as Shelford. | ||||||
4 | "No Trace of Tracy" | 60 minutes | Sandy Johnson | 31 May 1997 | 7.62 million | |
Tracy, a teenager who loves seventies rock music, goes to visit her idol, retired rock star Roy Pilgrim (Jonathan is also a fan). She is clearly seen entering his house but then vanishes. Roy protests his innocence, insisting he had been knocked out and handcuffed to a radiator at the time, but never actually seen Tracy entering his house. Jonathan sets out to find Tracy and clear Roy's name, but what connection does Tracy's disappearance have with the Creed of Eden, an Earth-loving cult that Roy is a member of? Guest Stars: Ralph Brown as Roy Pilgrim and Heather-Jay Jones as Tracy. Rob Jarvis makes his first cameo as Tex. Jarvis appears again in series 2. | ||||||
5 | "The House of Monkeys" | 60 minutes | Sandy Johnson | 7 June 1997 | 7.57 million | |
A respected cancer doctor is found impaled on a samurai sword in his locked study, having been yelling and hurling books at someone mere seconds before. His wife, an old family friend of Jonathan's, asks him and Maddy to help find his killer. Suspects include the rather odd son, the air-headed daughter-in-law and assorted monkeys used for research, but what role does an envelope containing a copy of his book play in the investigation? Guest Stars: Annette Crosbie (with whom writer Renwick worked on One Foot in the Grave) and Simon Day. |
Series 2 (1998)
# | Title | Running Time | Directed by | Original Air Date | Viewing Figure[2] | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 (6) | "Danse Macabre" | 50 minutes | Sandy Johnson | 24 January 1998 | 9.68 million | |
A well-known horror writer is shot dead on Halloween by a man in a skeleton costume who subsequently takes her unconscious daughter hostage and escapes to the garage. The police surround the garage but when they open the door the killer has vanished, leaving only the daughter who has no memory of the incident. With Jonathan otherwise occupied due to Adam currently being blackmailed by a barmaid he spent the night with, Maddy must tackle the case with only limited access to Jonathan's expertise. First appearance of Stuart Milligan as Adam Klaus. Guest Stars: Peter Davison, Pippa Haywood and Jimmi Harkishin. | ||||||
2 (7) | "Time Waits For Norman" | 50 minutes | Sandy Johnson | 31 January 1998 | 9.15 million | |
Antonia, a friend of Maddy's asks her and Jonathan to discover what her husband, Norman, has been up to after reliable independent witnesses place him on both sides of the Atlantic only minutes apart. Jonathan, meanwhile, has to deal with a rather awkward romantic encounter with a bald female tax inspector. Guest Stars: Dermot Crowley as Norman, Deborah Grant as Antonia and Zoe Hart as the tax inspector. Rob Jarvis makes his second cameo, this time as Wino. | ||||||
3 (8) | "The Scented Room" | 50 minutes | Sandy Johnson | 7 February 1998 | 10.49 million | |
A priceless painting disappears from a locked room and the owner, theatre critic Sylvester Le Fley, offers a large reward for its recovery, which tempts Maddy. Jonathan is quick to announce that he knows how the theft was done, but will not explain due to his dislike of Le Fley, who recently published a negative and disparaging review of Adam's show. Desperate measures are required to get him to co-operate, but the only clue he will reveal is that a spam sandwich is involved. Guest Star: Bob Monkhouse as Le Fley and Sophie Langham as Melissa. | ||||||
4 (9) | "The Problem at Gallows Gate (Part 1)" | 50 minutes | Keith Washington | 14 February 1998 | 8.99 million | |
A young rich eccentric commits suicide by jumping off a balcony after discovering his girlfriend in bed with someone else, but three weeks later, Adam Klaus's older sister, Kitty witnesses the young man strangling his ex-girlfriend in the kitchen. Guest Stars: Amanda Holden, Annabel Mullion, Alistair Petrie, Georgie Glen, Clarke Peters, Jennifer Piercey, Jessica Lloyd and Stanley Townsend. | ||||||
5 (10) | "The Problem at Gallows Gate (Part 2)" | 50 minutes | Keith Washington | 21 February 1998 | 8.94 million | |
Their attempts to prove their own innocence hampered by the police's dislike of Maddy after the publication of her recent book (as Maddy grows increasingly frustrated with Jonathan's s-less typewriter), Jonathan and Maddy begin to realise that not only may Kitty not have witnessed a murder after all, but that the man she saw may not have even died in the first place. Jonathan, meanwhile, is convinced that the removal of the dead woman's stockings plays a more important role than they initially suspected. Guest Stars: Amanda Holden, Annabel Mullion, Alistair Petrie, Georgie Glen, Clarke Peters, Jennifer Piercey, Jessica Lloyd and Stanley Townsend. | ||||||
6 (11) | "Mother Redcap" | 50 minutes | Keith Washington | 28 February 1998 | 10.92 million | |
A judge on a police protection programme is killed by a rapier blade to the heart after a brief struggle, but only his wife, who insists she's innocent, was in the room at the time, and the only evidence at the crime scene is a torn fingernail. As Jonathan investigates the murder, Maddy and a new friend are investigating the derelict Mother Redcap Inn, where seven men apparently died of fright after looking out of a window in the same room. A connection between the cases is drawn when Maddy discovers the body of a vagrant woman... missing a fingernail. Guest Stars: Brian Murphy, Nicola Walker and Marcus Gilbert. |
Christmas Special (1998)
# | Title | Running Time | Directed by | Original Air Date | Viewing Figure[2] | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
12 | "Black Canary" | 90 minutes | Sandy Johnson | 24 December 1998 | 9.86 million | |
A famous illusionist (whose twin sister died when an escape trick went slightly wrong and she was partially sliced in half) is found in her back garden, having been witnessed shooting herself by her husband. However, the post-mortem reveals that she had already been dead for several hours, and there are no other footprints around the body despite her husband seeing someone talking to her and fleeing before she pulled the trigger. Jonathan and Maddy are prompted to investigate by the dead woman's daughter — an old flame of Jonathan's — along with the debonair Detective Inspector Gideon Pryke, the police officer officially in charge of the case. Back at the theatre, Adam has fallen in love with a 29-year-old Austrian virgin, but she may have more layers than even he knows. Guest Stars: Rik Mayall, Hannah Gordon, Francis Matthews, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Murray Melvin and Kate Isitt. |
Series 3 (1999–2000)
# | Title | Running Time | Directed by | Original Air Date | Viewing Figure[2] | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 (13) | "The Curious Tale of Mr Spearfish" | 50 minutes | Keith Washington | 27 November 1999 | 11.02 million | |
A man who claims to have sold his soul to the Devil has a remarkable run of good luck — ranging from finding ancient treasure in his backyard to surviving a point-blank range shooting — but Jonathan and Maddy believe his success may be coming from a more Earthly source than Hell. Adam, meanwhile, has to deal with a rather awkward court case where a woman claims he asked her to perform unnatural acts with a kipper. Guest Stars: Griff Rhys Jones, Maxine Peake, Debbie Arnold, Andrew Tiernan, Peter Hughes, Adjoa Andoh and Brett Fancy. | ||||||
2 (14) | "The Eyes of Tiresias" | 50 minutes | Keith Washington | 4 December 1999 | 9.86 million | |
When an old woman experiences dreams of the future, including the murder of a prominent Swiss businessman and a prediction of a car crash, Jonathan must find out what is happening before her dreams of being attacked by a one-eyed man with a sword come to pass. Guest Stars: Rebecca Front, Paul Blackthorne, Peter Blake, Margery Mason, Terrence Hardiman, Diana Weston, James Gaddas and Damien Goodwin. | ||||||
3 (15) | "The Omega Man" | 50 minutes | Keith Washington | 11 December 1999 | 10.7 million | |
Maddy is contacted by a man who makes a living investigating the existence of aliens and who claims to have found a real alien skeleton. The US Air Force intervenes and takes the skeleton, but it vanishes on the way to the military base, leaving Jonathan to try to find out where it went without leading the military to Maddy. Guest Stars: Michael Brandon and Charlie Brooks (billed as Charlene Brooks). | ||||||
4 (16) | "Ghosts Forge" | 50 minutes | Richard Holthouse | 18 December 1999 | 10.47 million | |
An old friend of Maddy's wants her and Jonathan to investigate a house called Ghosts Forge, as she is having an affair with a man who keeps muttering about it in his sleep. Investigations reveal that the last owner of the house was found dead several years ago and the place is now being rebuilt into flats. As Jonathan looks into the man's real identity — his only clue being a package in the attic containing six books by a best-selling author — Maddy takes the opportunity to perform a disappearing trick of her own. Guest Stars: Lysette Anthony, Jim Bowen, Gina Bellman, Mark Aiken and Nicholas Amer. | ||||||
5 (17) | "Miracle in Crooked Lane" | 50 minutes | Richard Holthouse | 28 December 1999 | 11.45 million | |
A former glamour model, now living quietly with her rich, older husband in the countryside, is seriously injured when her garden shed explodes, leaving her badly burned. However, a reliable, independent witness insists she spoke to the unharmed woman several hours later as she went to church. Jonathan investigates with the help (and hindrance) of his rapidly growing fan club, all of whom dress exactly like him; two of them even live in windmills. Guest Stars: Dinah Sheridan, Nicholas Ball, Emma Kennedy, Hetty Baynes, Benjamin Whitrow, Tom Goodman-Hill and William Vanderpuye. | ||||||
6 (18) | "The Three Gamblers" | 50 minutes | Keith Washington | 2 January 2000 | 10.65 million | |
A drug dealer and criminal who was shot six times in the head somehow climbs up the stairs from the cellar in the intervening time between his body being dumped and it being discovered months later. Jonathan and Maddy try to investigate, but things are hampered by the killer's belief that his victim has supernatural powers and will kill him from beyond the grave. Final appearance of Caroline Quentin as Maddy Magellan. Guest Stars: John Bird, Hattie Hayridge, Jonathan Ross, Nina Sosanya,, John Bennett, Cavan Clerkin and Lee Ingleby. |
Christmas Special (2001)
# | Title | Running Time | Directed by | Original Air Date | Viewing Figure[2] | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
19 | "Satan's Chimney" | 120 minutes | Sandy Johnson | 26 December 2001 | 7.64 million | |
With Maddy gone to America on a book promotion tour, Jonathan teams up with Carla Borrego, a theatrical agent representing an escapologist who is being hired for Adam's show. They investigate how a well-known actress could have been shot through a window during the filming of her latest movie without the glass having been broken. The inquiry also turns up an old secret used to kill blasphemers in a castle owned by the film's producer. First appearance of Julia Sawalha as Carla Borrego. Guest Stars: Bill Bailey, Mary Tamm, Lorraine Hilton, Steven Berkoff, Lisa Stokke, Matt Rippy, Bill Ward, Penny Smith, Sonya Saul, Jay Benedict and James Saxon. |
Series 4 (2003–2004)
# | Title | Running Time | Directed by | Original Air Date | Viewing Figure[2] | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 (20) | "The Coonskin Cap" | 60 minutes | Christine Gernon | 1 March 2003 | 9.48 million | |
After an awkward break-up some months ago, Jonathan and Carla — now married to the producer of a Crimewatch-like television show — unite to investigate a serial killer who wears a Davy Crockett hat and strangles people named after flowers. However, things take on a new dynamic when the killer shoots at police during a reconstruction of a murder and escapes from a locked room while the only window was in full view of those present. Later, a policewoman is strangled in the middle of a school gym from which the killer again had no means to escape. First appearance of Adrian Edmondson as Carla's producer husband. | ||||||
2 (21) | "Angel Hair" | 60 minutes | Christine Gernon | 8 March 2003 | 9.9 million | |
A pop star's husband is baffled as to how his mistress can regrow a full head of hair barely two days after she had it all hacked off in a hoax kidnap ransom video. Meanwhile, Carla is jealous of Jonathan's relationship with a make-up consultant on the show, believing that the woman is in a rebound relationship after the death of her dog. Guest Stars: Jack Dee, Sophie Thompson and Tamsin Greig. | ||||||
3 (22) | "The Tailor's Dummy" | 60 minutes | Christine Gernon | 15 March 2003 | 9.5 million | |
A well-known designer commits suicide by jumping out a window after reading a bad review of his work, but that leaves the question of why he chose to throw his treasured parrot out the window first. Subsequent events, with a man changing his physical appearance in a matter of seconds while threatening the journalist who wrote the review, also prompt several questions. To answer these, Jonathan must work out what the life of Franklin D. Roosevelt, a Marx Brothers video, and a drawer full of socks have to do with the solution to the mystery. Guest Star: Maureen Lipman. | ||||||
4 (23) | "The Seer of the Sands" | 60 minutes | Sandy Johnson | 14 February 2004 | 8.39 million | |
A man who investigates 'supernatural' occurrences kills himself by crashing his boat after receiving a fax from his lover. However, the fact that the fax was good news (his lover's husband was agreeing to a divorce), that his body has disappeared from the scene of the accident and that some gypsies are claiming to be in contact with his spirit with a message for his visiting lover all provide questions that Jonathan must answer. | ||||||
5 (24) | "The Chequered Box" | 60 minutes | Sandy Johnson | 21 February 2004 | 8.45 million | |
A top police detective is photographed after apparently murdering a prosecutor by hanging her in her office. The detective has something of a fascination with death. What is in the strange chequered box he forces onto his daughter and who is the mysterious "Mr G" with whom they have a deal? Jonathan, for his part, is more concerned as to how a piece of chewing gum got moved from one potted plant to another. | ||||||
6 (25) | "Gorgons Wood" | 60 minutes | Sandy Johnson | 28 February 2004 | 8.07 million | |
A priceless Eastern porcelain monk (said to have a curse on it that will bring nothing but evil to its owners) is stolen in front of several witnesses, prompting Jonathan and Carla's discovery of a major case of sibling rivalry, a disfigured prostitute who resembles another person, and a twisted love affair. Final appearance of Julia Sawalha as Carla Borrego. Guest Star: Celia Imrie. |
New Year's Day Special (2009)
# | Title | Running Time | Directed by | Original Air Date | Viewing Figure[2] | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
26 | "The Grinning Man" | 120 minutes | David Renwick | 1 January 2009 | 9.91 million | |
Since 1938, a number of people have disappeared from the attic of a Gothic mansion, owned originally by a spiritualist and now by his stage magician descendant. Seventy years later, when a young woman disappears in the same room, her friend Joey Ross, herself a paranormal investigator, calls on Jonathan for help. As the mystery deepens with the kidnapping of the magician's partner, Creek's powers of deduction seem to pale beside the raw intuition of his "collaborator". Meanwhile Adam takes an interest in the porn business, both financially and personally. First appearance of Sheridan Smith as Joey Ross. |
Easter Day Special (2010)
# | Title | Running Time | Directed by | Original Air Date | Viewing Figure[2] | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
27 | "The Judas Tree" | 94 minutes | David Renwick | 4 April 2010 | 6.62 million | |
Jonathan Creek is called upon by his friend, sceptic Joey Ross, to investigate a series of mysterious and spooky events at a house called Green Lanterns. They concern a young girl called Emily – new housekeeper to the famous mystery writer Hugo Doré and his wife, Harriet. But Emily's new role comes with a house that has its own fair share of history and mystery... When Harriet is seen falling from a window, Emily is arrested on suspicion of murder, though she swears she is innocent. Using his powers of deduction and belief that nothing is as it seems, Creek races against time to uncover a number of intriguing clues which lead him to the unbelievable truth and the revealing of one of the greatest acts of illusion he has encountered yet. Guest Stars: Paul McGann and Doreen Mantle (who played Mrs Warboys in Renwick's One Foot in the Grave). |
Easter Monday Special (2013)
# | Title | Running Time | Directed by | Original Air Date | Viewing Figure[2] | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
28 | "The Clue of the Savant's Thumb" | 90 minutes | David Renwick | 1 April 2013 | 8.75 million | |
Jonathan Creek has left magic and theatre behind and is now a high-powered businessman with a wife, Polly. His old fellow investigator, Joey Ross, draws him into a complex case involving a secret society, seemingly supernatural events at a girls’ boarding school, and the miraculous disappearance of a body in front of three witnesses made all the more baffling with photographic evidence that the body was definitely there. Guest stars: Rik Mayall as DI Gideon Pryke, Joanna Lumley as Rosalind Tartikoff and Nigel Planer. Final appearance of Sheridan Smith as Joey Ross. First appearance of Sarah Alexander as Polly Creek. Written by David Renwick. Producer: Rosemary McGowan. Executive Producer: Pete Thornton. |
Series 5 (2014)
A three-part series was confirmed for filming in 2013 and to be broadcast in early 2014 as series 5.[3] The series will not feature Sheridan Smith, who quit as filming dates clashed with her next theatre project. The series will again star Alan Davies with Sarah Alexander, who was introduced in The Clue of the Savant's Thumb replacing Smith.[4] Alan Davies has confirmed on Twitter that Stuart Milligan will not return as Adam Klaus.[5] The first episode of the series is entitled The Letters Of Septimus Noone and will be broadcast on BBC One on Friday 28 February 2014 at 9pm.[6]
# | Title | Running Time | Directed by | Original Air Date | Viewing Figure(millions)[2] | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
29 | "The Letters Of Septimus Noone" | 60 minutes | David Sant[7] | 28 February 2014 | TBA | |
When a classic locked room novel is turned into a West End musical, one of its stars falls victim to a real-life 'impossible crime'. Written by David Renwick. Producer: Rosemary McGowan. Executive Producer: Pete Thornton | ||||||
30 | "The Sinner and the Sandman" | 60 minutes | David Renwick | 7 March 2014 | TBA | |
As Creek and Polly strive to settle into rural life, they find their apparently serene country village is riddled with all manner of strange and disturbing undercurrents. Written by David Renwick. Producer: Rosemary McGowan. Executive Producer: Pete Thornton | ||||||
31 | "The Stag Hunter" | 60 minutes | David Renwick | 14 March 2014 | TBA | |
When a kidnapping victim disappears under the attackers' noses, Jonathan is forced into solving a mystery for a league of unpleasant gentlemen, much to Polly's displeasure. Written by David Renwick. Producer: Rosemary McGowan. Executive Producer: Pete Thornton |
References
- ^ "Jonathan Creek Trivia". Retrieved 2008-12-22.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Weekly Viewing Summary. See relevant week. BARB.
- ^ "BBC orders full new Jonathan Creek series". Retrieved 2013-03-15.
- ^ Methven, Nicola (2013-06-04). "Sheridan Smith quits Jonathan Creek for West End role". The Daily Mirror. Mirror Group. Retrieved 2014-01-27.
- ^ "Jonathan Creek - Stuart Milligan not to return, via Alan Davies on Twitter". Retrieved 2014-02-10.
- ^ "Jonathan Creek - The Letters Of Septimus Noone, via the BBC Media Centre". Retrieved 2014-02-06.
- ^ http://www.radiotimes.com/episode/cs7dyr/jonathan-creek--series-5---1-the-letters-of-septimus-noone