| The Inspector Lynley Mysteries | |
|---|---|
| Format | Crime drama |
| Starring | Nathaniel Parker Sharon Small Lesley Vickerage Catherine Russell |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| No. of episodes | 23 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 90 min. |
| 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 |
Episodes are based on the novel of the same name unless marked *
A Great Deliverance was broadcast in the United States on PBS on Mystery! in two parts, on 19 and 26 August 2002 as Inspector Lynley I.
Series 1 was broadcast in the United States on PBS on Mystery! on 31 August and 7, 14 and 21 September 2003 as Inspector Lynley II.
Series 2 was broadcast in the United States on PBS on Mystery! on 5, 12, 19 and 26 September 2004, and rebroadcast on 14, 21, 28 August and 4 September 2005, as Inspector Lynley III.
Series 3 was broadcast in the United States on PBS on Mystery! on 26 June and 3, 10 and 17 July 2005 as Inspector Lynley IV.
Series 4 was broadcast in the United States on PBS on Mystery! on 10 September, 17, 24 and 1 October 2006 as Inspector Lynley V. The third and fourth episodes were rebroadcast 26 August and 2 September 2007.
Series 5 was broadcast in the United States on PBS on Mystery! on 9 and 16 September and 7 and 14 October 2007 as Inspector Lynley VI. In the Blink of an Eye was the final broadcast of Mystery! before WGBH retooled the classic anthology series, along with Masterpiece Theatre, into Masterpiece. Series 5 was rebroadcast on Masterpiece Mystery! on 24, 31 August and 7 and 14 September 2008.
Series 6 aired in the United States on PBS stations on Masterpiece Mystery! as Inspector Lynley VII. The first episode, "Limbo", was shown 10 August 2008, and the final episode of the entire Inspector Lynley series, "Know Thine Enemy", aired 17 August 2008.
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Nathaniel Parker | DI Thomas Lynley |
| Sharon Small | DS Barbara Havers |
| Lesley Vickerage/Catherine Russell | Helen Clyde/Lynley |
Guest cast includes Bill Nighy, Jemma Redgrave, James McAvoy, Kari Corbett, Phyllis Logan, Richard Armitage, Samantha Bond, Honeysuckle Weeks, Neve McIntosh, Gabrielle Drake, Caroline Hayes, Mary Stockley, Henry Cavill and Isabella Calthorpe.
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.