Julian Fellowes Investigates: A Most Mysterious Murder

Julian Fellowes Investigates: A Most Mysterious Murder is a British five-part docudrama series produced by Touchpaper Television (part of the RDF Media Group), which premièred on BBC One on 16 October 2004.

Julian Fellowes Investigates: A Most Mysterious Murder
GenreDocudrama
Written byJulian Fellowes
Tina Pepler
Richard Monks
Julie Dixon
Presented byJulian Fellowes
StarringMichael Fassbender
Christina Cole
David Schofield
David Calder
Stella Gonet
Country of originUnited Kingdom
No. of series1
No. of episodes5
Production
ProducerClare Alan
Running time60 minutes
Production companyTouchpaper Television
Release
Original networkBBC One
Original release16 October 2004 (2004-10-16) –
30 December 2005 (2005-12-30)
External links
Website

Overview

The series presents dramatised accounts of five distinct unsolved murders from British history. Actor and Academy Award-winning screenwriter Julian Fellowes appears as a "historical detective,"[1] who guides the audience through the events leading up to the murder, and proposes a solution to each case.

Fellowes presents and narrates each episode, sometimes walking into the action to explain a point. He appears again at the end to conclude the case, putting forward his theory on the identity and motivation of the murderer.[2]

Fellowes co-wrote all five episodes of the series.[1]

Episode notes

The Case of Charles Bravo

The Case of Charles Bravo was a pilot for a proposed series and was originally broadcast under the title A Most Mysterious Murder: The Case of Charles Bravo. The overarching title Julian Fellowes Investigates: A Most Mysterious Murder accompanied each subsequent episode.[2]

Fellowes described his solution to the murder of Charles Bravo as: "surprising...there is definitely a sting in the tail. My wife and son both said I got it wrong. I want the viewers to decide."[3]

The Case of the Croydon Poisonings

The Case of the Croydon Poisonings was filmed in some of the houses in the location of the original murders. Producers researched the case using old newspaper articles, and also talked to people who were in Croydon at the time.[4]

Episode list
Title Director Writer Cast Original air date Ratings (millions)[5]
"The Case of Charles Bravo"Michael SamuelsTina Pepler, Julian FellowesMichael Fassbender, Nadia Cameron-Blakey16 October 2004 (2004-10-16)5.24
Julian Fellowes examines the 1876 poisoning of lawyer Charles Bravo, recently married to the widow and heiress Florence Ricardo.
"The Case of Rose Harsent"Dominic SantanaJulian Fellowes, Richard MonksChristina Cole, Elizabeth Rider17 September 2005 (2005-09-17)4.58
Julian Fellowes examines the 1902 murder of servant girl Rose Harsent, a devout member of a Methodist chapel, who was six months pregnant when she was stabbed to death. Local preacher William Gardiner was tried twice for her murder, but not convicted.
"The Case of George Harry Storrs"Dominic SantanaTina Pepler, Julian FellowesDavid Schofield, Katrine de Candole24 September 2005 (2005-09-24)4.13
Julian Fellowes examines the unsolved case of wealthy industrialist George Harry Storrs, murdered at his home in Stalybridge in 1909.
"The Case of the Earl of Erroll"Delyth ThomasTina Pepler, Julian FellowesDavid Calder, Julia St. John27 December 2005 (2005-12-27)unknown
Julian Fellowes examines the 1941 murder of the Earl of Erroll in colonial Kenya. With rumours abounding about the Earl’s affair with Diana Delves Broughton, her husband Jock was put on trial for the murder.
"The Case of the Croydon Poisonings"Delyth ThomasJulie Dixon, Julian FellowesJean Marsh, Stella Gonet, Amanda Root, Thomas Sangster30 December 2005 (2005-12-30)3.5 (overnight)[6]
Julian Fellowes examines the unsolved murders of three members of the same upper middle-class family living in 1920s Croydon, who died within a year of each other from arsenic poisoning.

Reception

Reviewing The Case of Rose Harsent, The Stage’s Harry Venning commented that: "What makes the show more than just a costumed Crimewatch is the quality of the drama at its heart. The period is beautifully evoked, real effort is made to create characters that are more than just a parade of Cluedo cut-outs and the performances are excellent." He added: "There is a disappointing absence of modern policing methods or forensic science in the process, with Fellowes drawing conclusions based on guesswork and speculation."[7] Sam Wollaston in The Guardian was critical of the Suffolk accents in the episode but described it as: "Quite good fun – like a cross between Crimewatch and Midsomer Murders."[8]

See also

References
  1. Touchpaper Television - Programmes – A Most Mysterious Murder Archived 20 November 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  2. Mr and Mrs Edgehill to Mother Came Too | Memorable TV Archived 9 September 2009 at the Wayback Machine See listing for A Most Mysterious Murder.
  3. Was it the wife, the lover, the stableman or the maid who poisoned Charles Bravo? Times Online. 2004-10-11
  4. TV show re-examines three 1920s killings Croydon Guardian. 2005-12-07
  5. Weekly Viewing Summary. See relevant week. BARB.
  6. TV ratings: December 25-January 1 | Media | Media Guardian 2006-01-03
  7. The Stage / Features / TV Review The Stage. 2006-09-25
  8. Sam Wollaston: The weekend’s TV | Media | The Guardian 2005-09-19
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.