Jonathan Creek: Series IV (2003 - 2004)

The first three series of JC can be seen as one collective era because they share the same two principal actors, Alan Davies and Caroline Quentin. Caroline chose not to return after Series 3, which left a gap needing filled because Jonathan's character needs an ancillary to bounce ideas off and to get (unintentional) inspiration from. That gap was filled by Carla Borrego (Julia Sawalha).

Carla made the show even better. She's a wonderfully rounded character who brought a similar kind of resourcefulness and determination as Maddie, but with a whole new self-important attitude supporting it. She's vulnerable beneath the hard outer shell, but she goes to great lengths to hide it from the world.

She got her introduction in the 2001 Christmas Special. It's not necessary to have seen it, but it's advisable because it shows the genesis of their relationship and helps explain the boundaries that exist from the offset in Series IV.

They look stern and miserable on the cover. That's really not representative of the pair at all; it's the least flattering image they could've chosen.

Bringing a new woman into Jonathan's life offered an opportunity for new kinds of problems, and she didn't disappoint in that department, either. Maddie used his profile to help sell her books, but Carla uses it to further her TV career, making him a lot more famous in the process, which is something that he'd rather avoid.

She wasn't the only new addition. We'd already had Nigel Planer (Series 1) and Rik Mayall (1998 Xmas Special) as guests, so it made sense to have Ade Edmondson. He gets a quality supporting role and stays for the duration.

6 episodes, approx 60 minutes each.

5 whetted appetites out of 5

Jonathan Creek: Christmas Specials (2008)

There are more specials than what’s included on this release but they weren't made until after 2008, so you'll need to buy them separately if you want them or wait until Auntie groups them all together for a re-release, but who knows if that's on the cards any time soon?

What you do get are two feature-length specials. The first is Black Canary (1998), which takes place sometime between Series 2 and Series 3. The second is Satan's Chimney (2001), which takes place sometime between Series 3 and Series 4.

There are two new characters introduced; one in each of the two episodes.

Firstly, there's Gideon Pryke (Rik Mayall) in Black Canary. Gideon is Jonathan's equal in some ways. He didn't become a regular, but he does make a subsequent appearance in the show, and if things had worked out differently he could've been a great addition. He's woven into a story that involves someone from Jonathan’s past reappearing, and, of course, needing a murder mystery solved.

The second new face is Carla Borrego (Julia Sawalha). Carla gets her introduction in the Satan's Chimney episode. Unlike Gideon, she would become a regular, replacing Caroline Quentin’s Maddie Magellan in Series 4. There's always been an element of the macabre lingering in the background of the show, but this episode turns it up a notch higher.

Both episodes are unequivocally suited to the JC format but have two different approaches: one has the usual 'inside a locked room' scenario, while the other is outside in the open, which doesn't make the deductions any easier.

2 episodes, approx 90 + 120 minutes, respectively.

4 murky waters out of 5

Jonathan Creek: Series I, II and III (1997 - 2000)

Jonathan Creek is a mystery/detective series, but Jonathan (Alan Davies) isn't an actual detective. He designs magic tricks for a stage magician. His knowledge of stage magic, or more precisely his understanding of what it takes to create the perfect illusion, enables him to take available clues from a crime scene and work backwards. He assesses the impossible without ever dismissing the implausible. The show is less of a traditional 'whodunnit', and more of a 'howdunnit' that keeps you guessing right up to the inevitable reveal.

It's not all death and murder, though. There's a lot of comedy, too; much of which revolves around Jonathan's relationship with his partner in crime-solving, the female writer/investigative reporter, Maddie Magellan (Caroline Quentin). He's the reserved, quiet sort, whereas she's the bold, outgoing kind. As the show progresses their relationship deepens and they spend more and more time under each other's feet, and on each other's couch.

An ongoing sexual tension would be too much of a cliché. Instead, Maddie just wants to bang Jonathan to within an inch of his nerdy life. It's not because he's dashingly handsome - it's because she likes a challenge, too.

I'm not suggesting the show is free of clichés, because it isn't. The murder in a locked room scenario pops up often and becomes a kind of running joke. It even relies on a few others of its own making.

Every great detective needs an equally great theme tune to set the mood for what follows. Creek doesn't disappoint. It uses a slightly more fickle arrangement of French composer Camille Saint-Saëns' wonderful Danse Macabre. It's the perfect accompaniment to the show's clever but equally fatuous nature.

Stick around after the credits roll on the pilot for a scene that isn't important to the murder story but is relevant to something else.

S1: Pilot approx 90 mins + 5 episodes approx 60 mins each.

S2: 6 episodes, approx 50 mins each. | S3: 6 episodes, approx 50 mins each.

4½ slow drips out of 5

Pramface (2012)

I know you're not a slut. A drunk and borderline paedophile, maybe, but not a slut. 

16 year old Jamie has just finished his exams and with his friend Mike crashes a party in the hopes of getting laid. Jamie is the only one to accomplish the task with the help of alcohol and a girl named Laura, a straight A student on her way to university who was just angry at her parents that night and in her drunkenness thought Jamie was sweet. After their night of drunken condom failings, Laura becomes pregnant and must now deal with all the trials and stigma of being a teenage mother as well as the lifestyle differences between Jamie's working class family and her upper class, rich one.

This short little comedy series deals with its subject matter in a very real and relate-able way while still being funny. The characters are actually fun and dynamic with even the secondary characters having some depth to them. Laura's parents are working through an affair by her father and Mike is a heaping load of comic relief with his shenanigans while still being a great friend. Jamie's other friend is a girl named Beth who despite her propensity to take up causes and charity, is rather insufferable about it. Jamie and Laura are the main source of drama as they clash over the pregnancy, but still manage to cooperate (mostly) even though they are basically strangers.

There was a little bit of a learning curve since the show is very British and being an American I wasn't always clear on the slang. I even had to look up the title, which while appropriate could probably still have used some more thought for marketing purposes. This also worked in the show's favor as the unique American prudishness about this type of subject isn't present and adds that more realistic touch whereas things like smoking and swearing would have been excised on this side of the Atlantic. A short and sweet 6 episode run.

Buyer's Guide:
Available to US audiences for free on Hulu. Here.

3½ Interrupted masturbation sessions out of 5

Merlin (1998)

I’m fascinated by the Arthurian Legends, so I admit to experiencing some bias while watching the miniseries. But even without that deeper interest, the writing, the direction and the performances of many of the cast stand out as being somewhat exceptional for the Fantasy TV format of the era.

Merlin (Sam Neill) is wise, sensitive and respectful to the natural order. His inner strength shines through in everything he does. Whereas most other tales of Camelot have him as a supporting character, there to help Kings Uther and Arthur achieve their respective goals, this one focuses primarily on the wizard's own trials. It gets to the very heart of the man, showing that he has hopes, dreams, fears and failings that influence his decisions the same as we all do.

His nemesis is Queen Mab of the Sidhe, played with theatrical aplomb by Miranda Richardson. She speaks in a bizarre croaky whisper, like something that lives underground and far from light might employ.

Merlin receives his power from the same source as Mab, but while her fear of being forgotten has curdled her's to a corruptive purpose, Merlin's is rooted in acceptance. There’s a double dramatic irony at stake, filled with causality.

The remainder of the cast are equally as talented. There’s Helena Bonham Carter, John Gielgud, Isabella Rossellini, Martin Short, Rutger Hauer, Lena Headey and the voice of James Earl Jones, among others. The only weak link is Rossellini’s character. Her role is important to the narrative but she plays it too passive; it needed more passion, given that she's a primary source of conflict.

Beneath the human story is a struggle for dominance between the old Pagan belief system (represented by Mab) and the newer Christian Religion (represented by the Kings of Britain). There will be casualties no matter who wins, but Merlin tries to limit them in number as best he can.

Storytelling is an important factor, and one that it doesn't scrimp on. It’s told in flashback, with a V/O narration revealing the secret things that would normally stay hidden in the human heart. It’s rich in lore but also finds a fitting place for things I'd not seen before in other adaptations.

There’s some dated CGI in places, but it’s there to enhance the action, not take the place of it and it always plays second fiddle to what the cast are doing.

2 episodes, approx 90 minutes each.

4½ turns of the wheel out of 5

Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters (2012-2013)

Rest In Peace, Fujiwara Keiji-san.

Rest in Peace, Mizuki Ichiro-san.

Blackadder: The Specials (1988 - 1999)

I'm not going to go into every detail about this volume, because it's the weakest entry in the series and will be of very little interest to most people. It's damn expensive to buy singly, so, for the completists who already own Series I–IV, if you must have it your best option is to double-dip and get The Complete Collection Box Set for a fraction of the price.

Firstly, Blackadder's Christmas Carol. It's the Dickens classic given a comedy makeover, featuring some of the best comedic talent in Britain at the time. It's longer than a typical episode. It was a joy to see Robbie Coltrane doing comedy again. He's good at it. What more can I say? Stuff it in your gift sock.

The Cavalier Years is an interesting addition. It's set in 1648, during the English Civil War. It's very similar to Blackadder II. If you picture Lord Edmund with a shaggy-perm wig you'll be close to the mark. It was part of Comic Relief's Red Nose Day in 1988 and is sadly only half the length of a regular episode. It's good that it's a standalone because, while it could've certainly worked as a series, it's much too similar to what came before.

The remainder of the disc is less than impressive. I'll mention Blackadder: Back and Forth because it's presented as the 'final episode in the saga,' but the less said about it the better because it's a piss-poor effort. Rowan Atkinson tries his best but it feels as if everyone else is merely going through the motions for old-times sake. It was a disappointing end to an otherwise great series.

2½ buggered giddy aunts out of 5