A few of my friends have made fun of me in the past for my love of murder mysteries, either seen as quintessentially female (oh, my Mum loves that programme*) or quintessentially English. It seems to come with the territory of cardigans. (In reality, I own very few cardigans!). One of the programmes which seems to particularly inspire this kind of response is New Tricks, the long running BBC drama.
This colourful image shows the original cast.
I feel like I should explain why I like it so much. I like it because it balances at times heavy storylines with a lightheartedness that comes only with experience. This isn't a programme which belittles murder or its victims, and it is not a comedy or a spoof of a real crime drama. However, you can expect to laugh when you watch it. Both at the main characters, and with them. Like all good detectives, they have plenty of foibles, occasionally bend the rules, and battle with bureaucratic superiors, but they have a central moral core that is reassuring and heart-warming.
The original cast (see above) featured a strong but also attractive female detective (the splendid Amanda Redman) who leads a motley bunch of retired police officers (who are still civilians) in reopening cold cases. This is no Waking the Dead by the way, as episodes are an hour long and tend not to run to dramatic two-parters.
My favourite character was always Brian (played by Alun Armstrong), who is an occasionally depressive ex-alcoholic with a photographic memory and a long suffering wife. Another undoubtedly brilliant character was Gerry, the womaniser with three ex-wives. The interaction between the main characters and their strong sense of morals and teamwork created an unforgettable chemistry. Even when James Bolam left the series, and was replaced, the characters remained strong.
Like a lot of British detective series, New Tricks has maintained a stellar cast. All the main characters are played by brilliant actors. I once read a Radio Times piece about the series, and the actors (at the time) said they enjoyed filming it so much they intended to continue to do so until they stopped having fun. I think this shows. [Ed. The last series ended in 2015, by which time many of the actors had left, a sign that they lived up to their comments. At least we have many good series to watch on repeat!]
The most recent series saw the departure of several main characters. *No spoilers* but this was done in a decent way which made sense within the series.
I love the way that the series uses London locations, including a pub with a view of the Thames.
(I won't bore you with my love of spotting locations. I could go on...)
However, the thing that for me has sustained the series since 2003 isn't the initial premise, the great acting and mixture of comedy and drama but a device which is coincidentally inherent in the title of the series, and in this blog's title, too.
The series has remained fresh because each drama takes place in a new setting. There have been episodes set in zoos, libraries, museums, courier companies, the art world, the House of Parliament, Epping Forest, London allotments, universities and every imaginable other setting connected to London. Somehow this adds a freshness to a series which is already bouncing with life, and doesn't make it absurd. I get the impression that these series are very well researched, and the setting and milieu are pretty important to the plotlines, rather than just background. In a strange way, New Tricks is a homage to the genre of detective writing as a whole.
You can teach an old dog new tricks. These are definitely Murders with a Twist. So if you haven't watched any of them, give them a go.
*yes, my Mum loved this programme too!
