Julian Fellowes Investigates: A Most Mysterious Murder
Encyclopedia
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.
and Academy Award-winning screenwriter
Julian Fellowes
appears as a 'historical detective', 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.
Fellowes co-wrote all five episodes of the series.
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.
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."
’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." 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
."
The Case of the Earl of Erroll was condemned by Juanita Carberry, whose stepmother was a friend of Diana Delves Broughton, as "littered with inaccuracies". She criticised Fellowes’ pronunciation of Kenyan place names, and challenged his assertion that Delves Broughton had been present during the shooting of Lord Erroll. Fellowes responded: "I am sure she’s right when she says I mispronounced place names – it was the first time I had been in the country." He added: "As for Diana being at the scene, I have a source whom I believe is equally as sturdy as Juanita...she asked me never to reveal her identity."
Docudrama
In film, television programming and staged theatre, docudrama is a documentary-style genre that features dramatized re-enactments of actual historical events. As a neologism, the term is often confused with docufiction....
series produced by Touchpaper Television (part of the RDF Media Group), which premièred on BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
on 16 October 2004.
Overview
The series presents dramatised accounts of five distinct unsolved murders from British history. ActorActor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and Academy Award-winning screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
Julian Fellowes
Julian Fellowes
Julian Alexander Kitchener-Fellowes, Baron Fellowes of West Stafford, DL , known as Julian Fellowes, is an English actor, novelist, film director and screenwriter, as well as a Conservative peer.-Early life:...
appears as a 'historical detective', 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.
Fellowes co-wrote all five episodes of the series.
The Case of Charles Bravo
The Case of Charles Bravo was a pilotTelevision pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
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.
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."
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.Episode list
| Title | Director | Writer | Cast | Original air date | Ratings (millions) |
|---|
Reception
Reviewing The Case of Rose Harsent, The StageThe Stage
The Stage is a weekly British newspaper founded in 1880, available nationally and published on Thursdays. Covering all areas of the entertainment industry but focused primarily on theatre, it contains news, reviews, opinion, features and other items of interest, mainly to those who work within the...
’s Harry Venning commented that: "What makes the show more than just a costumed Crimewatch
Crimewatch
Crimewatch is a long-running and high-profile British television programme produced by the BBC, that reconstructs major unsolved crimes with a view to gaining information from the members of the public. The programme is usually broadcast once a month on BBC One...
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
Cluedo
Cluedo is a popular murder/mystery-themed deduction board game originally published by Waddingtons in Leeds, England in 1949. It was devised by Anthony E. Pratt, a solicitor's clerk from Birmingham, England. It is now published by the United States game and toy company Hasbro, which acquired its U.S...
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." Sam Wollaston in The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
was critical of the Suffolk accents in the episode but described it as: "Quite good fun – like a cross between Crimewatch and Midsomer Murders
Midsomer Murders
Midsomer Murders is a British television detective drama that has aired on ITV since 1997. The show is based on the books by Caroline Graham, as originally adapted by Anthony Horowitz. The lead character is DCI Tom Barnaby who works for Causton CID. When Nettles left the show in 2011 he was...
."
The Case of the Earl of Erroll was condemned by Juanita Carberry, whose stepmother was a friend of Diana Delves Broughton, as "littered with inaccuracies". She criticised Fellowes’ pronunciation of Kenyan place names, and challenged his assertion that Delves Broughton had been present during the shooting of Lord Erroll. Fellowes responded: "I am sure she’s right when she says I mispronounced place names – it was the first time I had been in the country." He added: "As for Diana being at the scene, I have a source whom I believe is equally as sturdy as Juanita...she asked me never to reveal her identity."