Rosemary & Thyme
Encyclopedia
Rosemary & Thyme is a British television
mystery series that starred Felicity Kendal
and Pam Ferris
as gardening
detective
s Rosemary Boxer and Laura Thyme. The show began on ITV
in 2003, and the third series ended in August 2007. On 12 May 2006, ITV announced that the third series was the last.
The show is a mixture of gardening and detective investigation as the green thumbed sleuths delve into the world of crime, solving the various mysteries that happen to follow them around the country — and in other countries as well. It was created by Brian Eastman
for his wife, Christabel Albery, an avid gardener.
The show was directed by Brian Farnham (10 episodes, 2003–2006), Simon Langton (8 episodes, 2004–2006), and Tom Clegg
(3 episodes, 2003). Clive Exton
, who helped create the show, contributed 10 of the 22 script
s throughout its three series run.
):
The daughter of a farmer and an ardent home gardener; she was a Woman Police Constable (WPC)
in North Kensington
and an active member of "The CADS" (The Coppers' Amateur Dramatic Society
) until she had children (Matthew, a policeman and Helena, a sculptor). Her policeman husband of over twenty years abandoned her for a younger woman he met at work.
Rosemary Boxer (Felicity Kendal
): Has a doctorate in plant pathology and was a University of Malmesbury
lecturer
in applied horticulture
for eighteen years, before her academic position was suddenly and sneakily removed (which pushes her to punch her ex-boss, a former beau, who fired her underhandedly).
", later made famous in the song "Scarborough Fair" by Simon and Garfunkel
from their album Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme
. The title borrows from the first two lines: "Are you going to Scarborough Fair / Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme...".
Whilst Rosemary Boxer investigates some diseased trees at the home of an old friend, Laura Thyme is still reeling from being recently abandoned by her husband for a much younger woman. Leaving her home behind she finds herself in the same hotel as Rosemary, and together they uncover a sinister plot concerning Rosemary's ill friend.
Now working together, Rosemary and Laura are enlisted by an aging rock star to help renovate the grounds of his newly-bought mansion. However when the singer is found dead and the skeleton of a horse is found nearby, the pair discover a past rivalry is rearing its head once more.
The two gardeners are asked by the Caldecott family to restore a grand water cascade in the grounds of their mansion-turned-health spa. Stumped by the long-decayed mechanics of the feature, Rosemary and Laura soon realise all is not well: a killer is on the loose and family ties are the motive behind a murder.
Trying to uncover the source of disease in the lawn of a special language college, Rosemary and Laura are shocked to find a dead body at the roadside nearby. A ceremonial knife causes a stir at the school and everything appears to be centred around Angelica, one of the school's students.
Rosemary takes Laura to see an old Professor friend of hers, who is having trouble with his allotment. Flowers are dying at random and he suspects the nearby building site is to blame. A political dispute soon becomes evident and after the Professor is killed, Rosemary finds herself in danger.
Restoring a churchyard for an upcoming fayre
, Rosemary and Laura befriend the local vicar, but soon become entangled in a murder enquiry when a man is found impaled by an arrow to an ancient yew tree
where they are working. The suspects are many, and it is up to the two gardeners to save the day.
Whilst restoring a walled garden
at Lyvedon Manor, Rosemary and Laura find themselves entangled in the watery death of Jim, the mysterious cousin of the house's owner. Horticultural help arrives in the form of ex-cons from the local prison, and it is up to the two sleuthing gardeners to solve the mystery. Then Jim is seen alive by Rosemary, but a dead body is found on the river. A number of the players are named after characters in the Sexton Blake
canon.
Laura and Rosemary are called upon by an old friend to help create a memorial garden in Notting Hill
, based around the tale of Orpheus
and Eurydice
. Helena, Laura's daughter, is angry with her mother, mistakenly blaming her for ending her marriage, while Rosemary's discovery of a Smooth Ink-Cap fungus provides vital clues to the mysterious death of a recovering alcoholic.
At Villa Glavany, in the French Riviera
, Rosemary and Laura are helping their friend Dorothy prepare the 150 year old gardens for a public opening. Neighbour James Pretty is stopping at nothing to ensure that this does not happen. And how will Rosemary and Laura explain to Agathe, the French housekeeper, when they find Dorothy's husband dead in the living room? For Laura, this return trip to France brings back memories of "little cakes" she discovered years ago on a school trip--what she believed to be called "Raspberry Martyrs" but are actually called "Framboise Marthe" (Raspberry Martha in English).
Roses are dying at Stagford Lodge Preparatory School, and classics master Richard Oakley calls upon the two gardeners to help restore the flower beds. On the last day of term, the mysterious ritual involving a member of staff dressed as a Stag turns sour when Simon Todd, the geography master, is found dead in the undergrowth, killed by a harpoon from the headteacher's prized harpoon gun. Rosemary and Laura must weed out the killer from the school's sinister staff before it is too late.
Quinnie Dorell, a famous round-the-world yacht sailor, is roped in to boost the ratings of Gavin Patterson's failing TV garden makeover programme. Her fear of heights persuades Rosemary to present an overview of the developments from scaffolding high above the gardens, but a loose bolt causes her to plummet to the ground. Then visiting journalist Rosie FitzCarron is electrocuted in the swimming pool. With Rosemary recovering in hospital, it is up to Laura to solve the seemingly unconnected events.
Rosemary and Laura travel to the Ligurian Coast
in Italy
, where their old friend Emma Standish is getting ready to open her new restaurant. But a tour around the famous Giardini Tremonti comes to an abrupt end when one of their party, Janice Alexander, is found battered to death in the shrubbery. With so many flamboyant personalities in the area, it takes all of Laura and Rosemary's sleuthing skills to solve the mystery. Then another body is found, tossed over the edge of a cliff-top garden.
Laura gets the shock of her life when it is announced that Rosemary has been shot dead in the grounds of Engleton Park. She later discovers that Rosemary's college pal Gemma Jackson was posing as her to gain access to the Roman dig nearby, and was killed. Lord Engleton's connection with the Archaeological department provides clues to who may have committed the crime. But the murders soon start piling up, when Laura finds another body dumped in the mansion's greenhouse.
Grania Monkton's secrecy over her hiring of the two gardeners makes Rosemary uncomfortable when they are asked to solve the case of the mysterious blight that has afflicted the competing gardens in line for the trophy of the annual Rowfield Garden Open Day Scheme. Her suspicions are confirmed when Donald Westward, who is seriously disliked by all residents of the village, is found dead under a collapsed branch, and his garden savaged. Suspects are plenty, particularly unfriendly gardener Judd, and the Skinners, who don't fit in with the rest of the village. But it is up to our two heroines to capture the criminal and save the competition.
While a deadly weed threatens to overwhelm acres of vines, an unseen killer terrorises the population of Crickle Valley's vineyard and hotel. With the future of the entire area in doubt, can Rosemary and Laura solve the case and save this year's vintage?
Not everybody seems happy with Rosemary and Laura's presence in Wellminster Cathedral's old monastery garden. When a body is discovered amongst the herbs, the ladies realise they could be in serious danger. What dark secrets have this tight-knit community been concealing?
Rosemary and Laura are called upon to help re-organise the seed collection of famous botanist Edwin Pargeter. When a mysterious South American man is found dead in the Pargeters' back garden, it looks as if there is more to Edwin's seeds than meets the eye.
Invited by a former boyfriend, a noted scholar of Spanish Islamic History
, to his beautiful home in the hills of Southern Spain
in Alcazaba
"near Malaga
" and Ojen Pueblo, the next town, to restore an old Moorish
garden inspired by the Alhambra
, Rosemary must not let the attentions of a jealous wife distract her and Laura from an intriguing mystery involving murder and mountainside's water supply. This episode reveals Rosemary's birthday as "Saturday, the 8th".
When Harley Street psychiatrist Pavel Volkar is murdered in Regent's Park
, Rosemary and Laura are on hand to try and unravel the mystery. Accompanied by Holly, Volkar's three-legged dog, they begin to realise that Holly's misfortune may be linked to that of her deceased owner...
Hired to create a memorial garden as a wedding gift, Rosemary is left holding the baby when she and Laura discover an abandoned child under a gooseberry bush. Is there a connection between the baby and the murder of a local artist?
Tragedy strikes at a Spanish tennis camp as the body of one of the Pro-Am tournament players is discovered. Initially dismissed as a drunken accident, Rosemary and Laura suspect foul play as they realise the resort is not as idyllic as it appears.
Called upon to help with the construction of a garden for an amateur drama production, Rosemary and Laura are shocked by a vicious murder involving a prop gun loaded with live ammunition. As opening night looms, will they be able to find the killer?
Because of the outdoor nature of the show and the brevity of the British summer, it became the practice to set two episodes of each series in overseas locations. Two stories were already ready for shooting in Portugal
when the ITV Network Centre decided to cancel filming for a fourth series.
, credited to series creator Brian Eastman and ghostwritten
by crime writer Rebecca Tope, have been published in Britain by Allison and Busby and in Australia by Hardie Grant Books. These novels are:
, a CD of incidental music and the opening theme (performed by John Williams
) from the first two series of Rosemary & Thyme.
)
British television
Public television broadcasting started in the United Kingdom in 1936, and now has a collection of free and subscription services over a variety of distribution media, through which there are over 480 channelsTaking the base Sky EPG TV Channels. A breakdown is impossible due to a) the number of...
mystery series that starred Felicity Kendal
Felicity Kendal
Felicity Ann Kendal, CBE is an English actor known for her television and stage work.Born in 1946, Kendal spent much of her childhood in India, where her father managed a touring repertory company. First appearing on stage at the age of nine months, Kendal appeared in her first film, Shakespeare...
and Pam Ferris
Pam Ferris
Pamela Ann "Pam" Ferris is a German-born Welsh actress. She is best known for her starring roles on television as Ma Larkin in The Darling Buds of May, as Laura Thyme in Rosemary & Thyme, and for playing Miss Trunchbull in the movie Matilda...
as gardening
Gardening
Gardening is the practice of growing and cultivating plants. Ornamental plants are normally grown for their flowers, foliage, or overall appearance; useful plants are grown for consumption , for their dyes, or for medicinal or cosmetic use...
detective
Detective
A detective is an investigator, either a member of a police agency or a private person. The latter may be known as private investigators or "private eyes"...
s Rosemary Boxer and Laura Thyme. The show began on ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
in 2003, and the third series ended in August 2007. On 12 May 2006, ITV announced that the third series was the last.
The show is a mixture of gardening and detective investigation as the green thumbed sleuths delve into the world of crime, solving the various mysteries that happen to follow them around the country — and in other countries as well. It was created by Brian Eastman
Brian Eastman
Brian Eastman is a producer of feature films , television drama , and stage productions...
for his wife, Christabel Albery, an avid gardener.
The show was directed by Brian Farnham (10 episodes, 2003–2006), Simon Langton (8 episodes, 2004–2006), and Tom Clegg
Tom Clegg (director)
Tom Clegg is a British television and film director. He was born in Lancashire in 1934.-Selected filmography:Television* Special Branch * The Sweeney * A Captain's Tale * Sharpe ...
(3 episodes, 2003). Clive Exton
Clive Exton
Clive Exton was a British television and film screenwriter, sometime playwright, and former actor. He is best known for his scripts of Agatha Christie’s Poirot, P. G. Wodehouse's Jeeves and Wooster, and Rosemary & Thyme.-Early career:He was born Clive Jack Montague Brooks in Islington, London,...
, who helped create the show, contributed 10 of the 22 script
Teleplay
A teleplay is a television play, a comedy or drama written or adapted for television. The term surfaced during the 1950s with wide usage to distinguish a television plays from stage plays for the theater and screenplays written for films...
s throughout its three series run.
Plot
A cozy mystery series set in a variety of lavishly beautiful English and European gardens, Rosemary & Thyme features two women in transition who are brought together by a sudden death and discover their shared love of the soil and natural inquisitiveness. Forced to reassess their lives, they hope their new-found friendship will lead to future gardening commissions, not more detective work. But whilst Laura and Rosemary don’t think of themselves as sleuths – they are just as interested in a problem with a rosebush as with a dead body – mysteries have a habit of following them around. The fact that they are inconspicuous gardeners means that they overhear secrets and dig up clues which not only lead them to rectify the floral problems but also solve the crime and capture the criminal.Main characters
Laura Thyme (Pam FerrisPam Ferris
Pamela Ann "Pam" Ferris is a German-born Welsh actress. She is best known for her starring roles on television as Ma Larkin in The Darling Buds of May, as Laura Thyme in Rosemary & Thyme, and for playing Miss Trunchbull in the movie Matilda...
):
The daughter of a farmer and an ardent home gardener; she was a Woman Police Constable (WPC)
Constable
A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions.-Etymology:...
in North Kensington
North Kensington
North Kensington is an area of west London lying north of Notting Hill Gate and south of Harrow Road.North Kensington is the key neighbourhood of Notting Hill...
and an active member of "The CADS" (The Coppers' Amateur Dramatic Society
Amateur theatre
Amateur theatre is theatre performed by amateur actors. These actors are not typically members of Actors' Equity groups or Actors' Unions as these organizations exist to protect the professional industry and therefore discourage their members from appearing with companies which are not a signatory...
) until she had children (Matthew, a policeman and Helena, a sculptor). Her policeman husband of over twenty years abandoned her for a younger woman he met at work.
Rosemary Boxer (Felicity Kendal
Felicity Kendal
Felicity Ann Kendal, CBE is an English actor known for her television and stage work.Born in 1946, Kendal spent much of her childhood in India, where her father managed a touring repertory company. First appearing on stage at the age of nine months, Kendal appeared in her first film, Shakespeare...
): Has a doctorate in plant pathology and was a University of Malmesbury
Malmesbury
Malmesbury is a market town and civil parish located in the southern Cotswolds in the county of Wiltshire, England. Historically Malmesbury was a centre for learning and home to Malmesbury Abbey...
lecturer
Lecturer
Lecturer is an academic rank. In the United Kingdom, lecturer is a position at a university or similar institution, often held by academics in their early career stages, who lead research groups and supervise research students, as well as teach...
in applied horticulture
Horticulture
Horticulture is the industry and science of plant cultivation including the process of preparing soil for the planting of seeds, tubers, or cuttings. Horticulturists work and conduct research in the disciplines of plant propagation and cultivation, crop production, plant breeding and genetic...
for eighteen years, before her academic position was suddenly and sneakily removed (which pushes her to punch her ex-boss, a former beau, who fired her underhandedly).
Title
The title of the series is taken from the old English poem "Scarborough FayreScarborough Fair
"Scarborough Fair" is a traditional ballad of the United Kingdom.The song tells the tale of a young man, who tells the listener to ask his former lover to perform for him a series of impossible tasks, such as making him a shirt without a seam and then washing it in a dry well, adding that if she...
", later made famous in the song "Scarborough Fair" by Simon and Garfunkel
Simon and Garfunkel
Simon & Garfunkel are an American duo consisting of singer-songwriter Paul Simon and singer Art Garfunkel. They formed the group Tom & Jerry in 1957 and had their first success with the minor hit "Hey, Schoolgirl". As Simon & Garfunkel, the duo rose to fame in 1965, largely on the strength of the...
from their album Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme
Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme
Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme is the third album by Simon & Garfunkel, released in the United States on October 10, 1966. Its name comes from the second line of the album's first track, "Scarborough Fair/Canticle", an English folk song from the 16th century, paired with a counter-melody and...
. The title borrows from the first two lines: "Are you going to Scarborough Fair / Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme...".
Cast
While many stars of television and theatre have guest starred on the show, only four people (including Kendal and Ferris) have appeared in more than one episode, Ryan Philpott and Daisy Dunlop, who appeared as Ferris's children Matthew and Helena.Series 1 (2003)
- "And No Birds Sing" (31 August 2003) - 11.11 (viewers in millions)
Whilst Rosemary Boxer investigates some diseased trees at the home of an old friend, Laura Thyme is still reeling from being recently abandoned by her husband for a much younger woman. Leaving her home behind she finds herself in the same hotel as Rosemary, and together they uncover a sinister plot concerning Rosemary's ill friend.
- "Arabica and the Early Spider" (5 September 2003) - 8.00
Now working together, Rosemary and Laura are enlisted by an aging rock star to help renovate the grounds of his newly-bought mansion. However when the singer is found dead and the skeleton of a horse is found nearby, the pair discover a past rivalry is rearing its head once more.
- "The Language of Flowers" (12 September 2003) - 7.01
The two gardeners are asked by the Caldecott family to restore a grand water cascade in the grounds of their mansion-turned-health spa. Stumped by the long-decayed mechanics of the feature, Rosemary and Laura soon realise all is not well: a killer is on the loose and family ties are the motive behind a murder.
- "Sweet Angelica" (19 September 2003) - 6.94
Trying to uncover the source of disease in the lawn of a special language college, Rosemary and Laura are shocked to find a dead body at the roadside nearby. A ceremonial knife causes a stir at the school and everything appears to be centred around Angelica, one of the school's students.
- "A Simple Plot" (26 September 2003) - 6.51
Rosemary takes Laura to see an old Professor friend of hers, who is having trouble with his allotment. Flowers are dying at random and he suspects the nearby building site is to blame. A political dispute soon becomes evident and after the Professor is killed, Rosemary finds herself in danger.
- "The Tree of Death" (3 October 2003) - 7.25
Restoring a churchyard for an upcoming fayre
Medieval reenactment
Medieval reenactment is a form of historical reenactment that focuses on re-enacting European history in the period from the fall of Rome to about the end of the 15th century. The second half of this period is often called the Middle Ages...
, Rosemary and Laura befriend the local vicar, but soon become entangled in a murder enquiry when a man is found impaled by an arrow to an ancient yew tree
Taxus baccata
Taxus baccata is a conifer native to western, central and southern Europe, northwest Africa, northern Iran and southwest Asia. It is the tree originally known as yew, though with other related trees becoming known, it may be now known as the English yew, or European yew.-Description:It is a small-...
where they are working. The suspects are many, and it is up to the two gardeners to save the day.
Series 2 (2004)
- "The Memory of Water" (feature length episode) (3 October 2004) - 7.08
Whilst restoring a walled garden
Walled garden
A walled garden is specifically a garden enclosed by high walls for horticultural rather than security purposes, though traditionally all gardens have been hedged about or walled for protection from animal or human intruders...
at Lyvedon Manor, Rosemary and Laura find themselves entangled in the watery death of Jim, the mysterious cousin of the house's owner. Horticultural help arrives in the form of ex-cons from the local prison, and it is up to the two sleuthing gardeners to solve the mystery. Then Jim is seen alive by Rosemary, but a dead body is found on the river. A number of the players are named after characters in the Sexton Blake
Sexton Blake
Sexton Blake is a fictional detective who appeared in many British comic strips and novels throughout the 20th century. He was described by Professor Jeffrey Richards on the BBC in The Radio Detectives in 2003 as "the poor man's Sherlock Holmes"...
canon.
- "Orpheus in the Undergrowth" (8 October 2004) - 6.81
Laura and Rosemary are called upon by an old friend to help create a memorial garden in Notting Hill
Notting Hill
Notting Hill is an area in London, England, close to the north-western corner of Kensington Gardens, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea...
, based around the tale of Orpheus
Orpheus
Orpheus was a legendary musician, poet, and prophet in ancient Greek religion and myth. The major stories about him are centered on his ability to charm all living things and even stones with his music; his attempt to retrieve his wife from the underworld; and his death at the hands of those who...
and Eurydice
Eurydice
Eurydice in Greek mythology, was an oak nymph or one of the daughters of Apollo . She was the wife of Orpheus, who loved her dearly; on their wedding day, he played joyful songs as his bride danced through the meadow. One day, a satyr saw and pursued Eurydice, who stepped on a venomous snake,...
. Helena, Laura's daughter, is angry with her mother, mistakenly blaming her for ending her marriage, while Rosemary's discovery of a Smooth Ink-Cap fungus provides vital clues to the mysterious death of a recovering alcoholic.
- "They Understand Me In Paris" (15 October 2004) - 6.27
At Villa Glavany, in the French Riviera
French Riviera
The Côte d'Azur, pronounced , often known in English as the French Riviera , is the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast corner of France, also including the sovereign state of Monaco...
, Rosemary and Laura are helping their friend Dorothy prepare the 150 year old gardens for a public opening. Neighbour James Pretty is stopping at nothing to ensure that this does not happen. And how will Rosemary and Laura explain to Agathe, the French housekeeper, when they find Dorothy's husband dead in the living room? For Laura, this return trip to France brings back memories of "little cakes" she discovered years ago on a school trip--what she believed to be called "Raspberry Martyrs" but are actually called "Framboise Marthe" (Raspberry Martha in English).
- "The Invisible Worm" (22 October 2004) - 6.22
Roses are dying at Stagford Lodge Preparatory School, and classics master Richard Oakley calls upon the two gardeners to help restore the flower beds. On the last day of term, the mysterious ritual involving a member of staff dressed as a Stag turns sour when Simon Todd, the geography master, is found dead in the undergrowth, killed by a harpoon from the headteacher's prized harpoon gun. Rosemary and Laura must weed out the killer from the school's sinister staff before it is too late.
- "The Gongoozlers" (29 October 2004) - 6.18
Quinnie Dorell, a famous round-the-world yacht sailor, is roped in to boost the ratings of Gavin Patterson's failing TV garden makeover programme. Her fear of heights persuades Rosemary to present an overview of the developments from scaffolding high above the gardens, but a loose bolt causes her to plummet to the ground. Then visiting journalist Rosie FitzCarron is electrocuted in the swimming pool. With Rosemary recovering in hospital, it is up to Laura to solve the seemingly unconnected events.
- "The Italian Rapscallion" (5 November 2004) - 5.84
Rosemary and Laura travel to the Ligurian Coast
Liguria
Liguria is a coastal region of north-western Italy, the third smallest of the Italian regions. Its capital is Genoa. It is a popular region with tourists for its beautiful beaches, picturesque little towns, and good food.-Geography:...
in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, where their old friend Emma Standish is getting ready to open her new restaurant. But a tour around the famous Giardini Tremonti comes to an abrupt end when one of their party, Janice Alexander, is found battered to death in the shrubbery. With so many flamboyant personalities in the area, it takes all of Laura and Rosemary's sleuthing skills to solve the mystery. Then another body is found, tossed over the edge of a cliff-top garden.
- "Swords Into Ploughshares" (12 November 2004) - 6.11
Laura gets the shock of her life when it is announced that Rosemary has been shot dead in the grounds of Engleton Park. She later discovers that Rosemary's college pal Gemma Jackson was posing as her to gain access to the Roman dig nearby, and was killed. Lord Engleton's connection with the Archaeological department provides clues to who may have committed the crime. But the murders soon start piling up, when Laura finds another body dumped in the mansion's greenhouse.
- "Up The Garden Path" (18 December 2004) - 7.52
Grania Monkton's secrecy over her hiring of the two gardeners makes Rosemary uncomfortable when they are asked to solve the case of the mysterious blight that has afflicted the competing gardens in line for the trophy of the annual Rowfield Garden Open Day Scheme. Her suspicions are confirmed when Donald Westward, who is seriously disliked by all residents of the village, is found dead under a collapsed branch, and his garden savaged. Suspects are plenty, particularly unfriendly gardener Judd, and the Skinners, who don't fit in with the rest of the village. But it is up to our two heroines to capture the criminal and save the competition.
Series 3 (2005-07)
- "The Cup of Silence" (feature length episode) (23 December 2005) - 5.77
While a deadly weed threatens to overwhelm acres of vines, an unseen killer terrorises the population of Crickle Valley's vineyard and hotel. With the future of the entire area in doubt, can Rosemary and Laura solve the case and save this year's vintage?
- "In A Monastery Garden" (21 January 2006) - 5.20
Not everybody seems happy with Rosemary and Laura's presence in Wellminster Cathedral's old monastery garden. When a body is discovered amongst the herbs, the ladies realise they could be in serious danger. What dark secrets have this tight-knit community been concealing?
- "Seeds of Time" (28 January 2006) - 5.05
Rosemary and Laura are called upon to help re-organise the seed collection of famous botanist Edwin Pargeter. When a mysterious South American man is found dead in the Pargeters' back garden, it looks as if there is more to Edwin's seeds than meets the eye.
- "Agua Cadaver" (4 February 2006) - 5.69
Invited by a former boyfriend, a noted scholar of Spanish Islamic History
Islam in Spain
Islam in Spain has had a fundamental presence in the culture and history of the nation. The religion was present in modern Spanish soil from 711 until 1492 under the rule of the Arabs and Moors of al-Andalus. For key historical dates, see Timeline of the Muslim presence in the Iberian peninsula...
, to his beautiful home in the hills of Southern Spain
Andalusia
Andalusia is the most populous and the second largest in area of the autonomous communities of Spain. The Andalusian autonomous community is officially recognised as a nationality of Spain. The territory is divided into eight provinces: Huelva, Seville, Cádiz, Córdoba, Málaga, Jaén, Granada and...
in Alcazaba
Alcazaba
An alcazaba , alcáçova or alcassaba is a Moorish fortification in Spain and Portugal. The word derives from the Arabic word القصبة , a walled-fortification in a city....
"near Malaga
Málaga
Málaga is a city and a municipality in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, Spain. With a population of 568,507 in 2010, it is the second most populous city of Andalusia and the sixth largest in Spain. This is the southernmost large city in Europe...
" and Ojen Pueblo, the next town, to restore an old Moorish
Moors
The description Moors has referred to several historic and modern populations of the Maghreb region who are predominately of Berber and Arab descent. They came to conquer and rule the Iberian Peninsula for nearly 800 years. At that time they were Muslim, although earlier the people had followed...
garden inspired by the Alhambra
Alhambra
The Alhambra , the complete form of which was Calat Alhambra , is a palace and fortress complex located in the Granada, Andalusia, Spain...
, Rosemary must not let the attentions of a jealous wife distract her and Laura from an intriguing mystery involving murder and mountainside's water supply. This episode reveals Rosemary's birthday as "Saturday, the 8th".
- "Three Legs Good" (11 February 2006) - 5.01
When Harley Street psychiatrist Pavel Volkar is murdered in Regent's Park
Regent's Park
Regent's Park is one of the Royal Parks of London. It is in the north-western part of central London, partly in the City of Westminster and partly in the London Borough of Camden...
, Rosemary and Laura are on hand to try and unravel the mystery. Accompanied by Holly, Volkar's three-legged dog, they begin to realise that Holly's misfortune may be linked to that of her deceased owner...
- "The Gooseberry Bush" (18 February 2006) - 5.48
Hired to create a memorial garden as a wedding gift, Rosemary is left holding the baby when she and Laura discover an abandoned child under a gooseberry bush. Is there a connection between the baby and the murder of a local artist?
- "Racquet Espanol" (30 July 2007) - 5.39
Tragedy strikes at a Spanish tennis camp as the body of one of the Pro-Am tournament players is discovered. Initially dismissed as a drunken accident, Rosemary and Laura suspect foul play as they realise the resort is not as idyllic as it appears.
- "Enter Two Gardeners" (6 August 2007) - 5.27
Called upon to help with the construction of a garden for an amateur drama production, Rosemary and Laura are shocked by a vicious murder involving a prop gun loaded with live ammunition. As opening night looms, will they be able to find the killer?
Finale
The final two episodes of series three ("Racquet Espanol" and "Enter Two Gardeners") were not aired with the rest of the series during 2005-06. They were eventually broadcast in late July and early August 2007.Because of the outdoor nature of the show and the brevity of the British summer, it became the practice to set two episodes of each series in overseas locations. Two stories were already ready for shooting in Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
when the ITV Network Centre decided to cancel filming for a fourth series.
Novels
Three novelisationsNovelization
A novelization is a novel that is written based on some other media story form rather than as an original work.Novelizations of films usually add background material not found in the original work to flesh out the story, because novels are generally longer than screenplays...
, credited to series creator Brian Eastman and ghostwritten
Ghostwriter
A ghostwriter is a professional writer who is paid to write books, articles, stories, reports, or other texts that are officially credited to another person. Celebrities, executives, and political leaders often hire ghostwriters to draft or edit autobiographies, magazine articles, or other written...
by crime writer Rebecca Tope, have been published in Britain by Allison and Busby and in Australia by Hardie Grant Books. These novels are:
- And No Birds Sing (first published in 2004, and based on the pilot episode)
- The Tree of Death (first published in 2005, and based on the final episode of Series 1)
- Memory of Water (first published in 2006, and based on the feature-length opening episode of Series 2)
DVD releases
The Complete Rosemary & Thyme will be re-released on DVD in the UK (region 2) in July 2011. It is also available on DVD in the US (Region 1), Australia (Region 4) and Japan (Region 2).Audio CD
Composed and conducted by Christopher GunningChristopher Gunning
Christopher Gunning is a British composer of concert works and music for films and television....
, a CD of incidental music and the opening theme (performed by John Williams
John Williams (guitarist)
John Christopher Williams is an Australian classical guitarist, and a long-term resident of the United Kingdom. In 1973, he shared a Grammy Award win in the 'Best Chamber Music Performance' category with Julian Bream for Julian and John .-Biography:John Williams was born on 24 April 1941 in...
) from the first two series of Rosemary & Thyme.
Short story
"The Case of the Dead Wait", by Peter Lovesey (January 2007 Ellery Queen's Mystery MagazineEllery Queen's Mystery Magazine
Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine is an American monthly digest size fiction magazine specializing in crime fiction, particularly detective fiction...
)