The Inspector Lynley Mysteries
Encyclopedia
The Inspector Lynley Mysteries is a series of BBC
television programmes about Detective Inspector Thomas "Tommy" Lynley, 8th Earl of Asherton (Nathaniel Parker
) of Scotland Yard
and Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers
(Sharon Small
). In addition to the tensions involved in solving murder cases, the series thrives on the characters' clashes regarding personality, gender, and class, since Lynley is an earl
(a peer of the realm
), while Havers comes from a working class background.
All episodes from the first two series and two from the third are based on novels by the American
author Elizabeth George
, though the author's plots and characters are often significantly altered. Later episodes are original stories for television based on her characters. The first broadcast was on 12 March 2001. The theme music is by Debbie Wiseman
.
In August 2007, the BBC
announced its intention to make no more episodes of The Inspector Lynley Mysteries. Fans of the series mounted a campaign to save the series with a petition
and contacts to the BBC
.
In the first episode, Lynley drove a Peugeot 607
; in subsequent early episodes, he drove a Jensen Interceptor
, and in later episodes a Bristol 410
. Despite the frequently recurring remark in PBS
Mystery!
presenter Diana Rigg
's introductions to the series that Lynley "is the one with the Bentley
", he never drove a Bentley on TV. (He does, however, in the George novels.)
Exterior shots were filmed at the Bircham Dyson Bell solicitors offices on Broadway, central London. In the pilot episode the character of Helen was played by Emma Fielding
.
Pilot
A Great Deliverance was broadcast in the United States on PBS
on Mystery!
in two parts, on 19 and 26 August 2002 as Inspector Lynley I.
Series 1
Series 1 was broadcast in the United States on PBS on Mystery! on 31 August and 7, 14 and 21 September 2003 as Inspector Lynley II.
Series 2
Series 2 was broadcast in the United States on PBS on Mystery! on 5, 12, 19 and 26 September 2004, and rebroadcast on 14, 21, 28 August and 4 September 2005, as Inspector Lynley III.
Series 3
Series 3 was broadcast in the United States on PBS on Mystery! on 26 June and 3, 10 and 17 July 2005 as Inspector Lynley IV.
Series 4
Series 4 was broadcast in the United States on PBS on Mystery! on 10 September, 17, 24 and 1 October 2006 as Inspector Lynley V. The third and fourth episodes were rebroadcast 26 August and 2 September 2007.
Series 5
Series 5 was broadcast in the United States on PBS on Mystery! on 9 and 16 September and 7 and 14 October 2007 as Inspector Lynley VI. In the Blink of an Eye was the final broadcast of Mystery! before WGBH
retooled the classic anthology series, along with Masterpiece Theatre
, into Masterpiece.
Series 5 was rebroadcast on Masterpiece Mystery! on 24, 31 August and 7 and 14 September 2008.
Series 6
Series 6 aired in the United States on PBS stations on Masterpiece Mystery! as Inspector Lynley VII. The first episode, "Limbo", was shown 10 August 2008, and the final episode of the entire Inspector Lynley series, "Know Thine Enemy", aired 17 August 2008.
, Jemma Redgrave
, James McAvoy
, Kari Corbett
, Phyllis Logan
, Richard Armitage
, Samantha Bond, Honeysuckle Weeks
, Neve McIntosh
, Gabrielle Drake
, Caroline Hayes
, Mary Stockley
, Henry Cavill
and Isabella Calthorpe
.
.
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
television programmes about Detective Inspector Thomas "Tommy" Lynley, 8th Earl of Asherton (Nathaniel Parker
Nathaniel Parker
Nathaniel Parker is an English actor best known for playing Detective Inspector Thomas "Tommy" Lynley in the BBC crime drama series The Inspector Lynley Mysteries.-Personal life:...
) of Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard is a metonym for the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service of London, UK. It derives from the location of the original Metropolitan Police headquarters at 4 Whitehall Place, which had a rear entrance on a street called Great Scotland Yard. The Scotland Yard entrance became...
and Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers
Barbara Havers
Barbara Havers is a fictional detective in The Inspector Lynley series created by American mystery author Elizabeth George. The character of Detective Sergeant Havers serves as a sidekick and foil to the lead character, Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley of Scotland Yard.Their relationship is a...
(Sharon Small
Sharon Small
Sharon Small is a Scottish actress acclaimed for her dramatic work in film, radio, theatre and television. Her best-known TV role is that of Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers in the BBC television adaptation of the Inspector Lynley Mysteries by Elizabeth George.-Education and personal life:Small...
). In addition to the tensions involved in solving murder cases, the series thrives on the characters' clashes regarding personality, gender, and class, since Lynley is an earl
Earl
An earl is a member of the nobility. The title is Anglo-Saxon, akin to the Scandinavian form jarl, and meant "chieftain", particularly a chieftain set to rule a territory in a king's stead. In Scandinavia, it became obsolete in the Middle Ages and was replaced with duke...
(a peer of the realm
Peerage
The Peerage is a legal system of largely hereditary titles in the United Kingdom, which constitute the ranks of British nobility and is part of the British honours system...
), while Havers comes from a working class background.
All episodes from the first two series and two from the third are based on novels by the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author Elizabeth George
Elizabeth George
Susan Elizabeth George is an American author of mystery novels set in Great Britain.Eleven of her novels featuring her lead character Inspector Lynley have been adapted for television by the BBC as The Inspector Lynley Mysteries.-Biography:George was born in Warren, Ohio to Robert Edwin and Anne ...
, though the author's plots and characters are often significantly altered. Later episodes are original stories for television based on her characters. The first broadcast was on 12 March 2001. The theme music is by Debbie Wiseman
Debbie Wiseman
Debbie Wiseman MBE is a composer for film and television. She studied at Trinity College of Music Junior Department, and then piano and composition at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama....
.
In August 2007, the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
announced its intention to make no more episodes of The Inspector Lynley Mysteries. Fans of the series mounted a campaign to save the series with a petition
Petition
A petition is a request to do something, most commonly addressed to a government official or public entity. Petitions to a deity are a form of prayer....
and contacts to the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
.
In the first episode, Lynley drove a Peugeot 607
Peugeot 607
The Peugeot 607 was an executive car produced by the French automaker Peugeot from September 1999 to June 2010.The 607, along with the smaller 407, was superseded by the 508 in early 2011.-History:...
; in subsequent early episodes, he drove a Jensen Interceptor
Jensen Interceptor
The Jensen Interceptor was a sporting GT-class car hand-built in the United Kingdom by Jensen Motors between 1966 and 1976. The Interceptor name had been used previously by Jensen for an earlier car made between 1950 and 1957...
, and in later episodes a Bristol 410
Bristol 410
The Bristol 410 was the fourth series of Chrysler V8-engined models from British manufacturer Bristol Cars. It was the last Bristol to use the 5.2 litre engine originally found in the Bristol 407....
. Despite the frequently recurring remark in PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
Mystery!
Mystery!
Mystery! is an episodic television series that debuted in 1980 in the USA. It airs on PBS and is produced by WGBH...
presenter Diana Rigg
Diana Rigg
Dame Enid Diana Elizabeth Rigg, DBE is an English actress. She is probably best known for her portrayals of Emma Peel in The Avengers and Countess Teresa di Vicenzo in the 1969 James Bond film On Her Majesty's Secret Service....
's introductions to the series that Lynley "is the one with the Bentley
Bentley
Bentley Motors Limited is a British manufacturer of automobiles founded on 18 January 1919 by Walter Owen Bentley known as W.O. Bentley or just "W O". Bentley had been previously known for his range of rotary aero-engines in World War I, the most famous being the Bentley BR1 as used in later...
", he never drove a Bentley on TV. (He does, however, in the George novels.)
Exterior shots were filmed at the Bircham Dyson Bell solicitors offices on Broadway, central London. In the pilot episode the character of Helen was played by Emma Fielding
Emma Fielding
Emma Georgina Annalies Fielding is an English actress.-Biography:The lapsed Roman Catholic daughter of a British Army soldier, Fielding spent much of her childhood in Malaysia and Nigeria, and a period in Malvern above her grandparents' betting shop...
.
Episode list
Episodes are based on the novel of the same name unless marked *Pilot
- A Great Deliverance (12 March and 13 March 2001)
A Great Deliverance was broadcast in the United States on PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
on Mystery!
Mystery!
Mystery! is an episodic television series that debuted in 1980 in the USA. It airs on PBS and is produced by WGBH...
in two parts, on 19 and 26 August 2002 as Inspector Lynley I.
Series 1
- Well-Schooled in Murder (8 April 2002)
- Payment in Blood (15 April 2002)
- For the Sake of Elena (22 April 2002)
- Missing Joseph (29 April 2002)
Series 1 was broadcast in the United States on PBS on Mystery! on 31 August and 7, 14 and 21 September 2003 as Inspector Lynley II.
Series 2
- Playing for the Ashes (10 March 2003)
- In the Presence of the Enemy (17 March 2003)
- A Suitable Vengeance (24 March 2003)
- Deception on His Mind (31 March 2003)
Series 2 was broadcast in the United States on PBS on Mystery! on 5, 12, 19 and 26 September 2004, and rebroadcast on 14, 21, 28 August and 4 September 2005, as Inspector Lynley III.
Series 3
- In Pursuit of the Proper Sinner (4 March 2004)
- A Traitor to Memory (11 March 2004)
- A Cry for Justice (18 March 2004) *
- If Wishes were Horses (22 March 2004) *
Series 3 was broadcast in the United States on PBS on Mystery! on 26 June and 3, 10 and 17 July 2005 as Inspector Lynley IV.
Series 4
- In Divine Proportion (17 March 2005) *
- In The Guise of Death (24 March 2005) *
- The Seed Of Cunning (31 March 2005) *
- Word Of God (7 April 2005) *
Series 4 was broadcast in the United States on PBS on Mystery! on 10 September, 17, 24 and 1 October 2006 as Inspector Lynley V. The third and fourth episodes were rebroadcast 26 August and 2 September 2007.
Series 5
- Natural Causes (20 July 2006) *
- One Guilty Deed (27 July 2006) *
- Chinese Walls (3 August 2006) *
- In The Blink Of An Eye (10 August 2006) *
Series 5 was broadcast in the United States on PBS on Mystery! on 9 and 16 September and 7 and 14 October 2007 as Inspector Lynley VI. In the Blink of an Eye was the final broadcast of Mystery! before WGBH
WGBH-TV
WGBH-TV, channel 2, is a non-commercial educational public television station located in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. WGBH-TV is a member station of the Public Broadcasting Service , and produces more than two-thirds of PBS's national prime time television programming...
retooled the classic anthology series, along with Masterpiece Theatre
Masterpiece Theatre
Masterpiece is a drama anthology television series produced by WGBH Boston. It premiered on Public Broadcasting Service on January 10, 1971, making it America's longest-running weekly prime time drama series. The series has presented numerous acclaimed British productions...
, into Masterpiece.
Series 5 was rebroadcast on Masterpiece Mystery! on 24, 31 August and 7 and 14 September 2008.
Series 6
- Limbo (2007) broadcast postponed, but was broadcast on BBC OneBBC OneBBC 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...
: 8.15-9.45 pm 25 May 2008 (BBC EntertainmentBBC EntertainmentBBC Entertainment is an international television channel showcasing comedy, drama, light entertainment and children's programming from the BBC and other UK production houses...
: 11 November 2007) * - Know Thine Enemy (16 June 2007) broadcast postponed, but was broadcast on BBC One: 8.00-9.30 pm 1 June 2008 (BBC Entertainment: 18 November 2007) *
Series 6 aired in the United States on PBS stations on Masterpiece Mystery! as Inspector Lynley VII. The first episode, "Limbo", was shown 10 August 2008, and the final episode of the entire Inspector Lynley series, "Know Thine Enemy", aired 17 August 2008.
Regular cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Nathaniel Parker Nathaniel Parker Nathaniel Parker is an English actor best known for playing Detective Inspector Thomas "Tommy" Lynley in the BBC crime drama series The Inspector Lynley Mysteries.-Personal life:... |
DI Thomas Lynley |
| Sharon Small Sharon Small Sharon Small is a Scottish actress acclaimed for her dramatic work in film, radio, theatre and television. Her best-known TV role is that of Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers in the BBC television adaptation of the Inspector Lynley Mysteries by Elizabeth George.-Education and personal life:Small... |
DS Barbara Havers Barbara Havers Barbara Havers is a fictional detective in The Inspector Lynley series created by American mystery author Elizabeth George. The character of Detective Sergeant Havers serves as a sidekick and foil to the lead character, Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley of Scotland Yard.Their relationship is a... |
| Lesley Vickerage Lesley Vickerage Lesley Vickerage is an English actress best known for her roles as WPC Jenny Dean in the British television series Between the Lines and as Helen Lynley in the British television series The Inspector Lynley Mysteries.... /Catherine Russell Catherine Russell Catherine Russell is a British stage, television and screen actress.-Personal:Catherine Russell is the daughter of actor Nicholas Smith and his wife Mary. She is married to film producer Richard Holmes and they have two children, Sam and Poppy... |
Helen Clyde/Lynley |
Guest cast
Guest cast includes Bill NighyBill Nighy
William Francis "Bill" Nighy is an English actor and comedian. He worked in theatre and television before his first cinema role in 1981, and made his name in television with The Men's Room in 1991, in which he played the womanizer Prof...
, Jemma Redgrave
Jemma Redgrave
Jemma Redgrave is a fourth-generation English actress of the Redgrave family.-Early life/family:Born in London as Jemima Rebecca Redgrave, she is the daughter of the late actor Corin Redgrave and his first wife, the late Deirdre Hamilton-Hill, a former fashion model. They divorced when Jemma was...
, James McAvoy
James McAvoy
James McAvoy is a Scottish stage and screen actor. He made his acting debut as a teen in 1995's The Near Room and continued to make mostly television appearances until the early 2000s. His notable television work includes State of Play, Shameless, and Frank Herbert's Children of Dune...
, Kari Corbett
Kari Corbett
Kari Corbett is an actor, artist and film-maker who lives and works between the USA and Europe.As an actor, Corbett is best known for her roles as Nurse Marian McKaig in ITV's The Royal, Zoe in Monarch Of The Glen, Kirsty Henderson in River City and Sarah in the BAFTA award winning Jeopardy...
, Phyllis Logan
Phyllis Logan
-Education:Logan was educated at Johnstone High School in Johnstone, Renfrewshire, Scotland. After school, she graduated from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama with the James Bridie Gold Medal in 1977.-Career:...
, Richard Armitage
Richard Armitage (actor)
Richard Crispin Armitage is an English actor famous for his roles as John Thornton in North and South, Guy of Gisborne in Robin Hood, and Lucas North in Spooks...
, Samantha Bond, Honeysuckle Weeks
Honeysuckle Weeks
Honeysuckle Weeks is a British actress, best known for her starring role as Samantha Stewart in the British TV series Foyle's War, since 2002.-Background:...
, Neve McIntosh
Neve McIntosh
-Early life:Born in Paisley, Neve McIntosh grew up in Edinburgh, where she attended Boroughmuir High School. She moved to Glasgow to attend the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, after which she was in repertory companies at Perth and at The Little Theatre on the Isle of Mull.-Theatre:She...
, Gabrielle Drake
Gabrielle Drake
Gabrielle Drake is a British actress who was born in Lahore, British India and lived in several Far Eastern countries .-Career:...
, Caroline Hayes
Caroline Hayes
Caroline Hayes is an English actress currently working and living in London. She has appeared on stage and television in the UK and Canada, most notably in the BBC series The Sins, alongside Pete Postlethwaite and Geraldine James, and Servants, another BBC series featuring Joe Absolom...
, Mary Stockley
Mary Stockley
Mary Stockley is a British stage, television and film actress.A former member of the National Youth Music Theatre, Stockley studied drama at university. She made her first television appearance in 2001 in the TV movie Being Dom Jolly, in 2002 going on to play Kate Matherson in eight episodes of...
, Henry Cavill
Henry Cavill
Henry William Dalgliesh Cavill is a British actor. He has appeared in the films The Count of Monte Cristo and Stardust, and played the role of Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk, on the Showtime series The Tudors, from 2007 until 2010...
and Isabella Calthorpe
Isabella Calthorpe
Isabella Amaryllis Charlotte Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe, who uses the stage name Isabella Calthorpe , is an English actress and model, daughter of John Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe and Lady Mary-Gaye Georgiana Lorna Curzon.Primarily a stage actress, she has also appeared in the films Stage Beauty and...
.
DVD
The complete Series are available on DVD in Germany http://www.edel.de/[Edel] and the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland and most continental European countries except Germany, distributed by Acorn Media UKAcorn Media UK
Acorn Media UK is a DVD publisher which distributes and sells home video products with a particular focus on British television.- Company history :The company was founded in 1997 when Lesley Fromant set up a branch of parent company Acorn Media in the UK....
.
External links
- The Inspector Lynley Mysteries at bbc.co.ukBbc.co.ukBBC Online is the brand name and home for the BBC's UK online service. It is a large network of websites including such high profile sites as BBC News and Sport, the on-demand video and radio services co-branded BBC iPlayer, the pre-school site Cbeebies, and learning services such as Bitesize...
- Official Mystery! website.
- Nathaniel Parker's Official Homepage covers all the latest news on the series as well as a complete collection of episode reviews
- Sharon Small Website News, info, pictures & media regarding Sharon Small, who plays Barbara Havers.
- USA based Yahoo ILM Discussion Board Forum for discussion of "The Inspector Lynley Mysteries." International membership.
- UK based Yahoo group for discussion of the BBC's Inspector Lynley TV series Photos, fan fiction, links
- An unofficial fansite with information from all over the world and pictures from the series