I am usually a sucker for a detective series, and almost invariably start by reading the books, but this series has almost completely passed me by. I suspsct that, in part, this is due to it being first broadcast slap bang in the middle of me studying for a degree - television wasn't a staple diet for my course - but when I have had the chance to watch repeats on ITV3 etc., I haven't really felt interested enough. Perhaps the DVD release will remedy that.
The series is set amid the windswept beauty of Cornwall, this popular and acclaimed series follows Detective Superintendent Charles Wycliffe as he investigates the region’s most serious and challenging cases. Whilst the storylines often highlight the social and economic difficulties faced by the local community, the conscientious Wycliffe offers something of a contrast to the classic ‘maverick detective’ character; a family man with a fastidious, tolerant approach, he tackles each investigation with a calm determination and a resolutely open mind, and his incisive style of questioning never fails to cut through to the heart of the mystery.
Jack Shepherd is quietly charismatic in the title role, and the series also stars Jimmy Yuill and Helen Masters as Detective Inspectors Doug Kersey and Lucy Lane – Wycliffe’s dependable but very human colleagues. The series’ haunting theme music, composed by Nigel Hess, received the Royal Television Society’s award for the best television theme, and Wycliffe remained a top-rated drama throughout its five-year run.
So far, Network DVD have released two sets, each containing 2 discs and every episode of the first and second series transmitted 1994 and 1995 respectively. Also accompanying the first series is the pilot episode from 1993.