Diagonaldi
Very well executed
Titreenp
SERIOUSLY. This is what the crap Hollywood still puts out?
Solidrariol
Am I Missing Something?
Ezmae Chang
This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.
ianlouisiana
One of the less - likely television detectives of the 1990s is D.I Henry Crabbe(the late Mr Richard Griffiths - massively missed),awaiting a well -earned retirement in order to run a small restaurant with his wife(the sublime Miss Maggie Steed). For somewhat contrived reasons he is forced to continue as a police officer and thus combine his new career with his old one. Cooking on TV?There's a novel idea.....well,it was before we were inundated with hundreds of appalling cheaply produced cooking programmes that dominate our schedules 20 years later. So Mr Griffiths gets to sniff wineglasses knowledgeably, and play with a military - sized oven with every appearance of huge enjoyment. Oh,and do a bit of detecting too,whenever the police are baffled,which they appear to be with worrying regularity. He is a gentle,contemplative soul,not given to saying "You're nicked sunshine" at every opportunity nor bending his captives' arms up behind their backs whilst snarling in their ears - indeed,one wonders why he became a detective in the first place. But still,the whole façade comes tumbling down if you think too hard about it. Best to go along with the flow and watch two lovely actors having fun without breaking into a sweat. Sadly the rest of the regular cast are put in the shade by Mr and Mrs Crabbe in every episode,so much do they dominate the screen. "Pie in the sky" is lovely,quirky TV,I doubt it could be made today let alone be allowed to thrive in this era of plastic - wrapped interchangeable "product" where to be "different" is to be cancelled after the pilot.
Alex Cutler (acutler)
You had me at "Richard Griffiths"... add Maggie Steed and the staple Detective Show format with a food twist, and there is barely an unwatchable episode.That doesn't mean there aren't a multitude of flaws: the character of Cambridge is both appalling uninspired in creation and woodenly acted; the "Hooperman"-arc opportunity is wasted; staff changes at the restaurant are clumsily handled - not one well-handled exit; and the reason Henry is doing two jobs is inconsistent and illogical.But we can all turn a blind-eye to these shortcomings, as they are not really important to most episodes which stand on their own merit.But mostly I watch it because I salivate at Henry's Steak & Kidney Pie... we all have our weaknesses!
thebournepainter
here in new england we depend on PBS or BBC America for good English programming. I stumbled on this show last year. It is a light detective show with good character portrayals. Griffiths is great. They only seem to run the same 10 episodes over and over, i see there are 33 episodes. Might have to buy the DVD. It would be worth it.I wonder why it didn't go more seasons. Was it not well received? Some shows are better than others, some a little fluffy, others delve more into his detectives ability to see through mysteries at his waddling slow pace. I know Richard Griffiths has done other work, I first saw him in naked gun. But i believe some of his best screen work is here.
MikeMagi
Just finished watching the first four episodes of this police series via Netflix. And it's a pleasure to report that at least thus far, there have been no serial killers, blood-spattered bedrooms or lethal shoot-outs. Just a series of gentle, slyly amusing capers. Even more of a pleasure is that the central character, detective inspector Henry Crabbe, is a gourmet chef who has opened a charming little restaurant while awaiting his retirement. And to complete the pleasures, there's Richard Griffiths as Crabbe, lovingly basting a leg of lamb or whipping up a glorious soufflé when he isn't waddling off to probe some criminal conspiracy. For instance, the mystery of a bank robber, dead some 16 years ago, who has turned up very much alive in the local village. Solving such puzzles is duck soup for Crabbe. Leaving his stove in mid-simmer to hunt down a villain is another kettle of fish. If you're looking for raw red meat, this probably isn't for you. But if you have a taste for subtler fare, this series could be just the dish.