Overview
Hetty Wainthropp Investigates is a gentle British crime/comedy drama television programme that aired from 1996 to 1998 on BBC One.
Patricia Routledge starred as the titular character (Henrietta "Hetty" Wainthropp), Derek Benfield as her patient husband Robert, Dominic Monaghan as their lodger (and her assistant) Geoffrey Shawcross and John Graham Davies as DCI Adams.
Later episodes include Suzanne Maddock as Janet Frazer, a feisty young auto mechanic who sells a car to Geoffrey; their relationship develops by the end of the series, and Frank Mills as Robert's brother Frank, who visits in series 3 while Robert is in Australia and appears in the final episode. In the United States, episodes have been featured on PBS's anthology programme Mystery!.
Hetty Wainthropp is a retired working-class woman from Darwen in North West England, who has a knack for jumping to conclusions and solving crimes of varying bafflement which often are too minor to concern the police. Although on occasion her husband offers assistance, he more often than not tends to the home while Hetty gads about the countryside with young Geoffrey in search of resolution and justice. In many episodes Hetty seeks the help and advice of DCI Adams of the local constabulary.
| Original Air Dates: | — |
|---|---|
| Country: | UK |
| Genre: | Comedy, Crime, Drama |
| Network: | BBC One |
| Watched by: | 272 995 636 |
| Total running time: | 1 day 2 hours 50 minutes |
| Episode duration: | |
| Episodes: | 28 |
The pilot episode was based on the novel "Missing Persons" by David Cook. In subsequent seasons, the plot idea has hardly changed, the most ordinary, elderly, overweight woman vigorously undertakes a variety of tasks. She has determination, self-confidence, common sense, life experience and understanding of people on her side. Plus a dedicated assistant with a borrowed scooter. The characters, the setting, and the situations are also ordinary - ordinary people living in the neighborhood, prosaic stories, extremely plausible realities of a poor life, and no picturesque villages or large estates.
It was set and shot very simply, the editing was unhurried, as was the development of the plot. Far from being an outstanding and not very fascinating detective storyline, it is diluted with intra-family relationships, peripheral incidents and all sorts of interesting details. The mise-en-scenes and dialogues are natural, they play well and in moderation. The characters are not burdened with depth and drama.
It turned out to be sometimes a little sad, but definitely a comedy series with elements of a detective story. It's not particularly exciting or intense, but it has the atmosphere and pace of normal human stories, emotional and everyday. Average, but cute.
Language. They speak well and quite clearly, not very fast, more or less legible, accents are noticeable, but not terrible. There are difficult words, but the general meaning can be understood without subtitles.