One of the most important elements of a good detective series is casting. While the sergeants can be on the weak side, there is no way a series can survive without a formidable inspector in command. Take as an example Midsomer Murders. A few of the sergeants have been poorly cast, anemic, and we barely remember their faces. However, with charismatic inspectors played by John Nettles and Neil Dudgeon, the series has thrived.
One of the most popular detectives of the past sixty years blossomed in fourteen crime novels of the late P.D. James. She was Phyllis Dorothy James, Baroness James of Holland Park. And her most delightful literary creation, of course, is Adam Dalgliesh. Dalgliesh, an inspector with the Metropolitan Police of New Scotland Yard, lives a private lifestyle, a life tainted by sadness. His wife died in childbirth, and the baby also died. Dalgliesh has published several volumes of poetry. Women see him as “tall, dark, and handsome.” Topping it off, he’s a brilliant crime solver.
Since 1983, several British actors have played the inspector, including Roy Marsden. For a number of us, Marsden doesn’t impress, and in fact P.D. James said he would not have been her choice. Martin Shaw, who many have loved as Inspector George Gently, played Dalgliesh. His virility and serious manner have made him a fine choice for the role, and the TV films of Death in Holy Orders and The Murder Room were successes and continue to draw fans.
In November 2021, the latest series to feature P.D. James’ beloved Detective Chief Inspector appeared. Titled simply, Dalgliesh, the first season is available for streaming on Acorn TV and on DVD. There are six episodes in season one, three episodes each in two parts. The series is engrossing, intelligent. British actor Bertie Carvel is Dalgliesh. Wonderful casting! Carvel is just handsome and virile enough to please other characters in the stories, as well as viewers. In his mid-forties, he's a decent age to continue with the character for more than the next decade.
For those not familiar with Carvel’s work, he played the title character in Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, and he was the much put-upon Simon Foster opposite Suranne Jones and Jodie Comer in Doctor Foster. This year, he is Tony Blair in The Crown. His stage work is impressive. I saw him as Rupert Murdoch in Ink at the Almeida Theatre in London. When the play transferred to Broadway, Carvel won a Tony for his acting.
Season one of Dalgliesh takes viewers to murders in a nursing school for young women, secondly to suspicious deaths in a scenic rural home for disabled folks, and finally the mysteries behind the violent deaths of a homeless man and a Tory aristocrat within a London church. Each of the six episodes is first-rate. The screenplays are clearly conceived; the acting is superb. I’m the last person to be able to solve murder mysteries, but I believe most viewers will be pleasantly stumped till the ends.
Dalgliesh was approved for a second season a few months ago, and then more recently confirmed for a third season. P.D. James left the world in 2014, but her books have remained popular treats for mystery fans. It’s good to know there now is a 2ist-century Dalgliesh TV series that will keep fans watching as well as reading!
Audrey Kupferberg is a film and video archivist and retired appraiser. She is lecturer emeritus and the former director of Film Studies at the University at Albany and co-authored several entertainment biographies with her late husband and creative partner, Rob Edelman.
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