TV Series Review: Murder Before Evensong

Murder Before Evensong is a cosy murder mystery, set in 1980s England, based on the novel of the same name by Richard Coles. Canon Daniel Clement finds himself entangled in a murder investigation after he finds the (very dodgy) cousin of the local lord of the manor murdered in the church with a pair of garden secateurs. Actually, his two little dachshunds, Cosmo and Hilda, find the body. From then on, the village is all agog as suspicions fall upon various characters, ranging from members of the noble family (the De Floures) to certain suspicious-looking and socially undesirable characters with dubious pasts and friends in low places. When yet another two murders happen, the villagers go from agog to galvanised! Threads from the past surface in the Champton village celebrations of its role in the war (only forty years earlier) as a base for the Special Operations Executive, Churchill’s secret WW2 guerilla army. The detective on the case, DS Neil Vanloo, ropes Daniel into the investigation because he is the local rector and people are more likely to trust and confide in him. Amid all this, Daniel’s mother arrives to stay with him. Forever, it seems…

This is a wonderful country village murder mystery with a dark side and lots of humour, red herrings, dead bodies, side plots, historical shenanigans, treachery, double cross, and more in a bucolic setting. A great cast makes this series a must-see. Matthew Lewis (of Harry Potter fame) is perfect as Canon Clement. He is anxious, self-critical, slightly agitated most of the time, and not very confident of his abilities. He is also very compassionate about the AIDS victims, with this being a hot topic of the 80s. His mother is played by Amanda Redman and she is just magnificent! She is rather like Patricia Routledge and Margaret Rutherford rolled into one. Hyacinth Bucket (pronounced ‘Bouquet’) has nothing on Mrs Clement. She is a total scene-stealer, although Cosmo and Hilda (played to paw-fection by Bailey and Penny) come a close second. Amit Shah plays DS Neil Vanloo, and he is just right for the role. He is rather like Canon Clement, and the duo manages to bumble along together to discover the murderer. Speaking of which, I was unable to guess who it was.

The plot is excellent and so many threads weave in and out but always lead back to the main one. Historical and factual details, and social and political issues are touched upon to establish the context but with no banging on about injustice, no wokery, no ‘BBC-style’ demographics, and no hidden agendas from the scriptwriters. The attention to detail is magnificent and you will believe you have stepped into the village of Champton. The village is ‘played’ by the real village of Worfield, near Bridgenorth in Shropshire, England. This is an incredibly enjoyable and riveting mystery. Fingers crossed there is a season two. Don’t miss it. Make popcorn. LOTS!