A Great Deliverance (12 Mar. 2001)

After a farmer is found decapitated, aristocratic Detective Inspector Lynly is assigned to the case with a resentful new partner, D.S. Barbara Havers.

Director:

Richard Laxton

Writers:

Elizabeth George (novel), Lizzie Mickery (screenplay)

Stars:

Nathaniel Parker, Sharon Small, Anthony Calf

Cast

Episode credited cast:
Nathaniel Parker	...	Inspector Thomas Lynley
Sharon Small	...	D.S. Barbara Havers
Anthony Calf	...	Simon St. James
Amanda Ryan	...	Deborah St. James
Emma Fielding	...	Helen Clyde
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Rachel Ambler	...	Madeleine Tey
Mark Benson	...	Harry Houseman (as Mark A. Benson)
Denise Black	...	Tessa Mowbray
David Blair	...	Jonah
Paul Brennen	...	Superintendent Webberley
Paul Butterworth	...	Solicitor
Caroline Carver	...	Danny
Colum Convey	...	Detective Sergeant Nies
Brendan Coyle	...	Richard Tey
Nicholas Day	...	Chief Superintendent Hillier

Storyline

When a farmer, William Tey, is hacked to death with an ax in his barn, Scotland Yard assigns Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley and Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers to the case. Lynley is the 8th Earl of Asherton and is a graduate of Eton and Oxford; he is on the fast track in the police service. Havers has a working class background and feels that she is discriminated against. Despite the differences in their background - very often, the two simply don't understand one another - they make a good team. As for the murder, there are several possible suspects. Tey's wife had left him many years before and one of his daughters ran away and would have nothing to do with him. A nephew will now inherit his farm, providing a good motive. Throughout the investigation, Lynley has to deal with former colleagues who would like nothing better than to bring him down.

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Plot Keywords:

inspector | earl | sergeant | scotland yard | mutism | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Official Sites:

BBC [uk] PBS

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 March 2001 (UK)

Company Credits

Production Co:

WGBH, British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

180 min 180 min (2 parts) 156 min (2 part dvd release)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Inspector Lynley's distinctive blue sports car in the early series is a Jensen Interceptor Mk II. In later series, Lynley's brown car is a 1968 Bristol 410, an extremely exclusive make of vehicle built in England. Only 79 410 were ever built.

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Goofs

During the final interrogation scene Lynley removes the earpiece, but at the end of the scene it's back in.

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Quotes

Detective Sergeant Nies: [to Lynly] I wasn't born with a silver spoon up my backside.

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Connections

Followed by The Inspector Lynley Mysteries: Well Schooled in Murder (2002)

User Reviews

A great adaptation!

Fans of Elizabeth George's Lynley/Havers mysteries can rest easy. If this first entry is any gauge, the BBC has done an excellent job.

George's books are only part mystery. The backstory is the ongoing soap opera involving Tommy, Deborah, Simon and Helen. (And of course, there's the tension between Lynley and Havers -- but that is often integral to the mystery.) In this adaptation of "A Great Deliverance," the soap opera is held to a minimum. Yes Tommy and Simon both love Deborah. Simon marries her and Tommy stands as his best man -- and misery ensues. But the screen version handles this material leanly and efficiently (where George herself sometimes tends to wallow).

Here the mystery is the main event, and the moody atmosphere of a Yorkshire village dominates. This was a two-part mini-series in the UK, but my local PBS station presented it as a feature. At nearly three hours, you might expect it to lag, but it doesn't. Suspense builds as suspects are considered and discarded.

The relationship between Lynley and Havers is the key to the series. It's part class warfare and part sexual politics. He's the eighth earl of Asherton and she's a working class heroine, so there it is. Here it is played to perfection.

I am anxiously anticipating new entries in "The Inspector Lynley Mysteries."