Rosemary & Thyme (TV Series) And No Birds Sing (2003) User Reviews

Poisonous plants

[TheLittleSongbird · 9/10 · 6 June 2018]

Have always adored detective dramas/mystery series. This has been apparent from an early age, half my life even, when getting into Agatha Christie through Joan Hickson's Miss Marple and David Suchet's Poirot and into 'Inspector Morse'.

Whether it's the more complex ones like 'Inspector Morse' (and its prequel series 'Endeavour') and anything Agatha Christie. Whether it's the grittier ones like 'A Touch of Frost' (though that is balanced brilliantly with comedy too) and particularly 'Taggart'. And whether it's the light-hearted ones like 'Murder She Wrote'. 'Rosemary and Thyme' is an example of a light-hearted detective mystery series and always gives me a lot of pleasures and banishes the blues when watching. It is a shame that it didn't last longer because it deserved to.

"And No Birds Sing" begins the show wonderfully. There is an understandable not yet quite settled feel in the pace.

Visually, "And No Birds Sing" looks wonderful, beautifully photographed, vibrant in colour and as always with the show with a stunning setting, have always been envious of the gardens seen on the show. The music has a lot of charm with a main theme tune that is soothingly folksy that matches the whimsy of the setting appropriately.

The writing is engaging and suitably light-hearted without being frothy. A few corny moments here and there but nothing major. The story is suitably twisty, didn't predict the ending which was a surprise and was quite tense, without being convoluted, and is entertaining and with a relaxing vibe without being simplistic.

Similarly the characters engage, with Rosemary and Laura already being interesting and distinct in personality, and the chemistry between the two sparkles. Felicity Kendall and Pam Ferris are simply great, individually and as a double act, love Kendall's fire and feistiness and Ferris' more restrained and thoughtful approach.

Overall, a great start. 9/10 Bethany Cox

A good start to a delightful series

[Paularoc · 8/10 · 11 November 2012]

Laura Thyme, a skilled gardener, has just gone through an acrimonious divorce and Rosemary Boxer has just been summarily dismissed from her job as a horticulturist at a university. They meet at an inn and finding they have interests in common, begin a friendship. Rosemary is investigating a plant disease that is attacking trees on the estate of a wealthy man. There are strange accidents and something is clearly amiss and Rosemary and Laura become intrigued and start investigating. This episode, as is typical for the series, features a beautiful garden. The episode, and the series, works so very well because of the performances of Felicity Kendall as Rosemary Boxer and Pam Ferris as Laura Thyme. Their characters so well complement one another. A winning opening entry to a charming and highly entertaining series.

Green Fingers

[ygwerin1 · 7/10 · 7 September 2020]

This first episode introduces us to the principal characters, Laura Thyme and Rosemary Boxer. Neither of them initially know each other they are, unconnected individuals each living their own separate lives.

Laura Thyme is an ex copper with the old bill in her family son Matthew, is still a serving police officer in the Met. The Metropolitan police force a key one in London.

Laura Thyme has heard some disquieting news that her husband of many years, has finally decided to leave her for a younger woman.

Rosemary Boxer is a botanist employed in an academic capacity at a College. She is hired to check on the state of some trees on the estate of the Kellaway Family.

The two women meet by accident at the hotel where Laura is staying, she has booked in the previous evening.

Laura Thyme is waiting for her friend Sam Trent to meet her there, he is late and Laura accepts a lift in Rosemary Boxer's land rover.

Along the country lanes they see a crashed car being lifted onto a trailer, Laura recognised it as that of her friend Sam Trent. Laura Thyme naturally asked what had happened to the cars driver, and she is informed that he had died.

Because of her interest in horticulture Laura Thyme decided to help Rosemary Boxer, with her work on the estates trees.

Rosemary has worked academically in horticulture, while Laura has been practically involved in gardening.

Rosemary Boxer discovered that her position at the college has been terminated, along with those of a lot more of her fellow academics. The culprit one Julian Marchant is someone she has considered as a friend, and who had involved her in the tree research project.

While the two women work around the estate they become, as much interested in the strange goings on there.

As an ex copper Laura Thyme can't believe that her friend Sam Trent, was such a bad driver to have died in an accident. She is determined to dig around to see if there is anything suspicious in his death, and she ended up calling on the assistance of her son Matthew.

In the beginning

[safenoe · 10/10 · 28 January 2021]

There's a sweet innocence and charm to Rosemary and Thyme. I hadn't heard of Rosemary and Thyme until I stumbled upon it when flicking through the TV guide and I was immediately hooked. Maybe it's the calming atmosphere of the European gardens (yes, the UK is part of Europe) that our two lead characters (Felicity Kendall and Pam Ferris) work in and at the same time solve a murder per episode.

This episode is the first of three seasons of such a fine series. We see how Rosemary and Laura meet, how Rosemary was betrayed by her boss, how Laura was betrayed by her husband, and their capacity to solve murders and shape up a garden.

Anyway, it's more than the murders that makes this series endearing. It's the rapport between the two gardener cum detectives. This series was made in the 2000s and we don't smirk or suggest innuendos etc when Rosemary and Thyme without any fuss share a bedroom when they're on assignment (they do sleep in separate single beds just in case you're wondering) and talk about the murder case and life in general.

And no birds sing

[coltras35 · 8/10 · 11 February 2023]

Rosemary Boxer, an expert botanist, is hired by an old friend to investigate why trees in the grounds of their home are becoming diseased. While at the hotel she is staying at, Rosemary befriends Laura Thyme, a former police officer who is staying at the hotel, after leaving her home upon learning that her husband abandoned her for a younger woman. Seeking to forget her husband, Laura willingly agrees to help Rosemary solve her botany problem, but plants soon are the least of their concern when a murder occurs...

A grand start to a great mystery series that has some fine scenic atmosphere and light mystery which has some nice twists and turns. Here, the mystery is good, and our heroines, disenchanted with men, meet for the first time and solve a murder. The twist is really good.

Strong start to a well remembered series.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 9/10 · 13 March 2024]

Laura Thyme is dumped by her husband, and travels to see a friend, she moves into a hotel, and gets acquainted with fellow gardener Rosemary Boxer, the pair soon discover shared interests in gardening, and murder.

What a fine start to the series, I always thought that Father Brown was one of the pioneering shows when it came to lighter murder mysteries, however Rosemary and Thyme got there first.

It's an intriguing and fairly amusing start, the story is a good one, with just the right amount of suspense, intrigue and humour.

The music is a little twee, and if is now twenty years old, but it has aged fairly well. Gorgeous filming locations, they really chose some terrific places to film.

The combination of Pam Ferris and Felicity Kendall is a joyous one, they worked so well together. It's very nicely acted all round.

The makeup used on David Mallinson is absolutely superb, it's terrific, he looks so uncomfortable, in so much discomfort.

It's a great start.

9/10.

Engineered Parts

[tedg · 4 August 2006]

I you are discouraged at the state of the world, at the general inability of folks to reason, then you won't want to visit this.

It is a mystery series, which means that it places itself in the domain of "thinking viewers'" material. These do have murders, and sleuths, but there's little detection though the women involved do stumble onto the "solution."

The very shape of the thing is a bit offensive. BBC mysteries have long had two vales in mind: make the place interesting and make some characters the viewers will like.

In this first episode, we are introduced to the "detectives" thus derived. Its a simple matter of looking at demographic charts: two women around 60, disgusted with men. One is blond, pretty, fit, and very smart. The other is dumpy and dull. Neither is scheduled for a romance.

The blond Rosemary drives an old land rover and doesn't want a newer one because of the "girlie" things that were added. I expect as we plod through this series, the characters will evolve based on what the producers think is a sweet spot. Its really offensive, as if what we watch had only a few major parts to fill and designers of these amusements could plug in what they want.

The three major parts are the women, the "murder mystery," and the place.

This episode has a really very appealing place. And it has a reference to the only watchable thing I have ever seen from TeeVee, "The Singing Detective" in a man with eczema.

Otherwise, this is a slap in face.

Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.