First of all I have to confess that it's been a while since I last saw this episode. I remember it being very entertaining but rather odd as Felicity Kendal is hardly in it. The lovely Belinda Lang does however step into her shoes rather well and FK was barely missed. The storyline has her injured after falling from a scaffold. It did cross my mind that she may have been injured for real during filming and been written out. Because of the sequence of the filming later on though this seems unlikely. Just why BL was brought in to virtually take over the roll is anybody's guess. The plot was fairly complex and involved the usual dead bodies in the undergrowth and the guilty whispering about their secrets with our hero pair hidden behind the nearest tree. The climax was set on a canal route; hence the episode's title. Altogether an above average and very watchable yarn which I'm surprised nobody else has commented on.
5 Reviews
Television gardening and murder
TheLittleSongbird12 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.
"The Gongoozlers" for me is one of my favourite 'Rosemary and Thyme' episodes, there is a huge amount to like here as with any 'Rosemary and Thyme' episode. At no point does it feel dull, it has its surprises and is not a case of not being enough suspects. The ending is not predictable and is plausible.
It is a shame that Rosemary is not in it enough, which does rob us a little of the sparkling chemistry between her and Laura sparkling even more and it is this that is one of the main attractions of the show. There is very little to fault with otherwise in "The Gongoozlers".
Visually, "The Gongoozlers" 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. Some of the dialogue is very funny. The story is suitably twisty without on the most part being too convoluted, and is entertaining and with a relaxing vibe without being simplistic.
Similarly the characters engage, with Rosemary and Laura being interesting and distinct in personality, and the chemistry between the two always sparkles. Felicity Kendal and Pam Ferris are simply great, individually and as a sparkling double act, love Kendal's fire and feistiness and Ferris' more restrained and thoughtful approach. Belinda Lang is terrific.
Overall, another great episode. 9/10 Bethany Cox
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.
"The Gongoozlers" for me is one of my favourite 'Rosemary and Thyme' episodes, there is a huge amount to like here as with any 'Rosemary and Thyme' episode. At no point does it feel dull, it has its surprises and is not a case of not being enough suspects. The ending is not predictable and is plausible.
It is a shame that Rosemary is not in it enough, which does rob us a little of the sparkling chemistry between her and Laura sparkling even more and it is this that is one of the main attractions of the show. There is very little to fault with otherwise in "The Gongoozlers".
Visually, "The Gongoozlers" 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. Some of the dialogue is very funny. The story is suitably twisty without on the most part being too convoluted, and is entertaining and with a relaxing vibe without being simplistic.
Similarly the characters engage, with Rosemary and Laura being interesting and distinct in personality, and the chemistry between the two always sparkles. Felicity Kendal and Pam Ferris are simply great, individually and as a sparkling double act, love Kendal's fire and feistiness and Ferris' more restrained and thoughtful approach. Belinda Lang is terrific.
Overall, another great episode. 9/10 Bethany Cox
The Gongloozers
coltras352 February 2023
Hoping to boost the ratings of Gavin Patterson's failing TV garden makeover programme, Quinnie Dorell, a famous round-the-world yacht sailor, is roped in to present the show. Due to her fear of heights, Rosemary, who is on the grounds the show is being shot on alongside her friend Laura, is asked to take Quinnie's place to present an overview of recent developments from some scaffolding, but disaster strikes when a loose bolt causes her to plummet to the ground. Suspecting it's no accident, Laura recruits Quinnie's help to investigate what happened, and it's not long before the theft of Rosemary's laptop is compounded when a visiting journalist is found electrocuted in the swimming pool and when Laura and Quinnie find a car on fire.
For this episode, Belinda Lang replaces Felicity Kendall - who is hospitalised due to a fall off a scaffolding- and does a great job. Matter of fact, I didn't miss FL much. Belinda and Pam Ferris work well together as they start investigating into the murder of a reporter and unearth plenty of secrets which comes to a head at a canal. A grand entry.
For this episode, Belinda Lang replaces Felicity Kendall - who is hospitalised due to a fall off a scaffolding- and does a great job. Matter of fact, I didn't miss FL much. Belinda and Pam Ferris work well together as they start investigating into the murder of a reporter and unearth plenty of secrets which comes to a head at a canal. A grand entry.
Excellent mystery Belinda Lang great actress
ctyankee117 December 2016
This was such a good episode. Belinda Lang plays a woman named Quinnie that has a TV series on plants and landscaping. Rosemary gets hurt when a scaffold she is on collapses and she ends up in the hospital. Laura her other half that fixes gardens etc is left by herself. Later it looks like the scaffold accident was to hurt someone else. Lots of enemies and lots of mystery on the set filming the landscape program. A woman dies in a pool which is also suspicious. It seems the "accidents" have to do with a man that scammed people out of money from the past and some people where catching up on they crooks.
Felicity Kendal/Rosemary is a great actress too. At times very funny when scared. In "They Understand Me in Paris" she was very funny trying to speak French and looked really silly trying to get people to understand her. She played in in Artsnight 2016.
Pam Ferris/Laura who is Rosemary's helper acts now in "Call the Midwife" which is on public TV that in many episodes up to 2016.
Belinda Lang played parts in a number of series most of them I liked. Alleyn Mystery, Citizen Khan which is very funny, Midsomer Murder and more. She is also married to Hugh Fraser who played "Hastings" in the Agatha Christie - Poirot series which I also love. Rosemary & Thyme go back to 2003 so the info I have is up to 2003. Great series Rosemary & Thyme.
Felicity Kendal/Rosemary is a great actress too. At times very funny when scared. In "They Understand Me in Paris" she was very funny trying to speak French and looked really silly trying to get people to understand her. She played in in Artsnight 2016.
Pam Ferris/Laura who is Rosemary's helper acts now in "Call the Midwife" which is on public TV that in many episodes up to 2016.
Belinda Lang played parts in a number of series most of them I liked. Alleyn Mystery, Citizen Khan which is very funny, Midsomer Murder and more. She is also married to Hugh Fraser who played "Hastings" in the Agatha Christie - Poirot series which I also love. Rosemary & Thyme go back to 2003 so the info I have is up to 2003. Great series Rosemary & Thyme.
Starring Belinda Lang and Crispin Bonham-Carter
safenoe28 June 2020
Warning: Spoilers
The beautiful Belinda Lang stars as Quinnie Dorell in this fine episode of The Gongloozlers. I'm not sure of the story behind Felicity Kendall's diminished screentime in this episode, where her character Rosemary was bedridden after a suspicious fall from a platform. But we get to see the beautiful Belinda Lang, who really should have had her own spin-off series. Belinda Lang is gorgeous and was 50 years old in this episode.
Maybe Rosemary and Thyme can be rebooted please. If so, I suggest the casting directors consider the following pairings to play the iconic Rosemary and Thyme (some controversial for sure):
Jennifer Aniston and Angelina Jolie; Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie; RuPaul and Zosia Mamet
Maybe Rosemary and Thyme can be rebooted please. If so, I suggest the casting directors consider the following pairings to play the iconic Rosemary and Thyme (some controversial for sure):
Jennifer Aniston and Angelina Jolie; Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie; RuPaul and Zosia Mamet
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