Mystery!: Cadfael 

The medieval era cases of a Crusader-turned-Monk who investigates mysteries in the Norman English town of Shrewsbury.

Stars:

Derek Jacobi, Michael Culver, Julian Firth

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Derek Jacobi	...	Brother Cadfael 13 episodes, 1994-1998
Michael Culver	...	Prior Robert 13 episodes, 1994-1998
Julian Firth	...	Brother Jerome 13 episodes, 1994-1998
Terrence Hardiman	...	Abbot Radulfus 10 episodes, 1994-1998
Mark Charnock	...	Brother Oswin 9 episodes, 1994-1997
Albie Woodington	...	Sergeant Warden 8 episodes, 1994-1997

Storyline

At and around the Shrewsbury abbey, Brother Cadfael is a monk with a difference. Given a choice, he would enjoy just being a simple gardener and herbalist for his home. However, too often events force him to use his other talent as a master sleuth in response to mysterious crimes happening in his community. While he investigates these crimes, he often finds himself at odds with the contemporary attitudes of the times with his own ahead of his time beliefs.

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Plot Keywords:

priest as detective | male protagonist | sleuth | abbey | monk | 

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Taglines:

A riveting mystery and a fascinating glimpse into a medieval world.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 January 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

Mystery!: Cadfael

Filming Locations:

Budapest, Hungary

Company Credits

Production Co:

Central Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

75 min (13 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

All the filming locations (eg Shrewsbury Abbey, street scenes in Shrewsbury, banks of the River Severn) were sets constructed on waste ground behind Fot Studios in Budapest, Hungary, because almost every medieval building that still exists in the UK is now in a ruined state, due to Henry VIII's Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 16th Century.

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Connections

Referenced in Coronation Street: Episode #1.8632 (2015)

User Reviews

Flawed but enjoyable.

Having read Ellis Peters's "Cadfael" novels first, I regret that I was a little disappointed by some of the episodes in this series. "One Corpse Too Many" and "The Sanctuary Sparrow" were probably the best. "The Leper of Saint Giles" and "The Virgin in the Ice" show the bad features of the series at their worst.

On the plus side, the locations, costumes and overall authenticity of the series are good. Some supporting actors give excellent performances, especially Michael Culver and Albie Woodington. Most of the guest appearances are also well performed in a nicely restrained style. It is a shame that we have not seen more of Sarah Badel (Sister Avice) and Geoffrey Leesley (Sheriff Prestcote), especially as they are quite important to the plots of several episodes, and their absence seems to leave the plots a little contrived.

On the minus side, the continuity of more than one episode leaves a lot to be desired. Fleeing characters are inches ahead of their pursuers in one shot and leading by hundreds of yards in the next. The series was mostly filmed in Hungary and most of the Hungarian minor characters, while very photogenic, are being very badly dubbed indeed.

The worst feature of the bad episodes is the way the plot is sometimes butchered to fit the time available. This can leave viewers who have not read the book in question baffled, especially as the thing is supposed to be a "Whodunnit", and without the necessary development some solutions seem to owe rather too much to divine inspiration.

Finally, while Derek Jacobi's acting is as superb as always, he would not have been my natural choice in the role. In the first place, Cadfael's welsh nationality has been dropped. This admittedly is of importance in one episode only ("A Morbid Taste for Bones") and perhaps in another ("Monk's Hood"). More important, he seems rather too refined and donnish to be the former common soldier, crusader and seaman he professes himself to be. Few actors could play such a role as originally penned: Philip Madoc would be one, Gareth Thomas another.