The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency 

A Botswanan woman starts up the country's first female-owned detective agency. Based on the series of novels by Alexander McCall Smith.

Director:

Anthony Minghella

Writers:

Richard Curtis (teleplay), Anthony Minghella (teleplay)

Stars:

Jill Scott, Anika Noni Rose, Lucian Msamati

1 nomination.

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Jill Scott	...	Precious Ramotswe
Anika Noni Rose	...	Grace Makutsi
Lucian Msamati	...	JLB Matekoni
Nikki Amuka-Bird	...	Alice Busang (as Nikki Amuka Bird)
Desmond Dube	...	BK
Tumisho Masha	...	Lucky Sesana
Bongeka Mpongwana	...	Happy Bapetsi
David Oyelowo	...	Kremlin Busang
John Kani	...	Daddy Bapetsi
Vusi Kunene	...	Doctor Gulubane
Harriet Lenabe	...	Mma Notshi (as Harriet Manamela)
Colin Salmon	...	Note Makoti
Idris Elba	...	Charlie Gotso
Lindani Nkosi	...	Hector Lepodise
Vasco Shoba	...	Obed Ramotswe

Storyline

After her father dies, Botswanan Precious Ramotse decides to sell her inheritance - 180 cows - and move to the capital Gaborone and open a detective agency. From a young age her father had trained her to develop her memory skills and she has a keen sense of observation. Business is slow, but Precious soon has a secretary, Grace Makutsi and fits in well with her neighbors. Slowly, clients begin to trickle in: a woman who thinks the man who claims to be her father - he had abandoned the family when she was just a young child - is actually an impostor; a woman who thinks her husband is having an affair - a view Grace enthusiastically generally supports since she thinks all men are liars and cheaters; and a factory owner who thinks an employee claiming compensation for an accident is scamming him. Her interest is also drawn to the case of a missing boy but she she must face a powerful local gangster to get the information she needs.

---

Plot Keywords:

impostor | tv series pilot | orphanage | missing finger | kidnapping | 

---

Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Drama | Family | Mystery

---

Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Official Sites:

BBC [UK]

Country:

UK South Africa Botswana USA

Language:

Tswana English

Release Date:

29 March 2009 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Gaborone, Botswana

Box Office

Budget:

$40,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Film Afrika Worldwide,British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC),Cinechicks

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film's producers have signed a 10 year lease for the area at the foot of Kgale Hill, Gaborone, where they have built the fictional shopping center where Precious Ramotswe opens her storefront detective agency.

---

Quotes

Grace Makutsi: [after meeting BK for the first time] That man is very much like a woman.

---

Soundtracks

Mmamoledi
Written by Gaotwesepe Robalang
Arranged by Maxy Olebile Sedumedi
Licensed courtesy of Gaotwesepe Robalang
Performed by Maxy
Licensed courtesy of Dargie Advertising Agency

User Reviews

brilliant pilot!

I have just finished watching this pilot on BBC, literally ten minutes ago... The first thing to mention is that I have not read any of the books but rather was watching on the side lines as my mother, who is a huge fan of the literary works, watched "her show" having placed a reserved sign on the TV first thing this Easter Sunday morning (when really she should have been hiding chocolate easter eggs for the grandchildren!) This show has captivated me, and within ten minutes of its start I was hoping it would never end. Jill Scott does a superb job in the lead role and all of the supporting characters have you wishing you could be there in the story with them, as a fly on the wall, if only. I am more than excited by the promise that it will be returning in a serial form next year (each a 1 hour HBO/BBC production) and hope that, despite the death of the director of this first film, it will continue it's run of ingenious crime drama with such flair and humour, and genuine characters in the cast and Botswana in general as a truly living representation, that this first titillation has provided me. A definite credit, and tribute to genius, to its late director indeed.