I just finished reading all 16 (to date) reviews and have to agree with all of them (except hughjohngolf"s posting of 4 June 2013 - I have no idea what he's talking about). The telecast of "The Secret of Chimneys" has little to do, except coincidentally, with the novel, as has been pointed out by many of the reviewers, but that is to be expected when we're constantly subjected today to second-raters who feel the classics, whether of literature, cuisine, film, or other arts, need no be "updated", "improved", "re-interpreted", etc, generally by people who are incapable of equalling the original (look what they did to 3:10 to Yuma). The question is: "is it a viable alternative to the (poor) special-effects laden, mindless, artless, politically-correct-governed, committee-written trash on American television?" The answer is yes, The production qualities are high, the cast is talented, the direction and camera work are good, and if some of the characters seem exaggerated or cartoonish, see their portrayal as a kind of shorthand, or Balzacian types, rather than clichés or stereotypes.
I can't excuse ignorance and misuse of the English language and its idioms, however. This exchange between Miss Marple and Inspector Finch at 1:01:45 into the film: Walking around the pond after discovering Constance Treadwell's body Inspector Finch says "Which begs the question..." (Miss Marple finishes the sentence) "how can the same dish kill one of us while provoking mere unpleasantness in the rest?"