The Moonstone

Wilkie Collins proto-detective novel is regarded as the first detective story and has set a template which exists to this day.

BBC Daytime has taken on the multi-voice narrative by focusing on a different character for each of the five episodes hoping to encourage the younger members of the audience to seek out the book.

John Thomson plays Sergeant Cuff the detective who investigates the theft of the Moonstone diamond. Characters are interviewed in the billiard room and there is subtle use of lighting to distinguish the past and present with hues of blues used for the present day scenes where a gloomy cloud hangs with the loss of the valuable diamond.

It is low budget because BBC Daytime has less money to lavish on dramas, there are less wide shots and more close ups, it takes a while for the drama to kick in but I was intrigued by the end as the culprit is revealed.