Pretty Good

From my favorite movies..

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

Not being a fan of "Keeping Up Appearances", I purposely picked the video series out of the library because I thought the stars of that series might be better off in this one, which was produced after the other show. Unfortunately, while it wasn't silly like the other show, it wasn't very good either.The premise does evoke the stars' former show. They are an older married couple, with one problem: the wife is not legally eligible for a government pension because she had not been employed long enough, so she takes a job at a post office to fill in her missing working time. In doing so, she spots a teenage boy swiping a charity box and a suspicious couple cashing two welfare checks. She gets the box back and finds out how the couple were cashing a fraudulently-obtained check. She gets the idea into her head of being a private detective, over her husband's objections.The show doesn't try for comedy, but it is slow-moving and dull, and the wife bullies her husband as she did in their former show. I was hoping for better. I didn't get it here.

I have always loved indulging in a good televised mystery such as Matlock, Columbo and even Diagnosis Murder. When I came across Hetty Wainthropp Investigates, it was shortly after learning that the brilliant British actor, Dominic Monaghan was in it. It didn't stop there though because I went on to watching Patricia Routledge in her legendary artistry in Keeping Up Appearances.Hetty Wainthropp Investigates is nothing like the master comedic performance Routledge gives in Keeping Up Appearances. This is a mystery drama, not a BritCom. The first episode introduces Hetty Wainthropp (played by Patricia Routledge) as a no nonsense stay-at-home housewife who even though she enjoys taking care of her loving husband, Robert Wainthropp (played by Derek Benfield), doing the cooking and the cleaning; yearns for something much more. Hetty is celebrating her 65th Birthday, but flat out refuses to be called a senior citizen. After witnessing theft and a possible fraud at her new job as a type of Western Union employee, her curiosity immediately piques and she decides to explore this matter further. She goes to the chief of police and tells him of the speculation of fraud. She also subtly hints that she would like to explore this sensitive matter herself.Well, time for an assistant. Preferably someone younger than her hubby for obvious reasons, Hetty sets her eye on Geoffrey Shawcross (played by Dominic Monaghan) and asks him to come aboard with her. They are one of those fascinating, high quality, investigative duos that will forever be difficult to top.Patricia Routledge and Dominic Monaghan do a spectacular job in this Emmy-worthy T.V. show. After a six year run of epic proportions, there definitely needs to be talk of bringing it back for another series reunion.

I first saw this program when it appeared on the PBS "Mystery" series. I keep asking for more. Patricia Routledge surely shows that she's quite adept at performing in a mystery program as well as in comedies. I wonder if she (Hetty Wainthropp) ever investigated amurder in any of these programs. I'm sure she'd do quite well. I know Patricia Routledge did an audio recording of some of these programs, but don't know where I can purchase them in the USA. If anyone can tell me, please contact kclarke5@juno.com. Let's hope PBS gets on the stick and rebroadcasts some of these programs, especially in Kansas City Public Television!

this show is hilarious. It is a fun show to watch would bloody recommend it to everyone. Dominic plays geoffrie the cutest character ever. In this show you will get to see such things as dominics first kiss and well the over controversial show scene. Patricia is a great actress especially as hetty. they both have impeccable talent and sophistication.