The Doctor Blake Mysteries may not quite be among my favourite shows of all time, but it's a riveting series that keeps getting better and one of the better detective drama shows in recent years. Unfortunately, it's buried within BBC's daytime television scheduling and aired at a time where most people will be at school or work, and the show deserves better than that.
The post-war period is beautifully evoked in the sumptuous but also atmospheric settings and scenery and charming costumes and period detail. The series is beautifully shot and atmospherically lit, the dark grey-ish tinge being very appropriate and adding much to the overall feel of the series. The episodes are scored sensitively and the haunting theme tune gets embedded in the brain, while the direction is suitably restrained but the crimes and solutions sometimes have a genuine eeriness.
Writing is consistently good, with great thought-provoking dialogue that always makes the mystery elements interesting but the atmosphere doesn't ever feel too grim. The story lines, apart from moments of slow pacing in the first season, are so riveting, with suspensefully written cases that you care about getting solved, that one can't wait for the next episode. The solutions are never too obvious either, nor are they too complicated. The characters are well-written and are more than just stereotypes (although it took me a while to get used to Munro, who is the complete opposite of Lawson in a not-so-good way), Lucien is a fascinating title character.
Craig McLachlan is superb in the role as well, quite possibly his best role and certainly the best acting he's ever done. He seemed an unlikely choice at first, but the characters suits him perfectly. All the acting is very good actually, and seldom if ever any less.
All in all, a riveting series that deserves better treatment scheduling-wise. 9/10 Bethany Cox
