Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Cast: Kevin Whately, Laurence Fox, Clare Holman, Rebecca Front, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Beatie Edney, Emily Joyce, Tuppence Middleton, Neil Stuke, Edwin Thomas, Dominic Mafham.

Oxford may have its fair share of murders pro rata of population than almost anywhere in Europe aside from the towns that fall under Nordic Noir thrillers and Britain’s own Midsomer, but the way in which the police in that small but important county deal with the perpetrators is usually swift and to the point. The only trouble is that aside from the rumblings from within the colleges and pubs that run between the counties towns and villages of Bicester, Wendlebury, Launton and Woodstock is that the I.T.V. police drama of Lewis may be on hiatus for a while.

Whilst the stories may still be of the highest quality that befitted the late, great John Thaw in his time as Morse, this natural successor has gone down the road not detected or investigated by the beer drinking Inspector, that of splitting a story in two. Rather than engrossing a viewer over two hours in one night, the programme has gone the way of many before it and now seems to be content to be seen as coming to its end, a case of unnatural death by television misadventure.

In a serial that can run for many weeks with an over-riding arc to it, it is fair game to show the programme over many weeks, it is the natural order. However on detective programmes in which the viewer invests time and patience in finding out the real killer and their motives, it really should be left alone to be in a two hour format.

Whereas Lewis and Hathaway were chasing down leads and a murder suspect in the many splendid alleyways of Oxford, the real offence was not witnessing the affair in two consecutive hours and forcing the viewers to witness James Hathaway question his own belief system over a week instead. However good the story was, in this case, the would be gripping Down Amongst The Fearful, lost some of its distinctive edge by not having the emotional tie that binds viewer to programme.

With some first class acting and fine guest appearances by Sanjeev Bhaskar and Beatie Edney, Lewis still retains a natural affection for old fashioned detective work but in the return of ever increasing demands on people’s time, there may be one attempt on someone’s life that won’t take a lot of working out. Who killed off Lewis? Line up the usual television planners!

Ian D. Hall