MCDONALD & DODDS - SERIES 1, EPISODE 2: A WILDERNESS OF MIRRORS (ITV)

Created by scriptwriter Robert Murphy (DCI Banks), McDonald & Dodds is a British mystery drama set in the beautiful town of Bath — in the west of England — and launched in 2020. The series is produced by Mammoth Screen (Endeavour) for ITV and Britbox.

 

McDonald & Dodds is a most pleasant take on the mismatched detective duo, where the crime-solving genius isn't in the foreground. The smart and effective DCI Lauren McDonald teams up with the unassuming DS Dodds (no first name known), a middle-aged man who dips his chips in butter and has a keen eye for details.

 

« Back home, we had a massive argument about Spotify etiquette.

- Spot...? »

Series 1 of McDonald & Dodds  consists of 2 x 90 minute episodes. The ever brilliant Jason Watkins (The Crown, The  Lost Honour of Christopher Jefferies) is Dodds, alongside an excellent regular cast: Tala Gouveia (Cold Feet) as McDonald, James Murray (Cucumber, Primeval) as Chief Superintendent John Houseman and Jack Riddiford (DC Darren Craig). Pearl Chanda (DC Laura Simpson) was replaced by Lily Sacofsky (Sanditon) as DC Milena Paciorkowski in Series 2 (1). Jane Crawford, a patient of an expensive rehab clinic, is found hanged in her room. DCI McDonald rules out suicide when Sergeant Dodds notices an important detail... at the cost of a water pipe.

 

« Have you ever met anyone who's evil?

- Twice. »

The detectives meet Kelly Mulcreevy, the therapist in charge of the group which included Jane. They interrogate the remaining members: Miles Stevens, Mary Costair, Alison Speirs and Maheeda Abaasi. Lauren and Dodds must find out what is "the 13th step". Their investigation is complicated from the inside of the police station, and not only because of Houseman's management. McDonald "weaponises" the little sergeant, who knows the game of boules, the History of Bath and reads French. The likeable tandem faces a devious adversary in A Wilderness of Mirrors, thoroughly written by series creator Robert Murphy.

 

We learn a bit more on Lauren's life with her (unseen) boyfriend but also about Dodds.  McDonald & Dodds is an affectionate homage to Columbo in a superb setting reminiscent of Inspector Morse's Oxford. Of course, the guest cast of this episode is first class: Caroline Catz (Doc Martin) as Alison Speirs, Hugh Dennis (Not Going Out, Outnumbered) as George Holden, Michele Dotrice (Mary Costair), Freddie Fox (Miles Stevens), Suzanne Packer (Jane Crawford), Charlotte Ritchie (Call the Midwife) as DS Irene Ross, Joanna Scanlan (Kelly Mulcreevy) and Kiran Sonia Sawar (Murdered by my Father) as Maheeda Abaasi.

Produced by Amy Thurgood. Co-produced by Sarah Lewis. Exec produced by Preethi Mavahalli, Robert Murphy and Damien Timmer. Music by Blair Mowat (Happy!). Cinematography by Tim Palmer BSC. Editing by Andy Morrison. Titles by Liquid TV. Distributed by ITV Studios. McDonald & Dodds will premiere in Switzerland on RTS Un on Saturday, October 23rd and in France the day after. Filming of Series 3 has started this week. A Wilderness of Mirrors was helmed by Laura Scrivano.

(1) 3 x 90 minute episodes.

https://www.blairmowat.co.uk/

 

See also:

 

https://tattard2.blogspot.com/2020/03/mcdonald-dodds-series-1-episode-1-fall.html (Series 1, Episode 1)

https://tattard2.blogspot.com/2021/03/mcdonald-dodds-series-2-episode-1-man.html (Series 2, Episode 1)

MCDONALD & DODDS - SERIES 2, EPISODE 1: THE MAN WHO WASN'T THERE (ITV)

Created by scriptwriter Robert Murphy (DCI Banks), McDonald & Dodds is a British mystery drama produced by Mammoth Screen (Endeavour) for ITV and launched last year with 2 x 90-minute episodes.

 

The smart and effective DCI Lauren McDonald and her deputy DS Dodds (no first name known), who dips his chips in butter and has a keen eye for details, are back for two new feature-length cases. ITV aired them in February and March (a third episode will be shown later).
 

« Then... a cold chip? That's a crime against nature. »
 

Mc Donald & Dodds is a most pleasant take on the mismatched detective duo where the crime-solving genius isn't in the foreground. It's also an affectionate homage to Columbo in a setting reminiscent of Inspector Morse's Oxford, the beautiful town of Bath (in the west of England). The ever brilliant Jason Watkins (The Crown, The  Lost Honour of Christopher Jefferies) is Dodds, alongside an excellent regular cast: Tala Gouveia (Cold Feet) as McDonald, James Murray (Cucumber, Primeval) as Chief Superintendent John Houseman, Jack Riddiford (DC Darren Craig) and Lily Sacofsky (Sanditon) as DC Milena Paciorkowski.   

 

Mick Elkins, Barbara Graham, Jackie Somner and Gordon Elmwood are four wealthy friends who were famous in the 1980s. About to take a hot-air balloon trip, they're joined by a man named Frankie Marsh, who lives in the same posh building as them. A serious incident forces the group to do an emergency landing and when the police arrives on the crash scene they find Marsh dead in the forest. DCI McDonald doubts the man jumped, as Barbara pretends. Sergeant Dodds puts on his rough terrain shoes (he has a very delicate ankle) and notices deep scratches on three fingers of  Frankie's left hand.

 

« And, er, I'm a tad put out you'd even think that. Quite a large tad, in fact. I thought tads were small. Not always. »

 

The detectives must collaborate with the oddly "doddsian" Roy Gilbert, from the Air Incident Investigation Agency, to discover what happened in the sky. Dodds goes to the library to learn more about the survivors. Lauren visits Marsh's expensive apartment. Written by Robert Murphy, the perfectly crafted The Man Who Wasn't There was helmed by Alex Pillai (Chiling Adventures of Sabrina, Midsomer Murders). Its good plot and its great dialogues are completed with some cultural/social satire served by a  well-chosen guest cast, starting with actor and musician Martin Kemp (of Spandau Ballet fame) as Mick, the music mogul.

Actress and singer Patsy Kensit (remember Eighth Wonder?) plays ex-80s icon Barbara Graham. Former radical feminist Jackie Somner is played by Cathy Tyson. The talented Rupert Graves (Riviera, Sherlock) is very funny as the snobbish Gordon Elmwood. Comedian and actor Rob Brydon is fabulous as Roy. Also with Victor Oshin (Jason Greaves), Femi Nylander (Ollie Greaves), Vince Leigh (Frankie Marsh), etc. Dodds refers to a previous (unseen) case: the murder of an Albanian in the sewerage works. Houseman says he was a New Romantic during his youth.

« Every year, I look forward to the May weekend. Cos that means that the summer's here, and all the people, they come out... I don't like empty streets, ma'am. »

 

Exec produced by Preethi Mavahalli, Robert Murphy and Damien Timmer. Produced by Sarah Lewis. The soundtrack includes the music composed by Blair Mowat (Happy!) and songs from bands of the 1980s like Fantastic Day by Haircut One Hundred or Ghosts by Japan. Cinematography by Giulio Biccari. Editing by Meredith Leece. There's a new title sequence by Liquid TV. The Man Who Wasn't There mentions COVID with a certain intelligence. The final scene with Dodds and McDonald is quite moving. Made with the support of HM Treasury and DCMS' Film and TV production Restart Scheme. McDonald & Dodds is distributed by ITV Studios.

http://www.mammothscreen.com/

 

See also:

 

https://tattard2.blogspot.com/2020/03/mcdonald-dodds-series-1-episode-1-fall.html

MCDONALD & DODDS - SERIES 1, EPISODE 1: THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF CROCKETT (ITV)

[Favourite of the Month] Columbo lives in South West England. No kidding.

« OK... What have we got?
- Er... Well, someone's been murdered. »

A homeless man is shot dead in the mansion of engineer/entrepreneur Maxton Crockett, one of Bath's most prominent citizens, while its owner is away from the historic city with his pregnant wife. DCI Lauren McDonald, an ambitious young woman just transferred from South London, arrives on the crime scene and meets her new deputy. It's the middle-aged, shy and modest DS Dodds, back on the field after a 11-year desk job.

Traces of a break-in and a missing ancient Roman artefact suggest a burglary gone bad. Chief Superintendent John Houseman wants McDonald to wrap up the investigation quickly and to push Dodds into early retirement. The biggest pressure actually comes from Max Crockett himself and his family. And DS Dodds seems incompatible with the current style of policing. But the little sergeant in a beige anorak, who dips his chips in butter, has a keen eye for details. Things like a hat, a light bulb, a peregrine falcon and a wet stone step.

McDonald & Dodds －formerly Invisible － is a 2 x 90-minute mystery drama produced by Mammoth Screen (Endeavour) for ITV. Created and written by Robert Murphy (DCI Banks), it's a most pleasant take on the mismatched detective duo where the crime-solving genius isn't in the foreground. It's also an affectionate homage to Columbo in a setting reminiscent of Inspector Morse's Oxford. The brilliant Jason Watkins (The Crown, The Lost Honour of Christopher Jefferies) is Dodds, the unassuming DS with no first name.

« He, er... He makes annoying things disappear.
- Not all of them! »

The very good Tala Gouveia (Cold Feet) brings a touch of subtlety to the efficiency-seeking DCI McDonald. Other regulars are Pearl Chanda (DC Laura Simpson), Jack Riddiford (DC Darren Craig) and the excellent James Murray (Cucumber, Primeval) as the very politician Chief Superintendent Houseman. In The Fall of The House of Crockett, directed by Richard Senior, guest star Robert Lindsay (My Family) plays the manipulative Crockett, a shakespearean version of James Dyson or Alan Sugar.

With Natalie Mendoza (Mathilde Crockett), Sebastian Knapp (Seth Murdoch), Rosalie Craig (Megan Wattal), Susannah Fielding (Tamara Valentine), Jack Ashton (Jack Valentine), Roger Evans (Mikey Wallace), Navin Chowdhry (Pete Wattal), Ellie Kendrick (Ellie Crockett) and Cassie Bradley (Kasha Perry). Produced by Amy Thurgood. Co-produced by Sarah Lewis. Exec produced by Preethi Mavahalli, Robert Murphy and Damien Timmer.

Music by Blair Mowat (Happy!). Cinematography by Giulio Biccari. Editing by Meredith Leece. Titles by Liquid TV. Distributed by ITV Studios. With its likeable sleuths, its well-crafted plots, great dialogues and a talented cast, McDonald & Dodds has all to please the amateurs of the genre and (of course) the fans of Lieutenant Columbo around the world. It would be pure gold for France 3, the Gaullic home of Vera or Midsomer Murders.

« I suppose I've always been, erm... invisible. »

https://www.itvstudios.com/catalogue/5456
http://www.mammothscreen.com/
https://www.blairmowat.co.uk/