MAIGRET ON FRANCE 3 (RATINGS)

The new Maigret TV adaptation, starring Rowan Atkinson as the pipe-smoking policeman created by Georges Simenon, premiered yesterday on French pubcaster France 3.

 

Unsurprisingly, Maigret Sets A Trap caught 3.393.000 viewers (13.3 %) and ranked #2 against TF1.

Our (unenthusiastic) words about Maigret Sets A Trap and Maigret's Dead Man:

http://tattard2.blogspot.fr/2016/03/maigret-sets-trap-itv.html

http://tattard2.blogspot.fr/2016/12/watched-this-christmas.html (Maigret's Dead Man)

[Update - February 27] Maigret is definitely a hit in France:

http://www.ozap.com/actu/audiences-godzilla-leader-devant-maigret-le-clasico-puissant-sur-canal-arte-et-france-5-en-forme/520384

AGATHA RAISIN - EPISODE 3: THE WELLSPRING OF DEATH (SKY 1)

[Spoiler-Free] The chairman of the Ancombe parish council is found dead near the local wellspring. 

He was about to cast his vote over whether to allow the lorries of the Ancombe Water company an access to the water through the village.

Agatha Raisin is back on track after last week's lacklustre and quite worrying Hell's Bells. Directed by Paul Harrison (Trollied), The Wellspring of Death is adapted from M.C. Beaton's novel Agatha Raisin and the Wellspring of Death (1998) by Stewart Harcourt. Agatha Raisin (Ashley Jensen) is ready to attend the pub quiz when Roy Silver (Mathew Horne) offers her a well-paid freelance PR gig... for Ancombe Water. She refuses but changes her mind when James Lacey and his new girlfriend Mary Fortune decide to investigate the death of the parish council chairman.

Aggie displays her PR magic to the Ancombe villagers and Ancombe Water boss Guy Freemont is under her spell. Jealous of Mary Fortune, she decides to find the killer before James and Mary, with the assistance of Gemma (Katy Wix). DCI Wilkes is inspired by Inspector Morse, which would be reassuring in some respects but his main suspect is a persian cat. James doesn't like to be Mary's "Watson". Agatha's product launch is ruined by a demonstration and another murder.

Everything you expect from the TV version of the Agatha Raisin books is in this excellent episode: Agatha and her London PR queen manners in the Cotswold equivalent of Midsomer County, her complicated love life, some rural comedy à la Doc Martin, the totally clueless cops, etc. The only one who truly believes he's in your average detective drama is DCI Wilkes (the fantastic Jason Barnett). English actor and singer Jules Knight (Holby City) is very good as Guy Freemont. Let's hope the rest of the series is like this episode.

Also with Jamie Glover (James Lacey), Matt McCooey (DC Bill Wong), June Watson (Mrs Josephs), Daisy Beaumont (Mary Fortune) and Ron Donachie, Elizabeth Hopper, etc. Produced by Mammoth Screen and Free@Last TV for Sky. Michelle Buck and Stewart Harcourt are the executive producers for Mammoth Screen. Barry Ryan and David Walton exec produce for Free@Last TV. Produced by Matthew Mulot. Music by Rupert Gregson-Williams and Christopher Willis. Titles by Light Creative. Distributed by Sky Vision.

http://www.mcbeaton.com/uk/
http://www.agatharaisin.com/

MORE MAIGRET ON ITV

Following the success of Maigret Sets a Trap earlier this year, ITV has announced the commission of two further single films of Maigret with Rowan Atkinson as the detective created by Belgian author Georges Simenon.

The two new films will be adapted from the novels Maigret At The Crossroads (La nuit du carrefour) and Maigret in Montmartre (Maigret au Picratt's). They'll go into production in November 2016 until February 2017. Maigret started to raise interest worldwide even before ITV aired Maigret Sets a Trap, the first of its two 2016 TV movies, thanks to the choice of English comedian and actor Rowan Atkinson (famous globally for Mr Bean).

Maigret Sets a Trap, adapted from the novel Maigret tend un piège, caught 5.7m viewers (28%) in March. Maigret's Dead Man, based on Maigret et son mort, will air on ITV later this year. Stewart Harcourt (Agatha Raisin, Agatha Christie's Marple) adapted both and will also adapt Maigret At The Crossroads. Maigret is produced by Ealing Studios with Maigret Productions Ltd (a Peters Fraser Dunlop Group company) and distributed by BBC Worldwide. Pubcaster France 3 will air it in France. It's the French home of Midsomer Murders, Endeavour, Vera, etc. 

You can read our (unenthusiastic) review of Maigret Sets a Trap here:

http://tattard2.blogspot.fr/2016/03/maigret-sets-trap-itv.html

See also: 

http://www.itv.com/presscentre/press-releases/itv-commissions-further-maigret-films-starring-rowan-atkinson
http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/worldwide/2016/bbc-worldwide-announces-international-pre-sales-of-maigret
http://www.trussel.com/f_maig.htm
http://jy.depoix.free.fr/commisse.htm

AGATHA RAISIN - EPISODE 2: HELL'S BELLS (SKY 1)

[Spoiler-Free] Amanda Barton is the self-proclaimed leader of the church bell ringers for the visit of the bishop. 

When she's found hanged in the belfry with a suicide note left beside her, Agatha Raisin (Ashley Jensen) is not convinced she took her own life.

The bottom line: Who's the culprit? Colonel Mustard? The source material? The script? The budget? The actors schedule?

Based on a namesake short story by mystery author M.C. Beaton, Hell's Bells, the second episode of the eight-part series, is a bit of a disappointment compared to the brilliant premiere and the wonderful Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death (the 2014 Christmas special). Both set the bar very high for the TV version of the Agatha Raisin books but Stewart Harcourt, who penned this second episode, was behind the adaptation of The Quiche of Death. So the lack of vitality, the absence of the usual dynamic between the main characters, and the conventionality of Hell's Bells are quite a surprise.

Agatha Raisin looks rather bored as Carsely's resident Miss Marple, already a seasoned detective after only two cases. The novel Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death was published in 1992, Agatha Raisin and the Walkers of Dembley in 1995 and Hell's Bells in... 2013. Maybe the short story was an odd choice for a third appearance of the character on television. Anyway, it's the kind of lacklustre episode you don't expect so early. Should we start to worry about Sky's little gem? At least there are a couple of good lines and, thanks to Katy Wix and Mathew Horne, a nice comedy act by Gemma and Roy in Marlowe's office near the end.

Also with Jamie Glover (James Lacey), Matt McCooey (DC Bill Wong), Jason Barnett (DCI Wilkes), June Watson (Mrs Josephs), Rhashan Stone (Reverend Jez Bloxby), Lucy Liemann (Sarah Bloxby) and Daisy Beaumont (Mary Fortune), Sally Bretton (Amanda Barton), Michael Byrne, etc. Produced by Mammoth Screen and Free@Last TV for Sky. Michelle Buck and Stewart Harcourt are the executive producers for Mammoth Screen. Barry Ryan and David Walton exec produce for Free@Last TV. Produced by Matthew Mulot. Music by Rupert Gregson-Williams and Christopher Willis. Titles by Light Creative. Distributed by Sky Vision. Directed by Geoffrey Sax.

http://www.mcbeaton.com/uk/
http://www.agatharaisin.com/

AGATHA RAISIN - EPISODE 1: WALKERS OF DEMBLEY (SKY 1)

There's a murder near Carsely, a picturesque English village in the Cotswolds region, and former London PR queen turned amateur sleuth Agatha Raisin is on the case.

Agatha Raisin first appeared in a series of mystery novels written by M.C. Beaton (the pseudonym of Marion Chesney), who's also the author of the Hamish Macbeth books. Penelope Keith played the character for BBC Radio 4 from 2004 to 2006. In 2014, Ashley Jensen (Ugly Betty, Extras) starred in the title role of Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death, a fun, fast-paced and charming Christmas special aired on Sky 1 (1). Adapted from the first book by screenwriter Stewart Harcourt (Agatha Christie's Marple), this production Mammoth Screen (Endeavour) and Free@Last TV was directed by Geoffrey Sax (Doctor Who).

Following the success of The Quiche of Death, Sky commissioned a 8 X 60-minute series which started this week. In Walkers of Dembley, based on Agatha Raisin and the Walkers of Dembley by M.C. Beaton, Agatha Raisin prepares a charity film event for local baronet Charles "Charlie" Fraith. She also pretends to like rambling in order to get close to James Lacey, her village crush, and keep an eye on her potential rival Mary Fortune. Jessica Tarnick, a member of a ramblers group from Dembley, is found murdered on the land of Charlie. DCI Wilkes and DC Bill Wong, the most clueless cop duo in the world, suspects Charles Fraith.

Deborah Camden asks Agatha to investigate because, after all, she's "an expert in these matters". Aggie's gay best friend Roy Silver, who brought from London a very peculiar yoga teacher, provides her with background research. She has a "brainstorming" with her cleaner Gemma Simpson and goes undercover with James as a married couple. What does "Méfiez-vous de l'illusion de la connaissance" mean? How many adults can sit in a wendy house? Directed by Geoffrey Sax (also series consultant) and written by Chris Murray (Midsomer Murders), this return of Ashley Jensen as the colourful detective is a real treat. The cast is excellent, starting with her and Mathew Horne as Roy.

Also with Katy Wix (Gemma), Jamie Glover (James), Matt McCooey (Bill), Jason Barnett (DCI Wilkes), June Watson (Mrs Josephs), Lucy Liemann (Sarah Bloxby), Rhashan Stone and Daisy Beaumont (Mary Fortune), Jason Merrells (Charles), Lara Rossi, etc. Produced by Mammoth Screen and Free@Last TV for Sky. Michelle Buck and Stewart Harcourt are the executive producers for Mammoth Screen. Barry Ryan and David Walton exec produce for Free@Last TV. Produced by Matthew Mulot. Music by Rupert Gregson-Williams and Christopher Willis. Titles by Light Creative. Distributed by Sky Vision.

(1)  Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death was our coup de coeur of the rather bland TV 2014 Christmas season in the United Kingdom. Regrettably we didn't review it due to unforeseen circumstances. In France it was bought by France Télévisions.

http://www.mcbeaton.com/uk/
http://www.agatharaisin.com/

MAIGRET SETS A TRAP (ITV)

[March 30, 2016] Paris, 1955. Four women are murdered on the streets of Montmartre in a spree of seemingly unconnected attacks. Chief Inspector Maigret must find the killer before he strikes again.

Maigret Sets A Trap is the first of ITV's two new TV movies with Rowan Atkinson as Maigret.

The bottom line: Raymond Fowler in an episode of The Inspector minus the humour.

Created by Belgian author Georges Simenon, Commissaire Jules Maigret appeared in 75 novels and 28 short stories published between 1931 and 1972. Popular worldwide, these stories have been adapted many times in various countries, essentially for the cinema (with Pierre Renoir, Albert Préjean, Jean Gabin...) and television. Rupert Davies portrayed "Inspector Maigret" in Maigret for the BBC from 1960 to 1963. In France, Les enquêtes du commissaire Maigret, with Jean Richard, ran from 1967 to 1990 with 88 episodes until France 2 (then Antenne 2 ) replaced it by Maigret, starring movie, stage and TV actor Bruno Cremer.

Cremer played the iconic role in 54 episodes from 1991 to 2005 and his Maigret, filmed primarily in Prague, is still considered as the definitive adaptation of Simenon's character. Meanwhile in the United Kingdom, Granada aired its own Maigret (with Michael Gambon) between 1992 and 1993. And last year, ITV announced the return of Jules Maigret to British TV with two films for television starring English comedian and actor Rowan Atkinson. Maigret Sets A Trap is adapted from Maigret tend un piège by Stewart Harcourt (Agatha Raisin, Agatha Christie's Marple) and directed by Ashley Pearce. Harcourt also adapted the second TV movie, Maigret's Dead Man (from Maigret et son mort), directed by Jon East.

In France, the reaction to ITV's announcement was "Mr Bean to play Maigret", regardless of the fact that Jean Richard, who played the commissaire for 23 years, was mainly known as a "funnyman" before his TV series. Actually the most regrettable thing with the casting of Rowan Atkinson is that the channel had the ideal Jules Maigret on hand with Roger Allam, who plays DI Thursday in Endeavour since 2012. Atkinson just can't capture the presence and the authority of the detective. Worse, he looks like he's trying hard not to have an expression which contributed to make him a revered comedian.

At least there's solace in the excellent supporting cast: Lucy Cohu (Madame Maigret), Shaun Dingwall (Inspector Janvier), Aidan McArdle (Judge Comeliau), Leo Staar (Inspector Lapointe), Colin Mace (Inspector Lognon), Mark Heap (Moers), Rebecca Night (Yvonne Moncin), Rufus Wright (Morel), Fiona Shaw (Madame  Moncin), the amazing David Dawson (Marcel Moncin), etc. Budapest doubles as Paris, like in the Granada series. The Hungarian capital does it rather well but in case of doubt there's a gargoyle, French flags here and there, plus some cryptic lyrics on a beautiful theme composed by Samuel Sim (Home Fires).

Maigret is produced by Ealing Studios with Maigret Productions Ltd (a Peters Fraser Dunlop Group company) and distributed by BBC Worldwide. Jeremy Gwylt is the producer. Barnaby Thompson, John Simenon (Georges Simenon's son) and Stewart Harcourt are the executive producers. Rowan Atkinson is famous all over the world and those ITV/BBC feature-length crime dramas usually work more than well. Ask France 3, where the new chief inspector will join Midsomer Murders, Endeavour or Vera. Maigret sets a trap caught 5.7m viewers (28%). Maigret's Dead Man will be shown later in the year.

http://www.trussel.com/f_maig.htm
http://jy.depoix.free.fr/commisse.htm

See also: 

http://tattard2.blogspot.fr/2016/03/maigret-on-itv.html 

MAIGRET ON ITV

ITV has confirmed that Maigret Sets A Trap, the first of the channel's two new TV movies with Rowan Atkinson as Maigret, will be aired on Monday, March 28, 2016. 

Created by Belgian author Georges Simenon, Commissaire Jules Maigret appeared in 75 novels and 28 short stories published between 1931 and 1972. Popular worldwide, these stories have been adapted many times in various countries, essentially for the cinema (with Pierre Renoir, Albert Préjean, Jean Gabin, etc...) and television.

From 1960 to 1963, Rupert Davies starred as "Inspector Maigret" in Maigret for the BBC. On French TV, Les enquêtes du commissaire Maigret, starring Jean Richard, ran from 1967 to 1990 with 88 episodes until pubcaster Antenne 2 decided to give its familiar figure the axe. Though with the intention to give him a fresh start as Richard was then 70. Then, English producer Steve Hawes and French producers Eve Vercel and Robert Nador (of Dune Production), devised its successor: Maigret.

Movie, stage and TV actor Bruno Cremer accepted the iconic role after due reflection. To radically differ from the previous version, the producers decided to set theirs in the Fifties with a cinematic feel, hence a budget that required co-production with Swiss and Belgian televisions, French private channel La 5 and EC Télévision Paris. But also filming in Switzerland, Belgium, Czech Republic (which became an essential production partner) or Finland. Even South Africa and Cuba for some later entries.

Bruno Cremer played the commissaire in 54 episodes from 1991 to 2005. Sadly, he had to be dubbed by Vincent Grass in the finale episode (Maigret et l'Étoile du nord) because of some health issues. Cremer died in 2010 and his Maigret is still considered as the definitive adaptation of Simenon's character. Meanwhile in the United Kingdom, Granada aired its own Maigret (with Michael Gambon) from 1992 to 1993. BBC Four shortly aired the Bruno Cremer series in 2008. And last year, ITV announced the return of Jules Maigret to British TV with two films for television starring English comedian and actor Rowan Atkinson.

In France, where Maigret is sacred, the initial reaction was "Mr Bean to play Maigret", regardless of the fact that Jean Richard, who performed the role for 23 years, was mainly known as a "funnyman" before his TV series. Actually the most regrettable thing with the choice of Atkinson is that ITV had the ideal Jules Maigret on hand with Roger Allam, who plays DI Fred Thursday in Endeavour since 2012. Maigret Sets A Trap is adapted from Maigret tend un piège by Stewart Harcourt (Agatha Raisin, Agatha Christie's Marple) and directed by Ashley Pearce. Harcourt also adapted the second TV movie, Maigret's Dead Man (from Maigret et son mort), directed by Jon East. 

Set in the 1950’s in Paris, and filmed in Budapest, those two new Maigret are produced by Ealing Studios and Maigret Productions Ltd (a Peters Fraser Dunlop Group company). Maigret is distributed by BBC Worldwide and France 3 will air it in France. It's the French home of Midsomer Murders, Endeavour, Vera, etc. The ITV recent video promotional material seems to indicate that the legacy of the Bruno Cremer version will remain intact. His Maigret is available in France on DVD from Koba Films.

http://www.trussel.com/f_maig.htm
http://jy.depoix.free.fr/commisse.htm

[Update - March 31, 2016] Review:

http://tattard2.blogspot.fr/2016/03/maigret-sets-trap-itv.html