POQUELIN AND DE BEAUMONT (POLICE DE CARACTÈRES): CADAVRE EXQUIS (FRANCE 3)

The ill-assorted detective duo of France 3's crime drama hit Police de caractères returns in February with two 90-minute episodes: Cadavre exquis and Un loup dans la bergerie.

 

Clémentine Célarié (Lebowitz contre Lebowitz) stars as Louise Poquelin, a blue collar police captain and a mum. Xavier Robic (Tropiques criminels) replaces Joffrey Platel (Demain nous appartient, Riviera) as Lieutenant Étienne de Beaumont, an aristocrat who lives in the family château, loves books and drives a chic vintage car. In Cadavre exquis, ex-cop turned crime author Patrick Varney is killed by an USB key during a literary evening. This is a personal case for Poquelin because of a love story with her former colleague some years ago. Romy Giard, Patrick's publisher, doesn't leave Étienne indifferent. Manon wants to move with her boyfriend and Antoine wants to join the police.

Cadavre exquis is an episode of Magellan (Commissaire Magellan) but slower. The irony is that France 3 axed Magellan to make room for things like Poquelin and De Beaumont. It takes 17 minutes to transform the episode into a festival of Louise's tantrums. Our Captain Marleau on antidepressants is so much the focus of the series — after all the working title of the pilot was Poquelin — that, with a little luck, no one will notice the new face of De Beaumont and they'll just believe he had a shave. The great Nastassja Kinski is quite moving as Romy Giard. Jean-Pierre Michaël (Ici Tout Commence, R.I.S. Police Scientifique) plays Patrick Varney.

With Jules Houplain (Antoine Poquelin), Olga Mouak (Violette Langlois), Cyril Garnier (Raphaël), Cypriane Gardin (Manon Poquelin), Adèle Choubard (Anaïs Poquelin), Benjamin Bourgois (Timothée Richard), Raphaëlle Agogué (Chloé Belval), Antoine Chappey (Le commissaire), etc. Produced by Terence Films and Gétévé Productions with France Télévisions, Fontana and RTBF (Télévision belge). With the participation of RTS Radio Télévision Suisse. Produced by Bertrand Cohen and Stéphane Meunier. Music by Armand Amar. Created by Sandrine Lucchini & Matthieu Savignac. Written by Eugénie Dard, Charlotte Joulia, Vincent Robert and Gabriel Aghion. Directed by Gabriel Aghion. Distributed by Banijay Rights.

  

See also:

 

https://tattard2.blogspot.com/2021/02/police-de-caracteres-post-mortem-france.html

https://tattard2.blogspot.com/2020/01/police-de-caracteres-france-3.html

AGATHA RAISIN - SERIES 4, EPISODE 1: KISSING CHRISTMAS GOODBYE (ACORN TV)

Agatha Raisin, the British mystery comedy-drama, returned last Christmas on U.S. streaming service Acorn TV with Kissing Christmas Goodbye. This feature-length episode is the first of the fourth series. The rest will follow next month (1).

 

Ashley Jensen (After Life, Catastrophe) plays the title role, an ex-London PR queen turned private investigator. 

Agatha Raisin and Roy Silver (played by Mathew Horne) argue about the celebration of Christmas so she tells him to organize it this year.  Phyllis Tamworthy, who owns the imposing Lower Tapor Manor and the village of Lower Tapor itself, wants the detective's protection. The old lady has decided to give the whole estate to a charity and she thinks the villagers, who hate her, and her family won't like the news. Aggie and Roy can't prevent her to be murdered soon after her announcement during an unpleasant evening. Sarah Bloxby (Lucy Liemann) is the new vicar. Toni Gilmour (Jodie Tyack) is taking driving lessons with the unfortunate Sir Charles (Jason Merrells) and she infiltrates a group of Satan worshippers! DS Bill Wong (Matt McCooey) leads the police investigation while DCI Wilkes is in Lapland. Mrs Boggle (Marcia Warren) is Agent 13 from Get Smart.

Adapted from the novel Kissing Christmas Goodbye by M.C. Beaton, this nice Advent calendar was penned by Julia Gilbert and helmed by Matt Carter. Both also work for Midsomer Murders (like music composer Evan Jolly) and it shows. The absence of Jason Barnett (Wilkes) is regrettable but Mathew Horne has a lot of fun lines and the fight at the end is totally zany. With Phil Nichols (Paul Chambers), Jo Wickham (Elsie Shufflebottom), Tim Woodward (Fred Instick), Maggie McCarthy (Phyllis Tamworthy), Kevin Bishop (Jeffrey Tamworthy), Zoë Telford (Sadie Tamworthy), Emerald O'Hanrahan (Alison Tamworthy), Emma Cunniffe (Fran Tamworthy) and Janine Duvitski (Doris Crampton). Produced by Free@Last TV and Company Pictures (an All3Media company).

Co-produced by Acorn Media Enterprises (a division of AMC Networks).  Barry Ryan and David A. Walton exec produce for Free@Last TV. Michele Buck exec produces for Company Pictures. Catherine Mackin and Lesley Pemberton exec produce for Acorn Media Enterprises. Produced by Charles Palmer. Co-produced by Mick Pantaleo. Ian Strachan is the Head of production. Theme composed by Rupert Gregson-Williams. Cinematography by James Moss GBCT. Editing by James Hey. Titles by Light Creative. Filmed with the support of HM Treasury and DCMS' Film and TV Production Restart Scheme. Distributed by All3Media International and Acorn Media International. The episode is dedicated to M.C. Beaton (nom de plume of Marion Chesney), who died in December 2019.

 

(1) This fourth series is available as four feature-length episodes or eight 45-minutes episodes.

 

https://www.amcnetworks.com/press-releases/acorn-tv-with-acorn-media-enterprises-commissions-agatha-raisin-for-fourth-series-from-freelast-tv/

https://tellyvisions.org/2022/01/24/agatha-raisin-season-4-debut-acorn-tv-february 

 

See also:

https://tattard2.blogspot.com/2020/06/agatha-raisin-series-3-episodes-3-4.html (Series 3, Episodes 3 & 4)

https://tattard2.blogspot.com/2020/05/agatha-raisin-series-3-episode-2-agatha.html (Series 3, Episode 2)
https://tattard2.blogspot.com/2020/04/agatha-raisin-series-3-episode-1-agatha.html (Series 3, Episode 1)

MURDER IN ANGOULÊME (LE PRIX DE LA TRAHISON, FRANCE 3)

Comedian and actress Mimie Mathy, the star of TF1's long running hit Joséphine, ange gardien, is back on France 3 to play Police captain Marie Jourdan for the third time in Murder in Angoulême (Le prix de la trahison). Mathieu Delarive returns too as Gendarmerie commander Paul Danceny.

Like Le prix de la vérité (2017) and Le prix de la loyauté (2019) (1), Le prix de la trahison was penned by Laurent Mondy (Commissaire Magellan, Les Cordier, juge et flic). Marie Jourdan and her husband Pierre, restaurateur in Angoulême, celebrate their 35th wedding anniversary. Marie has invited her friend Paul Danceny, who arrives from Aix-en-Provence. The party is interrupted when the police arrests Marie and Pierre's son Alex for the murder of Juliette Ravenne, a local journalist with whom he had an affair.

Danceny offers Marie Jourdan his assistance and Marie's boss Commissaire Florence Martens gives them two days to prove Alex's innocence. Captain Jourdan's adopted daughter Louise, who's a lawyer, helps them. Le prix de la trahison is better than Le prix de la loyauté but definitely not as good as Le prix de la vérité. It's a standard France 3 crime/mystery TV movie —  including the inevitable and annoying drone shots — enhanced by the talented Mimie Mathy (2). Patrick Raynal, a familiar face of the channel, plays Pierre Jourdan. 

 

Fabrice Deville (Un si grand soleil) looks like he enjoyed playing shady businessman Josselin Delmont, a character which reminds the one played by Philippe Caroit in Le prix de la vérité. Also with Juliette Chêne (Louise Jourdan), Cécilia Cara (Sandra Jourdan), Rémi Bichet (3) (Franck Neuville), Mathieu Coniglio (Alex Jourdan), Clara Quilichini (Victoria Delmont), Jean-Luc Joseph (Lieutenant Diawara), Laurence Bréheret (Commissaire Martens), etc. Produced by Episode Productions (JLA Groupe) and France Télévisions with Be-Films and RTBF (Télévision belge). With the participation of RTS Télévision Suisse and TV5Monde.

Exec produced by Olivier Guedj. Produced by Richard Berkowitz. Emmanuel Liebermann is the production manager. Music composed by Fabien Nataf. Cinematography by Christophe Soffietti. Editing by Nicolas Reydon. Filmed with the support of Département de la Charente. Directed by François Guérin, Le prix de la trahison will be aired on France 3 this saturday.

 

(1) Respectively titled in English Murder in Saint-Paul de Vence and Murder in Provence.

(2) There's a nice nod to the fact that Mimie Mathy was a member of French singer's Michel Fugain's Big Bazar during the 1970s.

(3) Rémi Bichet also played in Mauvais rôle, an episode of Crime is her game (Le crime lui va si bien) not yet shown by France 2 and also filmed in Angoulême.

 

https://tattard2.blogspot.com/2019/05/le-prix-de-la-loyaute-france-3.html (Murder in Provence)

https://tattard2.blogspot.com/2018/01/le-prix-de-la-verite-france-3.html (Murder in Saint-Paul de Vence)