The Doctor Blake Mysteries

I first came across this series a couple years ago and since then have looked forward to each new series and have not been disappointed every episode has hit the mark.

Craig McLachlan breaks away from his likely lad image and makes a brilliant job playing the maverick police surgeon Dr Lucien Blake. The wonderful Nadine Garner plays his housekeeper Jean Bezley to perfection. Equally brilliant is Joel Tobeck as the police inspector and former school mate of Dr Blake.

The inter play between Dr Blake and his housekeeper is major source of amusement running through the series. Both characters have back stories that put obstacles in the path of a romantic outcome. Joel Tobeck's police inspector has the tricky job of managing Dr Blake he admires Blake's brilliance but has to reign in Blake when breaks procedure and takes the investigation of at a tangent.

Watch and enjoy every episode is a gem.

Craig Maclachlan is a revelation in this. I had only ever seen him in Neighbours or as a pop star. He is great as Dr Lucien Blake - the part really suits him and he is totally convincing as a doctor. When I first watched this I took no notice of the cast list and just thought "there is something familiar about that guy"! It took most of the first episode before the penny dropped. It is a pity that the programme has been buried away in the BBC's daytime schedule. I am convinced that it would draw an evening audience were it to be shown then. It is certainly a cut above Midsomer Murders et al. What helps the reality is the fact that all the actors are unknown over here in the UK. I have seen two series now and the quality has not dropped at all.

A nice little gem out of Australia. The premise about Dr. Lucien Blake, a police surgeon (kind of like an earlier era law enforcement medical examiner) who can't escape the shadow of his super successful father, also a doctor is intriguing. Blake (portrayed with a steady hand by Craig McLachlan) makes a few totally human assumptions along the way in each weeks mystery. This means he messes up and sometimes is lead down the wrong path before finding the right one. I like this because it means there aren't too many ridiculous jumps in logic when the sleuthing happens and the clues are followed. Sometimes the mysteries can be solved by the audience before the end but sometimes not. Again, I like something that makes me think a bit. Its also nice to watch a show from Australia that doesn't feature the tired stories about bubble heads hanging out on a beach or some forgettable vapid slapstick comedy thing. Great show, solid cast, nice tidy little, well-written under-an-hour whodunits. Grab a cup of tea or Java and have a sit-down and watch this show if you like mysteries.

I love this show more for nostalgic reasons. I use to live in Melbourne, Victoria for 4 years and loved Ballarat and Bendigo. I lived in a state that had a large Italian/Greek population and many of the characters that have appeared on the show absolutely look like that. The character is a bit withdrawn and wooden, but then that was typical back in those times. I grew up in Perth, the west coast, and most of the men back then were restrained. The housekeeper reminded me of some of my aunts keeping a stiff upper lip and all emotions to yourself. Some of the plots are very good, and some kind ah. I am looking forward to the next season.

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