mrs. Bradley, With Her Trusty Chauffeur George (neil Dudgeon), Arrives At Chayning Court For The Engagement Party Of Her God-daughter, Eleanor Bing. Later That Evening, Eleanor’s Fiancé Is Found Dead In The Bath. The Police Are Called In And Conclude That His Death Was Nothing More Than A Tragic Accident.

mrs. Bradley Is Not So Easily Satisfied–why Was There Water On Both Sides Of The Bath, Why Was The Window Open, And Why Was The Door Unlocked? While The Rest Of The Household Attends The Funeral, Mrs. Bradley Launches Her Own Investigation, Using Her Prodigious Charm And Wit To Help The Local Police Catch A Killer.

This free adaptation of Gladys Mitchell's classic crime novel Speedy Death as a vehicle for a full-blooded performance by Diana Rigg as the louche 1920s analyst Mrs. Bradley is a splendid piece of period drama with an intriguing puzzle at its heart. Mrs. Bradley attends the engagement party of her crippled goddaughter Eleanor, only to find the home of her old beau, Eleanor's father Bing (John Alderson), a hotbed of intrigue and sudden death. Eleanor's unsatisfactory fiancé Everard is found drowned in the bath after quarrelling with the former suitor whose bad driving crippled Eleanor; someone tries to shoot the fiancée of Eleanor's brother Gorde. Full of memorable characters like the sinister housekeeper Mrs. McNamara (Lynda Baron), Speedy Death is an impressive feature-length curtain-raiser to a popular series. For once, a detective has to investigate a crime where she has something seriously at stake--her sense of her own past and her own friends. --Roz Kaveney