A young trouble maker, Richard Tanner, is found murdered in a model village in Little Worthy. He had been stabbed and then tied up like Gulliver. The model village setting is magnificent and seeing it alone makes the episode worth watching. As often with this series there is an extraordinary number of strange and or unlikable characters. One of the most unlikable is soon found murdered during a crazy craft boat race - a race that looked to be great fun until the murder, of course. Suspects abound, the village teems with hatred, fear and dark secrets. As to be expected, yet another murder follows - more murders seem to happen in this series after the police arrive than before they get there. The resolution to the murders was a bit of a let down as there seems to have been no real motive except that the culprit was very mentally ill. However, the final confession scene was very well done. When watching this I kept thinking how familiar the two elderly sisters looked but just couldn't place them. It kept niggling at me until finally I remembered that I knew Margaret Tyzack from the Young Indiana Jones series and Carolyn Blakistan from her wonderful performance in At Bertram's Hotel. It was a real treat to see them and I wish their roles had been more substantial. Although a bit too dark and too many unlikable characters for my taste, this show was still a highly enjoyable watch.
Review of Small Mercies
