Horrible, fascist and poorly acted

Fantastic!

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

One of the less - likely television detectives of the 1990s is D.I Henry Crabbe(the late Mr Richard Griffiths - massively missed),awaiting a well -earned retirement in order to run a small restaurant with his wife(the sublime Miss Maggie Steed). For somewhat contrived reasons he is forced to continue as a police officer and thus combine his new career with his old one. Cooking on TV?There's a novel idea.....well,it was before we were inundated with hundreds of appalling cheaply produced cooking programmes that dominate our schedules 20 years later. So Mr Griffiths gets to sniff wineglasses knowledgeably, and play with a military - sized oven with every appearance of huge enjoyment. Oh,and do a bit of detecting too,whenever the police are baffled,which they appear to be with worrying regularity. He is a gentle,contemplative soul,not given to saying "You're nicked sunshine" at every opportunity nor bending his captives' arms up behind their backs whilst snarling in their ears - indeed,one wonders why he became a detective in the first place. But still,the whole façade comes tumbling down if you think too hard about it. Best to go along with the flow and watch two lovely actors having fun without breaking into a sweat. Sadly the rest of the regular cast are put in the shade by Mr and Mrs Crabbe in every episode,so much do they dominate the screen. "Pie in the sky" is lovely,quirky TV,I doubt it could be made today let alone be allowed to thrive in this era of plastic - wrapped interchangeable "product" where to be "different" is to be cancelled after the pilot.

Just finished watching the first four episodes of this police series via Netflix. And it's a pleasure to report that at least thus far, there have been no serial killers, blood-spattered bedrooms or lethal shoot-outs. Just a series of gentle, slyly amusing capers. Even more of a pleasure is that the central character, detective inspector Henry Crabbe, is a gourmet chef who has opened a charming little restaurant while awaiting his retirement. And to complete the pleasures, there's Richard Griffiths as Crabbe, lovingly basting a leg of lamb or whipping up a glorious soufflé when he isn't waddling off to probe some criminal conspiracy. For instance, the mystery of a bank robber, dead some 16 years ago, who has turned up very much alive in the local village. Solving such puzzles is duck soup for Crabbe. Leaving his stove in mid-simmer to hunt down a villain is another kettle of fish. If you're looking for raw red meat, this probably isn't for you. But if you have a taste for subtler fare, this series could be just the dish.

"Pie In The Sky" is one of those great little programs that comes along now and then and which the British are so good at creating. It is well scripted and well acted and the cast contains two great character actors, Richard Griffiths and Maggie Steed as (Inspector) Henry Crabbe and Margaret Crabbe. Henry just wants to retire from the force with his police pension and run his restaurant but is prevented by ACC Freddie Fisher. Henry's ability to solve crimes makes Fisher look good to his superiors. Bella Enahoro as Cambridge and Samantha Janus as Nicola are just gorgeous. One even picks up a few recipe tips along the way. It's a shame it didn't run for longer but all good things must come to an end and it's one of those shows that I continue to watch in repeats.

'Pie in the Sky' is the name of a country restaurant run by part-time Detective Inspector Henry Crabbe and his accountant wife, Margaret. Henry makes the world's greatest steak and kidney pies and would cheerfully retire from the police force. Assistant Chief Constable Freddie Fisher, however, won't okay his retirement for reasons I won't disclose. Freddie calls in Henry to solve difficult cases which are likely to cause embarrassment to senior members of the local police force. There are moments of drama in this series, but these are tempered by an underlying streak of gentle humour. A wonderful cast, great scripts, as well as cooking lessons from Henry, in between the action. Take note of Bella Enahoro who plays 'Cambridge' in the first five seasons. She and Henry make a great duo!