After much urging from actor Ian Carmichael, who plays the eponymous detective, the BBC finally got around to producing television adaptations of five of the novels in the early seventies. Along with his faithful gentleman's gentleman Bunter (played by Glyn Houston in four of the series, but by Derek Newark in The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club for some reason), Wimsey sallies forth into the upper crusts of British society to foil jewel thieves, poisoners, and drug runners. And there's usually murder, or as good as, in the offing.

What sets Sayers apart from other mystery authors has always been her accomplished literary style. The tales she weaves are always pleasantly intricate (sometimes a bit too intricate, but I'll touch on that later), and have plenty of human foibles, betrayals, bloody murders, etc. to please the mystery fans. But she's interested in the fascinating characters as well, and not just as window dressing or a serving of oddity, but as real, relatable people. The BBC productions, surely to the great relief of her fans, do a fairly good job of hewing close to the original plots. Of course, it's inevitable that some things will have to be added, or cut, or combined together. Four or five hours aren't enough time to adequately convey a complex novel, and some things simply don't translate. But these productions are remarkably faithful to their source material, in both story and spirit.

The Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries Complete Collection includes on six discs all five television adaptations that Ian Carmichael starred in. Edward Petherbridge also portrayed Wimsey for the BBC in the eighties, adapting different books. The visual quality is what one would expect from a British TV drama of the period. The look of the interior scenes (shot on television cameras) and exterior scenes (shot on more mobile film cameras) are quite distinct, and both have suffered over the years. Washed out color, film scratches and dirt, and a slight fuzzy indistinctness are all present. If you've seen episodes of Dr. Who or other BBC shows from the seventies, you'll know what to expect, and the low quality of the video doesn't really detract from the enjoyment of the story.

Below is a list of the shows, with brief descriptions included with the discs:

Clouds of Witness
Death hits close to home when Lord Peter's future brother-in-law is murdered. Complicating matters is the man who stands accused: Gerald Wimsey, Lord Peter's brother.

The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club
When a member of the prominent Bellona Club dies on the same day as his sister, Lord Peter must determine who will inherit a sizeable fortune.

Murder Must Advertise
Lord Peter goes deep undercover at Pym's Publicity to investigate the suspicious death of a young copywriter following his affair with a wealthy and indolent socialite.

Five Red Herrings
When the body of an unpopular artist is found in a stream, it's up to Lord Peter to determine which of six suspects could have committed the crime.

The Nine Tailors
Stranded in a sleepy village after a car accident, Lord Peter quickly stumbles upon a decades-old case of stolen emeralds, unidentifiable corpses, and coded messages.

All of the shows are good, though some are better told than others. The Five Red Herrings particularly is incredibly complex, with at least a dozen speaking roles, and as the title implies, six suspects, five of which didn't do the deed. A lot of the mystery relies on railway timetables and who could have caught which train when, and it's a bit much to take in. The book shared this complexity, but it's easier to get through when one can pause and read back through to figure out what's going on. At the other extreme, The Nine Tailors is definitely the standout piece, with an intriguing series of puzzles, colorful characters (but not too many of them), and Wimsey on his finest form. Once again, none of the shows are really less than delightful, but some are more fully satisfying than others.

The British have a special flair for mystery stories, and Sayers has that flair to an even finer degree. By sticking close to her original intent, portraying Peter Wimsey as she wrote him, the BBC has provided a great service to mystery fans around the world, and managed to give us seventeen hours or so of ripping murder yarns. Highly recommended.

The DVD

Video:
The video is presented in 4:3 standard, and as stated above has some significant issues. However, the quality isn't anything unexpected in British television fare of the period, and doesn't detract from the experience. If you're looking for sleek visuals and flawless video, you won't find it here. But it's not important.

Sound:
Audio is Dolby digital 2 channel, and does the job well but isn't anything spectacular. The dialogue is always clearly audible, and there aren't any great problems audible. English subtitles are included, but no alternate language tracks.

Extras:
The most significant extra is a fairly long interview with Ian Carmichael from 2000, which is split up in pieces across several of the discs. Carmichael talks about his vision for the Wimsey character, the long road to getting the series produced, doing stunts, his history in musical comedy, and lots of other topics. He's incredibly engaging, and the interview is fun and informative. There are also text biographies of Carmichael and Sayers, and text production notes, which are really more interview material with Carmichael. There's quite a lot of interesting material here.

Final Thoughts:
Peter Wimsey is an iconic character in British mystery stories, and Acorn has done a great job in packaging and presenting The Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries, with Ian Carmichael as the eponymous detective. The tales are well paced, funny, exciting, and provide the intricate puzzles that mystery fans demand. This is good stuff, and conveniently all in one place.