Hetty Wainthropp: Missing Persons is the original pilot episode for the television series Hetty Wainthropp Investigates. The television series is an adaptation of David Cook's novel Missing Persons. The pilot episode was the first of two attempts to put Patricia Routledge as Hetty Wainthropp, a senior citizen turned sleuth in a television series. Originally Yorkshire Television commissioned Cook for a two hour pilot. The pilot aired in 1990 and did not do very well, because the network decided to pass on the show. Later in 1996 Cook and Routledge got a second chance with the BBC and Hetty was finally a television series. However, several changes were made to the show, including the underlying story and motivation of the series.

Cook's novel Missing Persons, is about Hetty Wainthropp. The story begins with Hetty searching for her best friend's husband's long lost son. After searching around, she finds him and eventually reconnects father and son. The catch is the missing son's son is missing as well and the missing son asks for Hetty's help to find him. Once she does, she and the young boy, Geoffrey Shawcross, team up and start their own private investigation business, focusing in missing persons. How Hetty and Geoffrey team up in this pilot episode is very different than in the series. In Hetty Wainthropp Investigates, they connect when Hetty catches Geoffrey stealing and she manages to steer him away from a life of crime.

Despite that Hetty is dubbed a private eye, sleuth, detective, etc., "Missing Persons" is not really about mystery. Instead, it is more focused on the drama of a man being reunited with the son he abandoned and Hetty saving young adults from making bad decisions. In Hetty Wainthropp Investigates, there is more focus on the mystery aspect and less on the drama. The role of her sidekick is also much different. In the pilot episode the character Geoffrey Shawcross adds very little in to the overall storyline and the investigations. In the series, he is a lot more involved and a much more likeable character.

I reviewed Hetty Wainthropp Investigates: The Complete First Season and I found the season to be very dry in entertainment. However, watching the "Missing Persons" pilot episode made me appreciate the interaction between the two main characters and the actual delivery of the series. "Missing Persons" clearly takes a very different direction as a show and does not really compare to the series. The story of the pilot episode also moves much slower than the series and is very difficult to get into. Overall, Hetty Wainthropp: Missing Persons should be reserved for the fans of the series. If you're new to the series and interested in it, you might want to give the first season a rent.

The DVD

Video:
The video is given in its original television aspect ratio of 1.33:1 full frame color. The quality isn't very impressive, as it has a distinct grain in the image. In comparison to most television releases on DVD, it's slightly lower quality. The cause isn't due to video compression, but the source medium.

Audio:
This DVD release comes with an English 2.0 Dolby digital stereo sound track. The audio track is very basic and adequately meets the needs of the presentation.

Extras:
There is not very much in the way of special features with this release. The DVD includes filmographies, production notes about the series, and Hetty Wainthropp Investigates episode list.

Final Thoughts:
I was really unimpressed with the flow of this pilot episode. From watching it, I could tell why it was not received well. The direction it gave headed in the wrong direction. In comparison to the actual series Hetty Wainthropp Investigates flows much better. I think this pilot episode best suited for the fans and the fans only.