If you're looking for anything redolent of the holidays, you're probably going to be sorely disappointed with these two 90 minute or so episodes from the long-running series. These two Lovejoys have virtually none of the Christmas ambience of, say, the Poirots set around the holidays. So you won't get any Christmas pudding (with or without a hidden gem), or turkey dinners, or even presents or snow (save for a very brief subplot in "Prague Sun"). In fact I fail to see what the second special, "The Lost Colony," has to do with Christmas at all (other than its original broadcast date in December, 1993)--at least "Prague" had Lovejoy dressing up as Father Christmas as well as a brief snow flurry in then-Czechoslovakia to make it seem a little wintery.

"Prague Sun" sees Lovejoy traveling to that city to uncover the mystery of a long ago suitor of his friend, the suitably named Dottie, who arrives in England and is promptly mugged while digging up some diamonds in an old church. Lovejoy quickly becomes involved in a mystery dating back to Germany's invasion of Czechoslovakia and the desperate attempts made to secrete state treasures away from the invading hoardes. Donald Pleasance has a nice cameo as a demented collector and Slovak official who is behind all the mayhem.

"The Lost Colony" finds Lovejoy interacting both with a Lord (John Gielgud) who is vacating his haunted castle, and with some putative American "cousin" Lovejoys who may or may not have made off with some of the Lord's historical curios. The jingoists in the audience may decry the totally buffoonish way virtually all of the Americans are portrayed in this episode (with the exception of the lovely Barbara Barrie as the grande dame of a southern-U.S. Lovejoy clan), but it's a fun and often funny faux investigation into whatever happened to the famous lost colony of Roanoke, wound around the real historical personage of Sir Walter Raleigh.

If the mysteries here are never very challenging, they're really not supposed to be. Lovejoy exists almost purely on the charm of its characters, and charming they all are, led by the irrepressible MacShane, who frequently breaks the fourth wall to address the audience directly. MacShane plays this entire show with more than a broad wink at the viewer, sometimes literally rolling his eyes as some of the more incredible things occur. But in fact everyone seems to be having a ball playing in this series, from such iconic figures as Gielgud, to lesser knowns like Kate Vernon, who essays the Southern Lovejoy vixen Mary-John in "Lost Colony." This is a show that may not be extraordinarily challenging on any level, but which is undeniably engaging and entertaining.

And that, ultimately, is why I'm sure people like my late father enjoyed it so much--after a day, or indeed a life, of toil and effort, what better relaxation can there be than kicking back with characters who are easy to love in stories that are easy to take, often with some nice bonus travel footage to boot? Lovejoy provides that in ample supply, and that makes the show's vast appeal no mystery at all.

The DVD

Video:
These full frame transfers exhibit little of the softness that routinely hampers filmed British television. That said, colors are not especially strong, notably on "Lost Colony," which, despite being the newer of the two episodes, is poorly saturated. Things are generally quite crisp and watchable, if you keep in mind their television source material.

Sound:
The DD 2.0 soundtracks are absolutely fine, if unspectacular, with little real separation, but excellent fidelity. All dialogue is crystal clear and the charming (if at times synth-heavy) underscore is reproduced perfectly. English subtitles are available.

Extras:
None are offered.

Final Thoughts:
Lovejoy may not have that Poirot period charm or multi-charactered complexity of Christie at her best, but it is nonetheless a very endearing show with a wonderful MacShane performance anchoring the proceedings. Recommended.

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"G-d made stars galore" & "Hey, what kind of a crappy fortune is this?" ZMK, modern prophet