Peter Davison stars as Margery Allingham‘s amateur detective Albert Campion. The setting is 1930s England – and Campion is one very elite gentleman (of noble descent, although “not quite”) with all the time in the world to solve crimes. He has the help of his “manservant” (played by Brian Glover) who is almost a one hundred and eighty degree contrast to Campion.
Our first impression of Campion was correct… Davison actually played Campion in a playful, almost campy manner. Once we were “in on the campiness” we truly began to enjoy the shows.
The Campion series was made by the BBC during the late 1980s / early 1990s. The scenery (as expected from the BBC) is absolutely beautiful. The narrow cobblestone streets, unpaved country roads, flowers in the window boxes, vintage cars, just about everything is such a treat to see.
Campion, Season 1, included four episodes. The first episode takes place in a beautiful estate. Campion, belonging to the English aristocracy, fits right in. He is also able to glean information from the “lower classes” since his manservant Lugg plays an important role in the crime-solving. Lugg, who has a background in criminal behavior, is able to contact his cronies with connections on the other side of the law, thus enabling Campion to use some rather shady ways to solve the crimes.The second season of Campion also included four episodes.
My husband and I both came away from the shows thinking that Davison toned down the almost “song and dance” portrayal of Campion after the first episode. So, if you give this delightfully fun mystery series a try, remember to keep that in mind. We really did look forward to watching the shows and were truly sorry that they only made the eight episodes.
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