Lord Peter Wimsey - Murder Must Advertise [1973]

Those for whom this series forms hazy memories of childhood might be surprised at its somewhat stagy, lingering interior shots, the spartan paucity of music, the miserly attitude towards locations, especially foreign ones, and the rather genteel, leisurely pace of these programmes, besides which Inspector Morse seems like Quentin Tarantino in comparison. It seems that initially the BBC was reluctant to commission the series and ventured on production with a wary eye on the budget. The Britain depicted by Sayers is, by and large, populated by either the upper classes or heavily accented, rum-do-and-no-mistake lower orders, which some might find consoling. However, the acting is generally excellent and the murder mysteries are sophisticated parlour games, the televisual equivalent of a good, absorbing jigsaw puzzle.

There were five feature-length adaptations in all. "Murder Must Advertise", perhaps the most entertaining of the series, has Wimsey step out of his upper-class milieu and pose as a copywriter in order to solve a murder at Pym's Publicity. --David Stubbs

The quality of the video production is excellent given that the series was first broadcast in 1973.

Ian Carmichael remains, for me, an excellent Lord Peter although he is somewhat older than Dorothy L Sayers intended in the book. Parker is an excellent foil and the atmosphere of the advertising agency is well captured. Not surprising really as Dorothy L Sayers worked in an agency herself. An excellent follow up to the recently released Clouds of Witness and Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club. Highly recommended for all fans of the golden age of detective fiction