Agatha Christie's Partners in Crime

More than 30 years after Tommy and Tuppence Beresford—Agatha Christie's husband-and-wife team of amateur detectives—first appeared on British TV, the characters have been revived for a new series. Jessica Raine is the adventurous Tuppence, while David Walliams is Tommy. In the opening episode, the pair are returning from France with a rare queen bee Tommy has purchased to start a beekeeping business. But en route they cross paths with a nervous young woman who hides secret documents in their luggage and then runs off, pursued by mysterious men. Tuppence is intrigued and drags Tommy into her investigation, which leads them into a nest of Communist spies, putting their lives in danger. Tommy's Uncle Carter (James Fleet), who is also a police inspector, first tries to dissuade them from their antics, then drafts Tommy to go undercover for another mystery, while Tuppence, upset at being left out, follows him to conduct her own investigation. Matthew Steer costars as Albert, Tommy's war buddy scientist who helps out with forensic work. Christie purists may object to the comic emphasis and the contrivances tossed into the mysteries, but the characters are charismatic and fun and the shows are filled with marvelous 1950s detail. The series was not renewed, so—at least for now—this is the complete run. Compiling all six episodes from 2015, extras include behind-the-scenes featurettes, an interview with costar Clarke Peters, and a photo gallery. Likely to appeal to fans of light British mysteries, this is a strong optional purchase. (S. Axmaker)