Customer Reviews

Pie in the Sky: Series One

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Although the box description touts the comedy aspect of this series, it is 98% police mystery. There is some lighthearted moments, and some images of fine food (no recipes provided), but expect some serious investigative work by a crime detective that sometimes has his own way to looking into the facts, sometimes not quite on the up-and-up, and always with his heart back at the restaurant called "Pie in the Sky."

Many kudos for the performance of Inspector Henry Crabbe (Richard Griffiths) as he unravels the sometimes nonexistent clues. He also cronically seeks time to work on new menu items and cares for his music loving chickens (eggs must be fresh). Crabbe's wife, Margaret (Maggie Steed), plays the perfect spouse, looking out for the financial side of Crabbe's retirement cafe as well as keeping him honest with his requirements to his police boss, Fisher.

Assistant Crime Commissioner Fisher (Malcolm Sinclair), is a man provided for the viewer to hate. He traps Crabbe into abandoning his retirement plans, after an investigation arrest goes bad, and Crabbe gets a minor bullet-in-the-leg wound while dining with the man supposed to be arrested. It looks suspicious. Fisher all but blackmails Crabbe into additional crime assistance, always at Fisher's beck-and-call, forcing the retirement "Pie in the Sky" restaurant to be started up under Margaret Crabbe's name. She doesn't even like food.

Each episode is a new call to a different crime and tough investigation that ACC Fisher needs help solving. Promotion seeking Fisher plans on Crabbe taking the blame if things go awry. For all viewers that enjoy English versions of police mystery, this is unusual and quite well done. Acorn Media has provided SDH subtitles for every episode, sometimes a help with the fast-talking, strongly accented, members of the cast.

Episodes (10 at 49 min. each) included in this first Series 1 set are:
1 The Best of Both Worlds- Crabbe gets shot, retirement delayed opener.
2 The Truth Will Out- Restaurant begins, along with police corruption.
3 An Innocent Man- Many food regulars, but one needs investigated.
4 Once a Copper- Seafood menu time, & a dead man returns.
5 A Shot in the Dark- Red herring and smuggling make a mixed menu.
6 Undesirable Elements- Crabbe public relations assignment finds crime.
7 Passion Fruit Fool- Fisher vacations,Crabbe stirs in restaurant crime.
8 A Matter of Taste- Wine menu, and Margaret gets involved with crime.
9 Who Only Stand and Wait- Farm fresh veg's, mix with buried body parts.
10 Endangered Species- Crabbe gets set up, must he arrest Margaret?

The 3-DVD set includes a Bonus Feature interview with Maggie Steed in widescreen. the episodes are in full screen. Enough crime and mystery suspense to keep you waiting for the "Pie in the Sky Series 2" coming later.

Final answer: British Police Mystery fans should buy; if you want British Comedy then give this one a miss.

I have seen these on BBC America, they are wonderful.
Part comedy part mystery.
I had tried to get them before but they were only
on Region 2. Delighted I can obtain them now.

Starring Richard Griffiths (whose previous appearances include "The History Boys" and "Harry Potter"), Pie in the Sky Series 1 is the debut boxed set of a British DVD series that blends elements of mystery, police drama, and comedy into a witty whole. 25-year police veteran Detective Inspector Henry Crabbe longs to take early retirement and open the restaurant of his dreams, which he calls "Pie in the Sky", but his accountant wife thinks his dream is a bottomless money pit, and his boss needs him to handle those intricate cases that he has a natural gift for! A surprisingly lighthearted crime drama (at least, as lighthearted as any crime drama can be), Pie in the Sky even weaves elements of culinary delight into its slyly sumptuous storytelling. Special features include an interview with star Maggie Steed, production notes, a biography of Richard Griffiths, and more. Highly recommended. 3 DVDs, 10 episodes, 488 minutes plus 18 minutes bonus program, 4:3 full screen, subtitles.

Starring:
Richard Griffiths as D.I. Henry Crabbe
Maggie Steed as his wife & restaurant owner Margaret Crabbe
Malcom Sinclair as ACC Freddy Fisher, Henry Crabb's superior who keeps him working for the force.
Joe Duttine as Steve Turner
Bella Enahoro as WRC/DS Sophisa Cambridge, the beautiful woman Henry hates to see (she brings the cases to him).
Nick Lamont as Chef Gary Palmer, a reformed ex-con.
Ashley Russel as John the waiter
Alison McKenna as Linda the waitress


The first year of PIE IN THE SKY dealt more with setting up the restaurant & introducing the characters; the police detective work was back story until about the third or forth episode. It took me several episodes to get into the series but I stayed with it because I liked the actors & the characters they portrayed.

The company description fails to mention the real reason Detective Inspector Henry Crabbe continues working part time for the police: Blackmail. Henry was tricked into appearing to take a bribe, even though he is entirely innocent, this circumstance enables his superior, A.C.C. Fisher, to blackmail Crabbe into continuing to take on occasional cases as required, threatening to re-open the inquiry if Crabbe disagrees.

A blackmailing Police force is the real story behind this series. So there is quite a bit of tension between D.I. Crabbe & his superior. And D.I. Crabb is willing to do anything that makes his superior look bad.

While the Full Frame DVD (the show's original framing) has no Closed Captions, the episodes do have Sub-Titles (accessible from your remote). I prefer subtitles over Closed Captions as they do not mask over the picture. With British accents, I tend to leave the subtitles on.

Disc 1 has the first 4 episodes.
Disc 2 has the next 3 episodes & brief background information.
Disc 3 has the final 3 episodes & a 15 minute interview with Maggie Steed.

A Richard Griffiths interview is sadly missing from this set.

How come the British manage to do it everytime! I mean choosing an actor that makes the character really live, breathe and interact just like a regular bloke. David Suchet as Poirot, Diana Rigg as Mrs. Emma Peel, Leo Mackern as Rumpole and now Dursley as a fat overweight, thoughtful detective whose passion lies in the kitchen!
I don't know why I even bothered to get the series; I was looking for something new, something different and the opening episode was barely enough interesting for me to go on. By the end, I said to myself, well let's give the second episode a try. And then I was hooked!
Richard Griffiths grows on you, although given his bulk, one winces when he tries to hurry. Maggie Steed is wonderful. But it is Bella
Enahono who as Sgt. Cambridge steals the show. I was actually waiting for her to show up in episode 4, just praying she would not be dropped from the series. And she did. This is one of the best of the first season.
The stories, sly and understated could be more interesting, but the characters breathe fire into half hearted plots. Wish there was more culinary scenes, perhaps a few recipes thrown in like a fruity pasta in one of the earlier episodes.
Did you know that ox kidneys are better than veal ones, in the making of that fine English dish, Steak and Kidney Pud?
More, more. I am looking forward to Series 2, and 3, let there be more!If There Wasn't Death (Middle_english Edition)

I bought this feeling that I was taking a chance and when we watched Pie in the Sky we were hooked. It has a good story line and several sub plots in each episode. We enjoy the characters and the way that they interact.

Pie in the Sky is another one of a string of brilliantly produced British Drama/comedies. British televison prides itself on using "real" characters. In Pie in the Sky the lead actor (Richard Grifiths) must 300 lbs. if he's an ounce. The cast is not male & female models with perfect teeth and 1% total body fat - these people you can see and meet on almost any English street. The story has Agatha Christie type drama and twists and the odd bit of off-the-wall humor - ideal for anyone who is sick and tired of the over produced, slick Hollywood productions with their liberal sprinkling of gratuitous violence.

What a delightful show! It boasts the type of fine acting and writing that British shows like Foyle's War, Midsomer Murders, etc., are known for. How Inspector Crabbe manages to solve the case (while playing departmental politics) is fascinating but I really think the added bonus of the culinary angle is what makes this show special.

Best of all, are the well rounded (excuse the pun!) characters who we come to know and like so much. I particularly liked Margaret, the independent yet supportive wife and John, the waiter par excellance!

This is a great series if you like intelligent cop shows, warm-hearted comedies, culinary mysteries, Britain ... or just plain good television!

The second series is due out in January 2010. There were 5 "seasons" altogether.

As long time fans of British mystery and drama we are always on the lookout for something new. During the looking process we found this series and decided to give it a try. I'm glad we did because we have really enjoyed these first adventures of Detective/Chef Henry Crabbe as played by Richard Griffiths.

Our only previous encounter with Mr. Griffiths was as Vernon Dursley in the Harry Potter Movies. This brief exposure in no way does justice to this remarkable actor who has made a name for himself as an actor in stage, screen, and TV and has won numerous acting awards.

All of his rich background is brought to bear as he portrays a veteran policeman who is wearying of his job and is longing to devote himself to his real love, cooking.

This first series carries him from the crucial turning point in his career as a policeman to his dual role in life as a policeman/chef and does so in a fast paced, good humored manner.

This is a series suitable for the entire family, and combines Crabbe's experience and intuitive insights as a detective with his love for food, well prepared and presented. We always are interested in new views of the English countryside and get plenty of them with this series.

This UK series features a detective who is also a chef. His restaurant is called PIE IN THE SKY. He is married but his wife is a lot more interested in accounting than in fine cuisine. I would have never guessed in a million years that this lead actor is the same one who plays Harry Potter's Uncle Vernon. In this series, he is so easy to like whereas in the Harry Potter films, he is so easy to hate. That is quite an acting range. He is a very low key, soft spoken detective. He immerses himself in his crimes and gradually takes over the whole ball of wax from whomever else is involved in the case. His superior officer is a total idiot, solely interested in furthering his own career in police administration. He makes Jack Frost's Mullet look like a cop's cop in charge of the detectives by contrast.

I can only go 4 stars on this one. The problem is that the UK has so many excellent crime series that after awhile you start sorting them into the 4 star and 5 star ones. There is no such thing as a 3 or less star one. I like the edgier ones, the detectives who have a lot of vices and or problems in their lives, such as those played by David Jason (Frost), Jeremy Brett (Sherlock), Robson Green (psychologist Tony Hill), Robbie Coltrane (Cracker), Helen Mirren (Jane), and Clive Owen (Tanner). This series reminds me more of the Inspector Morse series, which was very well done but I never could warm up to Morse, much less his sidekick Lewis. Yet Morse was also at least a 4 star series. Likewise the Lynley-Havers series came in at only 4 stars but this time because there was such deviation from the books, not because I didn't warm up to the actors.

This crime series has a perfectly well adjusted detective in a loving marriage who goes about solving his mysteries in a very quiet, low key way while also juggling a restaurant. I enjoy him but I miss the angst and the vices.