Sergeant Cribb Set 1 (3pc)

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Sergeant Cribb combines clever detective work with a wry look at the Victorian era. The first set includes six episodes, each themed around quirks of Victorian life, ranging from week-long walking competitions to literary conceits and skinny-dipping. Best of the bunch is "A Case of Spirits," which takes a humorous look at the spiritualist movement. The actual mysteries, though satisfying, are almost secondary to author Peter Lovesey's impeccable research and trenchant observations on the Victorian social strata. The coolly unflappable Cribb, played with a wink by Alan Dobie, bristles at the indignities inflicted on him by his superior officer even as he passes them along to his constable assistant. The DVD version includes a biography of Lovesey and a history of Scotland Yard. --Ali Davis

Customer Reviews:

A Well-Acted Series Of Victorian Crimes, All Solved By Sergeant Cribb.......2006-02-25

Whether it involves brutal, bare-knuckle boxing, hip-swiveling walk races, Victorian houses of pleasure or English boarding schools for privileged boys, Detective Inspector Cribb is unfazed and unimpressed. Although polite, that includes his dealings with his betters.

Sergeant Cribb - Set One includes six one-hour mysteries, four from the first season from 1980 and two from the second season from 1981. As originally broadcast, according to IMDb, the first season had eight shows and the second season had six.

Cribb, played by Alan Dobie, is a Scotland Yard detective in Victorian London. He's smart, and smart enough to defer to his superiors both in Scotland Yard and in society. He has a wry sense of humor. He'll probably never get promoted. He is very good at his job. He's aided by Detective Constable Thackery (William Simons), a steadfast but none too bright copper. His superior, Inspector Jowett (David Waller), is an elderly gent of the old school, comfortable with his club and highly deferential to royalty.

The mysteries in this set are for the most part clever with solutions that make sense. What makes them interesting, however, is the evocation of Victorian life. In set one we find ourselves in the middle of bare knuckle fights, "wobble" races which were all the thing, gracious drawing rooms and the machinations of mediums. The production values are high, from the details of Victorian working life to the well-tailored tails and gowns of wealthy Englishmen and their ladies at dinner.

One of the pleasures of British mystery series is the acting depth. Almost without exception the acting is first-rate, from the smallest parts of elderly gents and maids to the lead roles. David Waller, for instance, is the epitome of the older, well-fed, complacent English gentleman, stuffy, experienced, supportive of Cribb -- but not too supportive. Then watch his performance as Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin in Edward & Mrs. Simpson (1978). Same man, same physical appearance, but here he is a shrewd politician, not unsympathetic to Edward, and fully prepared to be ruthless in protecting what he sees as the integrity of the crown.

Sergeant Cribb is a well-produced, well acted entry into the category of British TV mysteries. The DVD color transfer is well done. The extra in set one is a history of Scotland Yard

Content Wins Over Production Values.......2003-09-26

As a firm believer that good content can overcome low production budget, I only winced a little at the obviously rubber body part and less than believable reptiles in "Mad Hatter's Holiday."

After all, the fun in this series is Alan Dobie's dry commentary on Victorian society and poor Constable Thackeray's suffering as he does all of the scut work while Sergeant Cribb deducts his way to the conclusion. It is great fun to watch Cribb sit and eat a hearty meal (with some very Victorian touches) while his table companion loses his appetite under Cribb's comments and questions, all done with the utmost politeness.

"A Case of Spirits" which deals with another Victorian fad--table turning or spiritualism-- is also fun as Cribb and Thackeray are given a case that starts with the theft of a painting of an undraped nude and a vase worth thirty guineas, both occurring after the appearance of a new trance medium at private sittings at the respective houses. Then a murder occurs under seemingly impossible circumstances and secrets start to surface as Cribb looks into their proper Victorian lives.

The dialogue and the characters from Lovesey's novels as brought to life by the cast in this series can make me forget a lot of rubber body parts.

Cribb at last.......2003-08-16

I've waited for years for the Cribb series to appear. This is about half of the episodes made by Granada. Cribb is the ultimate down-to-earth policeman with the perfect assistant in Constable Thackery. I hope the next set doesn't take as long as the first one.

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