JDC Wannabe?
 

First I am new to posting here so plese forgive me if you think this post is off topic or not fully relevant. But here goes anyway....

I have searched through the forums looking for any articles on the BBC series 'Jonathan Creek' expecting to see complaints or compliments on the similarity of some of the plot elements in this series to the works of John Dickson Carr. What makes Carr such a good mystery writer and distinctive from others of his generation? I would suggest:-

1) The impossible crime
2) The macabre elements to many of his stories
3) Plausible or rational explanations for events leading up to the crime.
4) Fair notice of some if not all of the clues to the reader.

Having watched nearly all episodes of 'Jonathan Creek' I can only commend the author of this series (David Renwick) for his commitment to this type of story. You could almost accuse him of plagarism in one or two stories (one story stealing unashamably from 'The Three Coffins') but the fact is that like Carr he effectively mixes the elements I have listed above. Even the episode titles would be titles favoured by Carr 'Satan's Chimney', 'Ghost's Forge' etc. If you forget the overblown comedic elements etc. and the obvious difference in the characters you have a modern day JDC story. And some of them are very clever too but I won't give too much away.

So what do people think? Should we be praising David Renwick for attempting to write a JDC story in the 21st century or do we accuse him of being a modern day copycat?

My own opinion is that JDC wrote some classic detective stories which I love reading and Renwick is continuing the fine tradition but with modern twists. And the show has been very popular in the UK which shows people will watch what are in effect good old fashioned detective stories if presented to them in an entertaining manner.

Re: JDC Wannabe?
 

Hi there


Well, my first post here (and now I've discovered this place, I expect not to get any more work done, ever!!). I'm only just getting into locked-room mysteries' in print (having just bought The Mammoth Book of Locked-Room Mysteries and Impossible Crimes, along with The Emperor's Snuff-Box and The Hollow Man partly for pleasure and partly for sort-of-research for a novel I'm working on (which is more a Christie pastiche, but I've been submerging myself in her - if you'll pardon the expression - and fancied something a little different. JDC was recommended to me by an editor of mine, and was pointed out as the inspiration behind some of the Jonathan Creek stories.
Ooops, almost forgot why I was posting....
Yes, Jonathan Creek... I was hugely impressed by the first series - both the stories and the puzzles, and loved the casting and acting. But as the second series rolled around, it felt like the puzzles were becoming more and more contrived, and less and less workable. In fact, as the (I think) third season went on - the one that was, I believe, split into two mini-seasons of 3 stories each - I found myself shouting at the screen that 'That just wouldn't work!' in more stories than I didn't. And the comedy elements - the balance of which Renwick achieved perfectly at the start - just went wildly wrong, and started to feel like padding to fill out inadequate stories.
Even at the end, they were watchable, but not nearly so clever and believable as they had been. Not having actually read any JDC, I'm looking forwards to seeing if, indeed, Renwick did get inspired by - or, indeed, lift wholesale from - any of his stories. Well worth watching - even towards the end - by anyone with an interest in locked-room and 'impossible' mysteries, but be prepared to wince at the strained humour and shake your head at the unlikeliness of the plots as the episodes go by!

SparkyMarky
x

Re: JDC Wannabe?
 

Sparky, welcome to GAM :)

It looks like Jonathan Creek is only available on DVD outside of the US so I will have to reserve judgement until I get a chance to watch them. Does anyone know if they are shown on BBC America or PBS here in the states?

Re: JDC Wannabe?
 

Cheers for the welcome - and shame you can't easily get the DVDs :( Fingers crossed that BBC America or some other channel shows 'em - they're certainly worth watching, regardless of how I think the quality dips as they go on :))

cheers

Markx

Re: JDC Wannabe?
 

PBS showed them years ago and BBC America showed them last year or the year before.

Re: JDC Wannabe?
 

I watched one a few weeks ago, called Gorgons Woods or something close to that. There was somthing about the actor that plays Jonathan Creek that rubbed me the wrong way and I couldn't get into the story because I just couldn't get past my annoyance with the actor. I did think the locked room aspect was clever and well done though.

Re: JDC Wannabe?
 

++Should we be praising David Renwick for attempting to write a JDC story in the 21st century or do we accuse him of being a modern day copycat?++

Well, it would be a bit harsh to call David a 'copycat', as he openly admits the influence of JDC in interviews and is a huge fan of the writer (it would be akin to writing off JDC as a Poe or Doyle ripoff merchant).

I think that up unto the first Christmas special ('Black Canary' in '98), JONATHAN CREEK was very good indeed, but afterwards it never quite had the same quality.

++In fact, as the (I think) third season went on - the one that was, I believe, split into two mini-seasons of 3 stories each - I found myself shouting at the screen that 'That just wouldn't work!' in more stories than I didn't.++

I think that was the fourth series, not the third (though the third was where the quality started to slip) as I recall that third was transmitted normally. The second season was excellent, especially the two parter, "The Problem At Gallows Gate".

Re: JDC Wannabe?
 

Re: JDC Wannabe?
 

BBC-A showed a few in the midddle of the night last month, but it doesn't have any scheduled now, according to its Web site.

We have a no-region DVD player, so we can watch the PAL-format DVDs. I recommend one to you.