The Chelsea Detective - Season 4

As the chilly nights draw in, settle down on your sofa with a cuppa and enjoy Season 4 of this cosy crime series, in which lead Adrian Scarborough and his team once again must crack tricky murder cases in London’s ultra-posh Chelsea neighbourhood.

To put it upfront, The Chelsea Detective is so cosy in its premise (not to mention politically über-correct), some may wish for a bit more edge though the edgiest bit here is of probably DI Max Arnold (Adrian Scarborough) living on a quaint yet battered old houseboat - a stark contrast to the luxury pads of his affluent neighbourhood.

Season 4 (now available as a 2-Disc DVD set) has four interesting cases in store for DI Arnold and his no-nonsense assistant DS Layla Walsh (Vanessa Emme). Episode 1 (‘Death on the Aether’) kicks off at a posh (what else) party) during which an auction, held by fabulously wealthy, self-styled fashion mogul Clare Curtis (Clare Calbraith) takes place. As the party is in full swing, one of the butlers, Lucas (Charlie Coombes), is standing on the terrace overseeing the river and making a phone call to someone when suddenly, a person (we don’t see who) approaches him from the side and kills him. Enter DI Adrian, DS Walsh (Vanessa Emme) and Chief Forensics Officer Ashley Wilton (Sophie Leigh Stone, who has been deaf since birth), after Lucas’ corpse is fished out of the Thames. Why would anyone kill a butler? After their initial investigations lead to absolute zero, the team - together with the additional help of DC Jess Lombard (Lucy Phelps) and DC Connor Pollock (Peter Bankolé) - come to realise that the case is awash with dirty secrets and lies. Firstly, the butler wasn’t really who he claimed to be and operated on a fake ID, but why? How did he even get the job, despite thorough background checks by Joanne Picard (Rosie Cavaliero) who is running an agency… Or does an elaborate scheme involving the theft of £100,000 from one of Clare’s accounts, in which her paramour Mike Curtis (Gary Lucy) and Joanne are involved, have something to do with it? And if so, what was Lucas’ connection? Arnold is glad that a street mugging involving the theft of his aunt Olivia’s (Frances Barber) handbag and smartphone provides the antidote to an increasingly difficult case!

Things get even more complex in Episode 2 (‘The 13th Earl’). In a brief prequel sequence, we are transported back to 18th century London (Chelsea, naturally) where a group of men in period costume and white-powdered wigs are assembled around a table playing cards and speak in 21st century dialogue (who was the scriptwriter?). Soon, things turn unpleasant and a centuries-lasting rivalry between the regal family of the Davenstocks and their rivals is established. Forward to present day Chelsea, and Rory (Sam Hoare), the 13th Earl of Davenstock, is sitting at the gambling table, flanked by his lover Freddie Rollanson (Simon Manyonda) and some other individuals, including gangsters Carl (Killian Coyle) and Trent Wilsher (Eoin Geoghegan), during what appears to be a high-stakes card game. In a scenario mirroring the 18th century event, things soon turn unpleasant. The following day, Rory and his boyfriend Freddie have an argument inside Rory’s magnificent pad - a converted church. Freddie storms out and sits down on a bench right outside the church to let off steam when he notices Trent Wilsher entering the building. Trent has come to confront Rory about some gambling debts and the money he’s owed, only to be fobbed off in the most arrogant way by Rory. Minutes later, Freddy hears not one but two gunshots from inside the church. Racing inside, he finds Trent dead on the floor and Rory gone. But what about the second shot? Now Trent’s brother Carl, a nasty individual, tries to trace Rory in order to kill him while DI Arnold and his team desperately try locating Rory. During their investigations they make the acquaintance of Rory’s straight-laced brother Andrew (Richard Goulding) and Rory’s twin sister Sylvestra (Sally Scott), a seemingly timid singleton who lives with their slightly senile mother Allegra (Diana Quick). During the investigation, Arnold and his team dig up ever more Davenstock family dirt and if it weren’t complicated enough, Arnold’s ever-meddling aunt Olivia offers her help by suggesting to make contact with Allegra, whom she’d known from years ago - further irritating Arnold in the process.

Disc 2 starts with episode ‘Beauty Costs’ and dodgy goings-on in a Chelsea beauty salon, where tensions seem to simmer between salon owner Sonia Blessing (Anna Brecon) and her colleague Bella Dooley (Moyo Akandé) - so much so that trainee employee Kathy Ahmed (Anshula Bain), who observes the tension-laden conversation between Sonia and Bella, temporarily loses her concentration and accidentally spills hot wax over a client. Ouch! The following day, Bella and Kathy arrive for work and are startled that the salon hasn’t opened yet. Bella gains access with her spare key and both she and Kathy are shocked to find Sonia dead in her flat above the salon. As Arnold and Walsh quickly establish, Sonia must have known her killer and in fact even expected him or her, as a bottle of prosecco was waiting on the table. Various interviews follow during which it emerges that Bella, who turns out to be a stakeholder in the business, had disagreements with the murdered woman about her handling of business affairs. Then there’s one of Sonia’s clients, a troubled young woman named Tara Mason (Laura Aikman), who lives with hubby Piers (Lee Ingleby) and their dog (actually more hers than theirs) in a posh pad. Tara, plagued by episodes of depression and anxiety attacks, is being looked after by Piers who in fact turns out to be controlling and abusive. Tara also employs a dog-sitter named Reece Gilmarsh (Gabriel Akuwudike). Initial investigations, as so often in the Chelsea Detective, lead to nothing until an unexpected twist paints the story with a different complexion: it turns out that Sonia Blessing wasn’t Sonia Blessing at all but someone else entirely, until an incident in the past forced her to change her identity. Said incident involved a trainee masseuse who got fired and who turns out to be the younger sister of Tara’s dog-sitter Reece, who happens to peddle drugs as a sideline. Could he be connected to Sonia’s murder? Or could it be one of her male clients who came to the salon for a massage?

The final episode, ‘The Petrov Extension’, is the most complex of the lot and even allows for an excursion to picturesque Cambridge. First though, we find ourselves amidst a glittering awards ceremony at the Royal Chelsea Hotel, where celebrated architect Rowan Jameson (Philip Bretherton) is about to receive a lifetime achievement award. His glamorous younger wife (aren’t they always) Venetia (Michelle Duncan) begs her husband to be nice to his colleague cum rival Victor Budimir (Paul Bazely), who is going to present him with the award. While Venetia is briefly called away to deal with a flower delivery, she’s terrified when, upon returning to the hotel suite, a blood-smeared Victor lies slumped in a corridor. As she enters the suite panic-stricken, she can’t find Victor anywhere though instinct tells her to look over the balcony and sure enough, down on the ground lies Victor - dead, naturally. A fall from a balcony connected to Russian individuals? Surely not! As our detective and his assistants arrive, guests at the reception are asked not to leave the premises until everyone has been interviewed. What looks like a straightforward case with an obvious culprit, namely Victor, turns out to be anything but! Victor is involved in a modern addition to St. Cuthbert’s College in Cambridge called ‘The Petrov Extension’ in honour of the philanthropist Francis Petrov (Keith Allen), and Rowan opposed the extension. However, due to him being the Chair of the Planning Committee, going ahead with the project wasn’t a straightforward affair. As Arnold and Walsh head to Cambridge, they make the acquaintance of Simon and Charlotte Kendall (Josette Simon and Guy Henry respectively) who were friends with Rowan Jameson and his wife and are shocked about his murder. While Arnold returns to London, Walsh stays on, where she is put up at Martha McGuire’s (Justine Mitchell) flat, a fellow detective and relative of hers. Martha and Layla Walsh attempt to crack the case together at the Cambridge side, when a second murder takes place - this time a female university employee who worked for the Kendalls. While penniless and until recently homeless Cole McIlroy (James Cooney) may have had his own personal reasons to kill the university employee, the truth is far darker and both Arnold and Walsh learn the hard way to never judge a book by its cover… This episode also guest stars Josie Lawrence as India Vanstone, the first wife of murdered architect Rowan Jameson.

Despite all the crime cases, there’s still space for the human side of things and the same goes for some humour, in particular whenever long-suffering Max Arnold has to deal with his eccentric aunt Olivia (though he really, he loves her). The performances are stellar, just don’t expect any high octane action scenes here. DVD Special features consist of Picture Gallery and optional subtitles.