Jonathan Creek-Series 5 (2013)

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General		Extras
Category	TV Series	None
Rating
Year Of Production	2013
Running Time	175:48
RSDL / Flipper	No/No	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	David Renwick
Studio Distributor	Madman Entertainment	Starring	Alan Davies Stuart Milligan Sheridan Smith Sarah Alexander
Case	Amaray-Transparent
RPI	$29.95	Music	Julian Stewart Lindsay

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Dolby Digital 2.0
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.78:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	1.78:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	English for the Hearing Impaired	Smoking	No
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

     The show Jonathan Creek, starring Alan Davies has been going in and out of fashion since 1997 on the BBC, with four proper seasons of episodes and quite a few specials being made over the first 16 or so years. The first special for a few years was an Easter special in the UK last year, The Clue of the Savant's Thumb. A fifth season has now been made, consisting of three hour long episodes. This fifth season is now available on DVD through Madman Entertainment. It is all on one dual layer DVD.

     Those who know this series well will know that the four early seasons were focused on 'locked room' style mysteries which Jonathan needed to solve. This new season takes a bit of a different approach with Jonathan and his wife, Polly (Sarah Alexander) moving to her family home in the country and Jonathan getting involved in mysteries around the area, involving their friends and neighbours. There are still mysteries to be solved, however it all feels a bit more domesticated. This is not necessarily a bad thing, just different to previous seasons. The three episodes here are enjoyable television mysteries certainly better than the special I mentioned above. The episodes are:

• The Letters of Septimus Noone - Jonathan and his wife attend a musical based on a locked room mystery. An actress gets stabbed by the wife of a security guard but the mystery becomes more complex.
• The Sinner & The Sandman - Jonathan and his wife visit friends of hers for dinner but they are in the process of being robbed. The case involves the missing contents of the safe, a new Village centre, evil dreams and an old magician called Astrodamus.
• The Curse of the Bronze Lamp - The wife of a Government Minister is kidnapped and embarrassing photos of Polly are mailed to her.

     Certainly worth a look but this season takes Jonathan Creek in a different direction which may disappoint long-time fans.

Video

     The video quality is good but probably restricted by the amount of material on one disc.

     The episodes are presented in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio which is the original aspect ratio. It is 16x9 enhanced.

     The picture was reasonably clear and sharp but not as good as many new series. The shadow detail was good.

     The colour was generally good but nothing spectacular.

     There was some motion blur but no other noticeable artefacts.

     There are subtitles in English for the Hearing Impaired which are clear and easy to read.

     The layer change is not obvious.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

     The audio quality is very good.

     This set contains an English soundtrack in Dolby Digital 2.0.

     Dialogue was mostly clear and easy to hear and understand, although the subtitles were useful at times.

     The music sounds fine without standing out.

     The surround speakers and subwoofer were not used.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Menu

    The menu included music and stills.

    This disc is the same in Region 2.

       Jonathan Creek comes back for a fifth season, however, this feels like a different show. Not unenjoyable but certainly different to what has come before.

    The video quality is very good.

    The audio quality is very good.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall