The Chelsea Detective series 1-2 Box Set – Review

By Karl Hornsey

Every crime drama needs to ensure that its leading protagonist has a quirk in his or her life, something that sets them apart from the myriad of others who keep the nation’s streets safe and sound. In the case of The Chelsea Detective, it’s the simple use of DI Max Arnold living on a boat on the River Thames, which features an awful lot in a series that feels like a worldwide advertisement for one of the more affluent boroughs of London – but more on that later.

Acorn Media International have become specialists in this type of drama series, largely grouped together as ‘cosy crime’ and they’ve hit upon another success here, as the Chelsea Detective already has two series in the bag (eight feature-length episodes), with a third one commissioned. It would appear that death done with a gentle sense of humour is, and quite possibly always has been, enduringly popular. As with many such series, the lead character is pivotal and there are few safer pairs of hands than Adrian Scarborough, who is fast moving into the category of national treasure, with his ability to turn his hand to all manner of roles, and it is he who holds this drama together with a fairly understated performance as the eponymous policeman.

“Messy relationship”

Max Arnold, as with all crime solvers, has his fair share of personal problems that provide a running theme as the cases are wrapped up in each episode, beginning with what appears to be a somewhat messy relationship break-up that has led to him living on the aforementioned houseboat – which it must be said, I’d be happy to move into tomorrow. Scarborough is supported in the first series by Sonita Henry as DS Shamsie and in the second by Vanessa Emme as DS Walsh, with the police faced with cases including a stonemason pushed to his death in front of a Tube train, the murder of an art gallery manager and the killing of a psychotherapist whose erratic patient becomes the prime suspect.

There’s something very easy about watching these episodes and, while ‘cosy crime’ may be a twee term, it really does sum up The Chelsea Detective. My only gripe would be that the series can sometimes feel like a tourist brochure for the global market, who will no doubt lap this series up, with a sparkling clean and sanitised version of the streets of London being laid before us. Other than that, or maybe even because of it, it’s easy to see Scarborough in this role for many years to come. And there’ll be few complaints if that happens.

‘The Chelsea Detective’ series 1-2 Box Set is released by Acorn Media