Off The Telly - What Shall We Watch? Super Sleuths

Episode Date: July 19, 2024

In this bonus episode they hear from listeners about their favourite TV detectives! We're talking shows like Poirot, Vera, Line of Duty, Cracker, Life on Mars and many more. Plus find out what item of clothing reminds Joanna of Helen Mirren in Prime Suspect.In Off the Telly, Natalie and Joanna talk about what they can’t stop watching, what they definitely aren’t going to bother with, and what you’re all watching at home. From new shows to comfort telly to guilty pleasures, there’s no judgement here. What’s kept us all glued to our screens this week?Self-confessed TV addicts and stars of two of the biggest shows on our screens, EastEnders and Gavin and Stacey, Natalie and Joanna are the perfect companions to your weekly viewing habits.Get in touch by sending us a message or voice note via WhatsApp to 03306 784704.Hosts: Natalie Cassidy and Joanna Page Producer: Georgia Keating Executive Producer: Pete Strauss Commissioning Editor: Rhian Roberts Unit Manager: Lucy Bannister Sounds Editor: Arlie Adlington Music by MCassoOff The Telly is a BBC Studios Audio Production for BBC Sounds.

BBC Sounds, music, radio, podcasts. Hello and welcome to Off The Telly, What Shall We Watch? from BBC Sounds. We're back with another bonus episode and we absolutely love these because we get to hear more from you lot at home. It is really, really lovely. These are our faves almost, aren't they? Yes, they are. We love hearing from you.

Now, a couple of weeks ago, we heard about your favourite TV crushes, which was such a fun episode. I was listening, you know. I listened back in the car and I was chuckling away and it was me. I did. I really, you know, it was a great episode and everyone loved it. I had loads and loads of

Instagram messages, so thank you for those as well. Saying how much you're enjoying it and that you love that one, telling me all about your crushes. So that was brilliant. We've actually got another voice note here that we want to play from Holly about her TV crush. My TV crush was John Craven of John Craven's Newsround fame. Lovely.

Like yourselves, I'm a child of the 80s, so I grew up watching John whenever he was on TV and my parents report that every time John came on TV I got shy and embarrassed would hide my face in a cushion um and just absolutely loved John and I have to say even as he advances in years I watch him on Countryfile and I do still absolutely love John not necessarily a crush more of a sort of like fatherly grandfatherly figure kind of vibe now but yeah all the love for John. That's lovely. That is lovely. Lovely John Craven. Yes. What a lovely head of hair. Yes and wasn't he just the font of all knowledge? Yeah. You just you knew where you were and he'd just teach you something

wouldn't he? Really really really. I love that crush. Oh, that's lovely. That is a really, really good one. Oh. Well, this week we're talking about your favourite TV detectives. Now, we asked you to send in voice notes about your favourite super sleuths and my God, have you delivered. Have I? Yes, we've got loads, which is amazing.

Now, my, well, I've got absolutely loads, obviously. We know that I love Marple and this is loads. Yeah, of course. But one that I absolutely loved was Robbie Coltrane when he was Cracker. Now, I must have been, I don't know if I was doing A-levels round about that time. I can't remember. But I discovered it. I didn't watch it with my parents or anything.

It was something I'd watch on my own. And I liked that it was gritty and the show was dark and it was just I just like the whole psychology and all of that you know and and he'd go into the minds of the murderers and everything and and I just thought that he was mesmerizing he was so charismatic and so different to how the normal tv cop is I mean you know he was a big fella. He was a drinker. His marriage was on the rocks. He was having an affair, you know, with the other detective in the office.

I never got into Cracker. He was very powerful and charismatic and strong and just, I know it was just something, yeah, I thought he was brilliant, brilliant in it. I loved Cracker. Fantastic. Fantastic. Well, I was really thinking about my favourite detective.

And I just think it's such a hard call to say one. Yeah. But I would have to go, I think, back to Hercule Poirot in the days when it used to be on ITV at nine o'clock at night and I used to stay up and watch it with my mum and dad. And I might have been about seven or eight, nine. Yeah. And I used to fully watch it and absolutely love it.

And that was David Suchet. Oh, God. I can imagine you sitting on the sofa and watching it. Yeah, and I remember watching it. And I remember it was a black screen. Yeah. And it had a little rectangle with a little dancing lady. And it used to come and I used to think,

oh, this is so grown up, you know? Yes. So grown up. And it was a real proper story, wasn't it? So it would be from start to finish, wasn't it? Start to finish, four-parter. Yes. On it went.

And yeah, I used to really love watching that. And Poirot was a bit scary, wasn't he? He was himself, wasn't he? He was a bit, he was his stern. Yeah, very stern and quite mysterious. Yeah. But I think, I just think when you've got a good detective, like you say,

you just know they're going to crack the case. Yes. There's something about them, it's magical. Yeah. You know, the intelligence and the intrigue and obviously the story. A good detective series, you can't beat it. You genuinely can't, can you? Right, shall we hear some of these voice notes

about your favourite TV detectives? Come on. Yay! Hi, Nat. Hi, Jo. My name is Debbie and I'm from Maple Durham in South Oxfordshire. The formidable Vera Stanhope, played by the lovely Brenda Blethen, OBE.

Vera, to me, a resilient woman of a certain age, who has, quite frankly, earned her right to be easily irritated and not scared to show it either. So I'm in awe of her obsession to crack murder cases in her own dishevelled way, using her calculated mind to see things that others might miss, and they often do. This is a show I initially dismissed as dull and predictable, and probably by the looks of it was going to be really boring, but I was so wrong.

So thank you, Vera. One day I'm going to buy a car key Mac, one of those floppy hats and a lime green knitted scarf, just like you wear, and drive off into the Oxfordshire sunset in my rusty old Land Rover so thanks a lot lots of love to everybody Debs oh thanks Debs that's lovely do you know I think I'm going to start watching Vera that might be want to watch it yeah me too because I've I have I have the same preconceptions about it that I thought, oh, I bet it's a bit boring

and stuff. Yeah, a bit slow, a bit boring, kind of Sunday night. But also, that doesn't make it boring. It's just a lovely genre. Honestly, Jackie says,

my mother-in-law, she says she absolutely loves it. She said it's really clever and Brenda Bleffin is just absolutely fantastic. And Brenda Bleffin's amazing. She is, isn't she?

Yeah. Oh, I think we've got to get watching. Yeah, I'm going to watch Vera. You've got to. Yeah. Let's have another one. Hey, guys. Victoria from Oxford here.

Sorry I'm a bit croaky. It's currently 4.22 in the morning and I'm laid up with my baby because he's just not tired. I think sleep regression's kicking in. So we're listening to the pod. Now, if you want to go TV detectives, it's got to be the one and only David Jason in A Touch of Frost.

Plays by his own rules. Doesn't care what anybody above him says. He's just, he's just amazing. Absolutely amazing in it. He's amazing in everything Absolutely amazing in it. He's amazing in everything but in that, I love it. I love a good touch frost episode. I'm well into him. I could watch him five times over and still not guess who's done it.

It goes in one ear and out the other. But he, I just watch it for him. And then probably scare myself before going to bed. Oh. How do you feel, right, about watching David Jason in a touch of frost? Because you love him as Del Boy so much. I know I do, but I do. I like frost.

I like it. My dad couldn't stand it. I know. My parents didn't like frost. They found him. They didn't like that he's quite angry in it. My dad just couldn't get over the Del Boy thing. Yeah.

Yeah. So what's he doing in this, My dad just couldn't go over the Del Boy thing. Yeah, yeah. So what's he doing in this, pretending to be a detective now? I said, but Dad, he's not Del Boy. It's because he's an actor. I said, because he's an actor, Dad. Now, coming over there, doing all the detective thing. Someone we haven't mentioned. Yeah.

Who I think I have to give a special mention, because this is what happens. We start talking and it all comes out. John Thorpe as Inspector Morse. Oh, God. Now, that reminds me of being young and staying up late and the music. Everything about it. Something a bit scary. Yes.

He was phenomenal. God, he was. Very charismatic. Very. And what was the name of his, was it Kevin? Yes. Well, Kevin was the actor's name. Kevin.

Kevin Waitley. Kevin Waitley. Yes. Kevin Waitley, wasn't it, with him as the assistant? And then they carried on. And then did Lewis. Wow. That's incredible, isn't it?

Really, really brilliant. You know, when you get good detective shows and good cops, they're really good, aren't they? Yeah, brilliant. Oh, let's have another one. Yeah. Hi, Jo and Natalie. Joel here from Coventry.

And I'm answering your call out for favourite TV detectives for your bonus episode. And I have a top three. And they are John Nettles as DCI Tom Barnaby from Midsomer Murders. Absolute classic. DC Joe Masters from the ITV drama The Bill. And from Law & Order UK, DI Natalie Chandler, played by the great Harriet Walter.

Love the podcast. Thanks. Bye. Oh, he knows his stuff. Oh, Joel. You know what you like, don't you, sweetheart? You are good. You are good. I think that Joel should send us more voice notes in. I like your breakdown of your top three. It's good.

Very, very good. It's hard to have a favourite. It is. You can't just pick one. Really hard to have one. Yeah, I'm in agreement with John Nettles. Going from Bergerac to Barnaby. Good God.

Really, really good. Oh, my God. I love Midsomer Murders. Bergerac was just always on when I was growing up. I always remember John Nettles as Bergerac. And then Midsomer Murders, I mean, flip a neck, it was just brilliant, brilliant. My dad adored Midsomer Murders.

Really? Oh, he loved it. Absolutely loved it. I can't tell you that I've sat and watched many of those. I like it because there's always a bit of comedy but you were in one i was in yeah i was in one because john nettles left and then neil dudgeon came as the new barnaby and i had watched it you know for like ages and you know been watching it and everything in barnaby still and everything

and then suddenly being in it and as obsessed as i am with like Agatha Christie and whodunits and all of these things to then I couldn't I was so nervous I couldn't take it all seriously so what was your part I was being I was this um I was this um woman who actually turns out to be an undercover detective right who was like some dolly bird um with this fella who um was suspected of the murder and then so I was all done up in I think I was wearing a pair of white jeans at one point and I was plastered in makeup and I was all done up you know with big heels and everything and I was like that as he was interviewing me yeah I just remember feeling awfully nervous when Barnaby came up and I had to turn around and face him and I just in my mind couldn't take it seriously.

Wow. I kept turning around and going, oh my God, it's Barnaby. Did you have one of those experiences where you kind of come out of yourself and you're looking down? Yes, I was very nervous, worried I couldn't remember my lines

because I was kind of like, this is too much for me. But it's basically like putting me in the film Death on the Nile with Peter Ustinov and asking me to just, and me just being like, I'm sorry, I can't cope with this I just love it too much

oh it was just right up my street I had a whale of a time I loved it oh what a lovely job yeah so fun so much fun fantastic but thank you Jo

for your voice note yes thank you I don't know the other two neither do I do you know I didn't watch the bill I never watched the bill and also

I didn't know that Harriet Walter was in Law and Order UK no not an idea but thank you so much. Thank you. I love how precise you were. You know your stuff.

Yes, I love that breakdown. Yes. Let's have another one. One of my favourite things to watch is Life on Mars with John Simm and Philip Glenister. They are just my favourite men in the world. Don't tell my boyfriend. The programme, I think it came out maybe 2006. And I just remember sitting on the sofa every week, watching it with my parents. Absolutely loved it. If you've never watched it, you really, really should. It is obviously

slightly more, maybe slightly more dated now because it came out so long ago really should it is obviously slightly more maybe slightly more dated now because it came out so long ago but it is a classic and it deals with some really really interesting storylines it's funny it's gritty i think you will just absolutely loved it love it if you haven't watched it already you really really should oh thank you never seen it oh my god so life on mars oh my god you know when i knew that we were doing this my one of my first thoughts Oh, thank you. Never seen it. Oh, my God. So, Life on Mars. Oh, my God. Do you know, when I knew that we were doing this, one of my first thoughts was Life on Mars.

Really? Because it's such a good show, yeah. Because in the second one, then, Keely Hawes is the detective. Right. And she, you know, is like the one who John Simm was. But it's just really, really good. So, John Simm is a detective. And then he gets, it's either hit by a car or something,

I can't remember now, and he's knocked unconscious. Did he go a car or something i can't remember now and he's knocked unconscious do they go back in time he wakes up and he's gone back in time to the early 70s i think okay and so he just goes back into the police force and so he is like you know a normal man as we would know today and but he goes back into like the early 70s and he's working with philip glenister who is like this sexist you know 70s 70s cop that, you know, chats to women that, you know, all of the women just work in the office and they're just like the way that he talks to women. But it's just, it's so well done.

I mean, it's just so, so good. Oh no, I would, I'd love that. If you were starting as a new detective, you can basically pick your own costume and do your own thing and stuff, can't you? Oh, wow. What would you have? It's kind of like being the new Doctor Who as well, isn't it?

Because you will have your, like, outfit and your thing that you're known for and you're like... It's a big one to think about. It is, isn't it? I think I'd want to be a cool detective. So kind of my age, obviously, you know, 40s, converse yeah nice big coat very expensive a long coat yeah converse on yeah little bag yeah going around doing my thing quite just a modern yeah very confident don't take any bullshit yeah let's get this job done yeah but also quite clever can

befriend people to get in that sort of stuff it'll be good wouldn't it because you would have your your proper uniform wouldn't you i think i might have like a little i think i'd want like a little leather jacket because i might be a bit of an edgy sort of like little would you drive a motorbike like lovejoy no oh no i wouldn't drive a motorbike but Like Lovejoy? No. Oh, no, I wouldn't drive a motorbike, but I might drive an antique Triumph Herald. I'd drive an antique Triumph Herald. I would have a pair of black flares

and a little leather jacket and I'd wear like just a vest underneath it and I'd have my little cop badge type thing there and then I'd be quite edgy and you wouldn't know if I was a cop or if I wasn't and then I'd turn up. I might do a bit of forensics as well because I've always wanted to wear one of the white suits yes yeah yeah yeah yeah I think I'd be like that and I might have some form of hat or scarf because if Vera's got like a lime green scarf that she wears all the time I might have

like a little silk scarf let's have another one hi both uh my name's karen my favorite favorite that i will watch from end to end round and round and round on a loop is line of duty absolutely love every single one of them i will watch it all from start to finish at least two or three times a year. Thanks. I love the show. Bye. Oh, God, definitely. You know, I don't think any other sort of cop show has got us all going quite like Line of Duty. You know, when it was just at the end of every series and we're like, oh, my God, do we know who H is?

Oh, it was so good. Oh, God, yes. I loved Steve and Kate. And I absolutely loved Adrian Dunbar. Oh, God, Ted. And how about the woman? Come on, Ted. What was her name?

Oh, my God, Polly Walker, who was kind of like, yes. Yeah. Oh, my God. It was cracking. Line of Duty was cracking. So good. And all the way through, I kept thinking, is it Ted? Is it Ted?

Is it Ted? And then when Anna Maxwell Martin came in at the end. Oh, my. Oh, God, it was so good. She was so good in that. So good. When she came in that interview room. Oh, no, it was great.

It was great. I would watch all of that again. Me too. I could easily go back and watch it all. I'm sure they're going to bring it back. Because now that Ryan, the young boy, has infiltrated the police, because do you remember how it finished? They can't leave it there. I mean, surely it's got to be a few years and then they've got to bring it back.

Got to. Yeah, they've got to. Oh God, it was so good. Such a good show. What a brilliant one. Thank you. Line of Duty is modern day detective. We're talking about the cream of the crop there.

Oh, I think we've got time for one more voice note. Oh, yeah. Come on. So there is two. The first one's Benedict Cumberbatch. And that's only when he's playing Sherlock Holmes because there's something really sexy about his intelligence and his mysterious ways.

And I like his curly hair. And then second one is his partner in crime, Dr Watson. So Martin Freeman, I have a crush on him. And all my friends are like, why? But I just do. And then, Joanna, you've kissed him. It's just not on. It's not happening.

Thank you for your voice note. And I would like to say I've actually kissed both of them. Have you? Yes. Not in like a social setting for my pleasure. But yeah, I've kissed Martin in Love Actually. Yes, obviously. And I've kissed Benedict when we did a show together called To the Ends of the Earth.

Oh, wow. And it was this BBC costume drama. And we both ended up on this ship and he falls in love with me and we get together and then at the end, yeah, we kiss. I need to have a day, a rainy day, where I go on YouTube and I just look up all your old jobs. Because it's amazing, all the people you've worked with. But yes, I would like to say, in response to that voice note,

I've kissed both of them. Oh, she's not going to like you. It's the last voice note we get from her. I've kissed both of her crushes. Unbelievable, really. Oh, God. Wow. I used to get that a lot, though.

You know, with the Jamie thing, Jamie Mitchell, Jack Ryder. Oh, my God, yes. I used to have real death stares in the street, you know, really hating me. Oh, my God. All the teenage girls really not liking me. Oh, my God, yes. I used to have real death stares in the street, you know, really hating me. All the teenage girls really not liking me. Oh, my God, that's so true. Because obviously it was my boyfriend in the show. It's quite scary when they get... Yeah, they've got a real crush on and they really don't like you.

I bet that's true, isn't it? Yeah, I bet that's like that they can really see you as, yeah, not liking you because you're getting to do it. Yeah. What a strange job we have. It is a strange job, isn't it? Yeah. Yeah, it's very odd. God, but fun.

Very, very fun. Good fun. Very lucky, aren't we? Well, I think that's all for our voice notes. Honestly, I could carry on doing this. We need to do another episode on TV super sleuths because there's so many. There are so many. We've not even mentioned Helen on TV super sleuths because there's so many. There are so many. We've not even mentioned Helen Mirren in Prime Suspect.

Oh, my goodness. I just loved her. Well, I loved her whole character and everything, but I just remember her thermal vests because I loved the fact that she'd go into the toilet and then she'd sort of take her shirt off and she'd always have these thermal vests on that my mum had and she'd have a wash under her arms.

And then I remember being really excited when I found out that she didn't smoke in real life and that she was just doing it you know for her character and being faceted I loved her hair I just loved I for a while I went and tried to find the same colour lipstick because she used to kind of wear her lips no it was kind of like a berry sort of like it was sort of a bit like a berry kind of colour. It was as if it was a bit sort of like bitten. And I used to go to the body shop and they would have like this little berry coloured lipstick, which I would dab on because it would make me feel a bit like Helen Mirren in Prime Suspect.

That's brilliant. I know it's ridiculous. And I've bought myself, because I've got them now, thermal vests like that. And every time I put them on, I think of Helen Mirren in Prime Suspect. Brilliant. And on that note, that is the end of this episode. It's been such a treat hearing from you guys and you genuinely are the reason why we love doing this pod and doing these bonus eps.

Fantastic. Absolutely brilliant. Now for our next bonus ep, we want to hear from you about your favourite TV villains. Who did you absolutely love to hate? From Moriarty in Sherlock to Paul Robinson in Neighbours, we want to hear from you about your favourite baddies from all types of shows. It doesn't have to be a character either. It could be someone from a reality show. We want to hear about all of them.

Oh, my gosh. Send us a voice note on WhatsApp and we might play it in our next bonus ep. The number is 03306784704. I feel like actually phoning that myself and just doing a whole massive big bit on just my TV villain. You don't have to because we can come in here and listen to everyone else and I listen to you. Don't clog up the phone line. TV villains is brilliant, by the way. It's so good. So good. God, I'm already thinking of it.

I'm thinking, and also because it can be reality as well. Yes. Really, really good. Oh, God. Really good. Right, thank you so much again for listening and we'll be back next Wednesday

with more Off The Tele on BBC Sounds. Bye. Bye, Jo. Right, thank you so much again for listening and we'll be back next Wednesday with more Off the Telly on BBC Sounds. Bye! Bye, Jo. Bye, everyone. Off the Telly is hosted by Natalie Cassidy and Joanna Page. The producer is Georgia Keating. The commissioning editor is Rhian Roberts and it's a BBC Studios audio production for BBC Sounds. Hi guys, I'm Rylan, and this is How To Be In The Spotlight from BBC Sounds.

It's the podcast where together, we're going to hear what it's like to be thrust into the public eye by those who've lived to tell the tale. In this podcast, I'm going to be joined by 12 fantastic guests who are going to share how they've learned to navigate the perks, pressures and pitfalls of fame. This is Ryland, how to be in the spotlight. Listen on BBC Sounds.