Search - The Mixer on DVD

A cute, light-hearted British adventure-comedy

Tiggah | Calgary, Alberta Canada | 01/17/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Set in the 1930s, the Mixer (which consists of twelve 50-minute episodes) is a lighthearted 1992 British adventure-comedy starring Simon Williams (James Bellamy from Upstairs Downstairs) as Sir Anthony Rose, an aristocratic but somewhat cash-strapped English gentleman who augments his chronically depleted coffers by, in most cases, reuniting people (or institutions) with stolen goods or defrauded money--less a 10% commission for his services. He does this, however, clandestinely under the guise of "The Mixer", and he usually leaves a calling card to that effect either in place of the "loot" (for the criminals to find!) or with the returned goods (which are always returned anonymously--less his commission, of course!). "The Mixer" is aptly described, therefore, as a "cross between the Scarlet Pimpernel and Robin Hood." Occasionally, however, Sir Anthony has been known to get one over on the bad guys just for the sake of teaching them a lesson (so long as there's the chance of a profit, of course)!

Unfortunately for Sir Anthony, Scotland Yard (represented here by two humorously bumbling detectives) would just love to get their hands on "The Mixer," not realising he's actually on their side (and not realising that he is actually their acquaintance, Sir Anthony!). Throughout, Sir Anthony is assisted in his adventures by Paul (played to humorous perfection by Jeremy Clyde), his extremely capable valet, and their cases often take them out of England to locales on the continent--places like Monte Carlo, Vienna, and Paris, for example.

Sir Anthony has one weakness, however: his romantic friendship with a beautiful French chanteuse named Diane Delorme. Paul does not approve of Diane--and for good reason. The very mention of her name spells trouble. Though fond of Sir Anthony, she has some distinctly shady acquaintances, lacks his scruples, and doesn't hesitate to cross the line into ventures not entirely legitimate in her quest to augment her own coffers.

This is a cute series, and Sir Anthony is a charming character; personally, I really enjoyed seeing Simon Williams in a lighter role. Another nice thing is the fact that the boxed set appears to comprise the entire series (unlike some series which frustratingly leave one on a cliffhanger). In fact, the last episode is one of the cutest, and it really makes the series. Suffice it to say, it brings the series full circle in the most delightful way, giving it a very satisfying sense of closure.
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