Search - Rosemary & Thyme - Series One on DVD

Enjoyable mysteries

Dianne Foster | USA | 04/18/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"ROSEMARY & THYME won't win any Golden Globes, but it is a fun series. The creative twist comes with the gardening angle.

Mrs Thyme is a middle-aged woman with ties to the police force through a soon-to-be X-husband and son, and she spent time on the force herslf before she married a DCI. She lost her house and garden when hubby ran off with a 23-year old, but she misses her garden the most. Due to her training, Mrs Thyme has a 'copper's eye' for noticing when things are out of order, and it seems where ever she and Rosemary Boxer work, things are soon out of order.

You might recognize Pam Ferris who plays Mrs. Thyme--she was Ma on the 'Darling Buds of May.' Rosemary Boxer is played by Felicity X who starred in 'The Camomile Lawn' and played on 'Good Neighbors' a Britcom from the 70s. Rosemary is an academic gardener with an analytic mind and an ability to sleauth chemical solutions compared with Mrs Thyme's more organic approach to resolving problems. The two link up and form a gardening business when Rosemary loses her academic job.

The gardening business becomes a dective business when a mutual acquaintance is mysteriously killed after his vahicle rolls through an intersection and is hit by a truck. (Brakes and other mechanical things fail more often than not on this series)

"Soak the Privit cuttings in Yew bark solution? That's an old wives' tale" says Rosemary.

"I am an old wife" says Mrs Thyme.

If you like Britcom type mysteries with little or no gore and two older babes chasing the bad guy(s), and plot reminiscient of those shown in the 1970s, Rosemary and Thyme may be your cup of tea. Many interesting character actors from other mysteries appear in cameo roles in a series that reveals more knowledgeabout English Gardens and horticulture than crime.

I liked Rosemary and Thyme, znd although I felt the plots fell a bit short of being mysterious the garden angle is fascinating. The two female actors carry the day. The settings are comparable to those in other British mysteries (beautiful and old!!) and Rosemary drives an ancient land rover. The producers could have put all six of the first episodes on one DVD, but three disks will come in the first set. This fact is extremely annoying for one with storage/space issues. (Hint Hint)"

Rosemary and Thyme

Elaine E. Deyo | Branson, Missouri | 06/21/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I enjoy both Pam Ferris and Felicity Kendal in several other presentations. This one is my particular favorite because they work as a team! I love it because of the light mystery format, the wonderful settings and the ladies are just delightful! The reason I give five stars is because no higher ones are allowed. I long for fun things to watch, not the prevalent gory stuff out today. These are "real" women. Finally, something for people who don't enjoy always seeing unbelieveable young girls, sometimes with little acting ability, in the spotlight. Thanks for this series. Well worth the price."

British Cosies, Which Combine Gardening, Botany...And Murder

C. O. DeRiemer | San Antonio, Texas, USA | 03/15/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Cosies are to mysteries what tea and crumpets are to blood pudding...there's a very different taste involved. It's wise to remember, however, that the tea can be poisoned even more easily than the pudding. Cosies usually feature village or small town settings, good manners, gossip and indiscreet goings-on, a self-appointed detective or detectives who are of a certain age and usually female, often self-conscious puns for titles...and murder. Rosemary & Thyme fit the formula in satisfying style.

Rosemary Boxer (Felicity Kendal), a botany biologist, has just lost her job at her university...let go by her ex-husband. Laura Thyme (Pam Ferris), has just seen her husband leave her for a younger woman. She's a former policewoman and an avid gardener. Rosemary and Thy...Laura...meet by chance and, with nothing better to do, agree to work together at an estate to save some ailing trees. There is the owner of the estate suffering from a noxious condition of skin blisters and lesions, a loving wife who administers the salve which gives him relief, a sullen housekeeper and a fatal car accident. Before long the two women are up to their eyes in a mystery of murder and madness which only Laura's police memory and Rosemary's knowledge of dangerous plants can solve.

Rosemary & Thyme is a well-produced series of murder mysteries. Kendal and Ferris are first-rate actresses, quite happy to play their age (actually, they play about 15 years younger than their age and are convincing). Kendal is small, quick and sounds a little like Joan Greenwood. Ferris carries a few extra pounds, and can be determined. They interact with each other easily and naturally. As usual with most British productions, there is acting depth and high production standards. The series is filmed at a number stately homes and major gardens in England.

There are five other episodes in the Season One set. The mysteries all involve some aspect of gardening and plant knowledge. The DVD picture is just fine. The only worthwhile extra is a filmography for the major characters."

Gardening fans will love this!

W. Oliver | Alabama | 11/28/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"If you like gazing at lush English gardens, then you will enjoy this series simply for the scenery. If you love mysteries as well, you are in for a double treat! I found myself glued to the six one-hour episodes in short succession and can't wait for Series Two. The series is very well done with excellent photography and producation standards and the actors are top notch.

One quibble - the picture appeared a tad distorted (stretched) on my 35" tv screen. There was no letter-box option so I'm wondering if the series was filmed in widescreen format but presented fullscreen on the dvd? I wasn't sure and could not correct it. However, it wasn't bad enough to ruin the pleasure of a fun six hours.

An added bonus - check out the excellent website listed on the dvd box ([...]) for behind the scenes stories, interviews with the leading ladies and identifications for the gardens used in the shows."