Murder, She Wrote (British Television Series)

Murder, She Wrote is a British crime drama television series starring Sheila Hancock as mystery writer and amateur detective Josephine French. It aired for 11 series and 27 specials on BBC One between 1992 and 2018, and remains ongoing. It is a British remake of the US series of the same name, starring British-American actress Angela Lansbury. Lansbury appeared as her American counterpart in a 1998 episode, 2 years after her own series ended.

The last regular series of Murder, She Wrote aired in 2002, but was followed by a seasonal special airing on Christmas Eve every year since. However in 2018, BBC One announced that Hancock had signed up to appear in a 12th series set to air sometime in 2019. A spin-off book series also continues to be published by BBC Books.

Series 1 - 3
''In the quaint Cornish town of Talworth Green, retired schoolteacher Josephine French has started writing mystery novels to pass the time since her husband's death a year early. But that's not all that's keeping her busy, as scandal, intrigue and even murder embroil the small village, and Josephine is there to unravel it.''

In the series 1 finale, a publisher from London contacts Josephine, offering to publish her book. In series 2, set a year after the previous series, Josephine is shown as a successful crime writer but still living in Talworth Green, working on sequels to her hugely successful first novel. She remains in Talworth Green for the majority of the third series too, venturing out to neighbouring villages and solving murders there too. In the third series finale, she embarks on a nationwide book tour and temporarily leaves Talworth Green.

Series 4
''Josephine French is now touring the UK with her second book, A Lesson in Murder, alongside her publisher and her assistant. But death seems to follow Josephine wherever she goes, as she puts her sleuthing abilities to good use and brings murderers to justice all over the UK.''

Series 4 sees a change of location for Josephine French as she leaves Talworth Green after 3 series based there. Producers changed the location due to people wondering if that much death would occur in such a small town. In the series 4 finale, Josephine discovers someone has burned down her Talworth Green home while she was away, suspecting someone is holding a grudge against her, she decides to relocate to London to be closer to her nephew.

Series 5 - 7
''Josephine French is now a resident of the north London suburb Epton Town, working peacefully in her spacious apartment on her fifth novel. But as she befriends her neighbours, she also begins solving crimes, even before the metropolitan police!''

Series 5 sees Josephine French finally relocate to London much like Jessica Fletcher's changing focus to New York City in later seasons of the American counterpart. Series 5 also introduces a serial element to the show as opposed to a episodic approach from previous series, Josephine is the target of an old enemy, and while solving new crimes, Josephine reaches out to an old friend from Talworth Green to help her find who is trying to kill her. In series 6, a new serial element was introduced, with Josephine's nephew running for parliament and subsequently winning. Jonathan French being an MP became a major plot point in the 7th series, which saw an American diplomat murdered during a meeting with Jonathan, this episode is notable for featuring Angela Lansbury as Josephine's American counterpart Jessica Fletcher in a special crossover instalment.

Series 8
Josephine French embarks on a tour of Europe with her latest book, Murder on a Gondola, and takes her sleuthing skills to the continent with the help of her Swedish cousin Magda.

Series 8 adopted a similar format to Series 4 in that each episode was set in a different location. This was the first series of the show not to be shot anywhere in the UK. Series 8 also sets up the setting for the final 3 regular series, with Josephine selling her London apartment and moving to the fictional seaside tourist resort of Clifford Bay in Sussex.

Series 9 - 11
Josephine French has now settled in as a permanent resident at the Seaview B&B in Clifford Bay, a seaside resort unlike any other - the home of drug kingpins and ruthless killers, Josephine French proves to be their worthy match as she puts her sleuthing skills to the test while starting to write a brand new book series for her publishers.

Series 9 was the first series of Murder, She Wrote to feature a regular ensemble beyond Shirley Hancock's Josephine French, with B&B owners Mr and Mrs Oliver appearing regularly, along with various other residents of Clifford Bay. The series returned to its episodic roots for series 9 and 10, while series 11 saw the return of Josephine's nephew, who, after being arrested for murder, seeks his aunt's help in bringing the real killer to justice. Series 11 was intended to be the last and intentionally ended on a cliffhanger. After fan outcry, the BBC announced the series would return for a Christmas special in 2003 to resolve the cliffhanger. After huge ratings, the BBC continued the tradition of the specials to the present day.

Specials
Josephine French continues her sleuthing while maintaining her writing career, visiting friends all over the UK and Europe along the way.

Much like the specials that had accompanied regular series of Murder, She Wrote, the specials that followed the series end were initially Christmas-themed. Until 2009, where the seasonal special was set in Majorca in July. The specials were then considered as more one-off adventures rather than seasonal specials. In 2012, a feature-length special aired to mark the show's 20th anniversary, accompanied by a reflective documentary featuring much of the show's cast. When the 2018 Christmas special ended on a cliffhanger (all previous specials had a conclusive ending), the BBC announced they had commissioned an 8-part twelfth series that would air in 2019, alongside the usual Christmas special.

Series 12
''When the daughter of one of Talworth Green's most prestigious residents is found dead, the police rule it as suicide. Drawn back by an old friend, acclaimed mystery writer and renowned sleuth Josephine French is brought back to the town after over a decade to solve one last crime there.''

Series 12 took a whole new approach to the series and focused on one case over the course of 8 episodes and featured Sheila Hancock leading an all-star ensemble cast for the series. The revival was both commercially and critically successful, resulting in the BBC commissioning a 13th series in late 2019. However, it was later announced that the Christmas specials would be retired in place of the revival, and that the 2019 Christmas special would be the last for the foreseeable future.

Series 13
While holidaying in Greece, Josephine French and her niece Rebecca become embroiled in a local family's dark secret that puts Josephine's wits to the most intense test yet.

Series 13 followed suit to series 12 and featured one case over 8 episodes, with a new ensemble cast led by Sheila Hancock. The BBC announced after the series had concluded that they had ordered a 14th and final series, this time comprising of three 90-minute episodes.