The lowdown:  'Jonathan Creek' stars Alan Davies as the title character, who designs illusions for stage 
magician and serial womaniser Adam Klaus (Stuart Milligan). Creek also uses his expertise in the fields
of logical deduction and illusionism to solve baffling and seemingly impossible crimes. Many of the crimes
are murders, and often involve the classic "locked room" scenario, and Creek uses his skills to prove how
the crime was actually committed and that there was no magic involved. Creek is aided by investigative
journalist Maddy Magellan (Caroline Quentin) in the first three seasons. Maddy was replaced by theatrical
agent Carla Borrego (Julia Sawalha) in the final season, after Quentin left the show. Sawalha in turn was
replaced by Sheridan Smith as paranormal investigator Joey Ross in two feature-length specials when the
series was revived after five years. A total of 24 episodes and two specials were made over four seasons,
and broadcast on BBC1 between 10 May 1997 and 28 February 2004. Two further specials were broadcast
on 1 January 2009 and 4 April 2010.

The episode: 'Danse Macabre' was the first episode of the second series, and was first broadcast on BBC1
on 24 January 1998. It features Peter Davison as Reverend Stephen Claithorne. He asks Maddy to investigate
the mystery surrounding the death of his mother-in-law, horror writer Emma Lazarus. Claithorne and his family
had returned home after attending a Halloween costume party;  Lazarus is murdered by an intruder dressed
in a skeleton costume. The intruder abducts Claithorne's wife and tries to escape, but is cornered in a garage
with no way out. However, when the police arrive the intruder has gone, leaving the mystery of how he or she
escaped from a room with only one exit. Maddy is also perplexed by the case, but Jonathan Creek determines
that all is not as it seems, including the death of Lazarus.

Who connections:  Colin Baker was in the feature-length pilot episode, while Paul McGann was in the Easter
special in 2010. A number of other Doctor Who actors have had guest roles. Anthony Head (School Reunion)
played Adam Klaus in the pilot. Mary Tamm and Maureen O'Brien have also been in the series, as have Geoffrey
Beevers (The Keeper of Traken), Bernard Kay (The Dalek Invasion of Earth and Colony in Space), Ian McNeice
(Victory of the Daleks), Michael Cochrane (Black Orchid) and Maureen Lipman (The Idiot's Lantern).

 
<< Back to the Peter Davison page