Sideswiped by "The Long Call"

I might have had something useful or entertaining to post here this morning, but frittered away the time usually devoted to preparation by binge watching "The Long Call," described by The Guardian as "a hefty whodunnit for autumn nights."

The four-part mystery, brought to you by the same folks who launched my favorite "Vera," premiered both in the UK and US during October. It's available here on the subscription platform BritBox.

Based on a crime novel by Ann Cleves, the film's setting is in and around a fictional village called Barnum Brethren along the North Devon coast. The Brethren are a small Christian sect who play a major role in the goings on. 

Ben Aldridge stars as DI Matthew Venn, a gay detective who grew up among the Brethren, and now must investigate a murder that, as becomes gradually evident, involves a few of its members.

Aldridge does fine, but he's backed by supporting cast members who know how to chew up scenery and spit out memorable scenes, especially Martin Shaw as Brother Dennis and Anita Dobson as his wife, Grace.

It's worth a watch and the hope is, of course, that Detective Venn and others will return in additional televised tales.