Some people seem bothered because two of the major characters are non-white. Their problem.I found the characters all very convincing.I was also impressed by the way they gave an entertaining and surprising ending to the various mysteries.Quite possibly the ending Dickens had in mind

Yes, "Mystery" does vary in tone from other works by Dickens but not nearly to this extent. The whole movie plays like a sweaty dream induced by a night of heavy eating and drinking. It utterly lacks the feeling of concrete reality that Dickens somehow evokes even as he spins ludicrous tales.Not a single character feels like a real person with a real life beyond what appears on screen and a full range of emotions. There's never a hint that the choirmaster runs a choir, or that the lawyer has ever handled a case or that the schoolgirl has any studies.The very talented Matthew Rhys is wasted on a role with only two notes, hatred and self pity. But it's still the deepest role in the show. None of the other characters has more than one characteristic and many of them have none at all. Oddly, despite this lack of personality (or perhaps because of it) all of the characters are unlikable. There's no one to root for in the story.To make up for the lack of character, there is mood, lots of mood, hitting you in the face again and again with dream sequences and funny camera angles and music that is supposed to make us fearful in moments that are not scary to anyone older than 5.The production isn't even technically competent in a way you'd expect of the BBC. Rhys, who is great with accents and can surely do an English one, frequently reverts to his native Welsh. In one scene, they say the Lord's prayer as "Our Father, Who art..." rather than "Which art," which would have been used in Victorian England. It's a miracle a car did not drive through the background in one of the scenes.The worst adaptation of Dickens I have ever seen.

This production is so underrated. It made me want to re-visit the novel, which had originally been a very frustrating read.Hughes does a wonderful job developing and finishing the plot. Using Dickens' Bleak House and Our Mutual Friend as a guide, its likely that the Drood story was left less than half finished. I found the film ending satisfying and quite Dickensian in its use of coincidence and secret family ties.Among a wonderful cast, Matthew Rhys makes me want to re-watch the film. His John Jasper is wonderfully horrible, a great anti-hero. Bravo!

The Mystery of Edwin Drood starts with an arranged marriage between Rosie and Edwin watched enviously by Edwin's uncle John Jasper the restrained choirmaster who wishes to posse Rosie and in the dark of the night frequents opium dens. I loved the contrast between the upstanding choirmaster and the sinister side of Jasper who was played beautifully by Matthew Rhys who I hope to see again soon. He was the true star of the television programme but I also enjoyed the performance from Freddie Fox and Tamzin merchant who played the part of Rosie extremely well! Though Hiram Grewgious's assistant and Durdles were at times a screen stealer's. I found it extremely enjoyable and I believe the transition between the true Charles Dickens and the screenwriters was seamless. The ending where Jasper wasn't the killer of Edwin junior I think was true form for a drama where it would have been too simple for me anyway for it to have been anything less! The drug induced dreams and opium den scenes were well mixed with scenes of normality of a choirmaster which was interesting. Overall I thought it was pulled off very well and I thoroughly enjoyed it especially the scene were Jasper believes Edwin to be a ghost thanks to his drug-addled mind was wonderfully played as well as the scene where Jasper tells Rosie how he will pursue her to the death was creepy and well-acted. I would recommend this and I'd like to thank the BBC for yet another awe-inspiring period drama and for finishing a Dickens so wonderfully!