The Doctor Blake Mysteries is such an awesome show, the cast, the acting, story lines, scenery......I could go on and on!!! I have never seen such nice clean mysteries in quite some time, not too much gore! Very informative on medicine back in the late late 50's and the history of Australia! Craig Mclachlan has made the part his own! Nadine Garner is wonderful as the Doc's housekeeper ...

Starting watching this show on PBS last year and it is excellent. It gives a view of what Australia and the Far East was like politically after WW2 which is not very well understood by Americans. Hope the show continues with more of the rich political history of Australia. Acting and character development is good. Surprised by the writes tackling difficult topics and give a slant on them that most Americans can learn from. Mysteries are sometimes obvious but still worth watching. PBS should keep this series coming to America. Australia is such an interesting country which has an extraordinary rich history and this show gives a peek at it. Keep up good work

One of the advantages of having a multi-region DVD player is being able to watch programs from all over the world; hence, I get to watch Dr. Blake (Craig McLachian). The series is set in 1950's Australia in the town of Ballarat. Having served his turn in the army as a doctor assigned to the British hospital in Singapore, Blake was witness to atrocities, served time in a POW camp, and lost both his Asian wife (died) and daughter (orphanage). There are hints he also worked for British Intelligence; but now he has returned home, taken up his father's practice, and serves as the police surgeon (medical examiner). With his curious nature, he quickly finds himself working as amateur detective. While he has a somewhat combative relationship with boyhood friend. now Chief Supt,. Matthew Lawson (Joel Tobeck), they generally find themselves working together to sort out the crimes and catch the criminal. During the first season, Blake had an ally in Constable Daniel Parks (Rick Donald); in the second season that position is taken by Senior Constable Charlie Davis (Charlie Cousins). Then there is additional support from his insightful housekeeper Jean Beazley (Nadine Garner) ; lodger and district nurse Mattie O'Brien (Cate Wolfe) ; and assist. ME Alice Harvey (Belinda McClory). Ballarat seems to be the Australian equivalent of Cabot Cove, Maine in that it has a pretty murderous population. One of the things I enjoy about the series is the development and growth of the principal cast members. We learn a little more about each with every new episode. The mysteries are pretty good but the setting is somewhat limited to the obviously historical buildings available. This is not any real distraction but rather gives the series a feeling of reality. Dr. Blake is somewhat a character of flaws which we are given to understand are a result of his war years. He drinks too much, jumps to the occasional wrong conclusion too quickly, and can rub the town's important people the wrong way which can have consequences for both himself and his friends. Indeed at the end of season two Chief Supt. Matthew Lawson is sent off for "political" reasons and is replaced by Acting Supt. Doug Ashby, who clearly has no admiration or respect for his Medical Examiner. There is a lot to like with this series and I look forward to watching series three which I have ordered from Australia, and I understand a fourth series has been commissioned.

The Doctor Blake Mysteries may not quite be among my favourite shows of all time, but it's a riveting series that keeps getting better and one of the better detective drama shows in recent years. Unfortunately, it's buried within BBC's daytime television scheduling and aired at a time where most people will be at school or work, and the show deserves better than that.The post-war period is beautifully evoked in the sumptuous but also atmospheric settings and scenery and charming costumes and period detail. The series is beautifully shot and atmospherically lit, the dark grey-ish tinge being very appropriate and adding much to the overall feel of the series. The episodes are scored sensitively and the haunting theme tune gets embedded in the brain, while the direction is suitably restrained but the crimes and solutions sometimes have a genuine eeriness.Writing is consistently good, with great thought-provoking dialogue that always makes the mystery elements interesting but the atmosphere doesn't ever feel too grim. The story lines, apart from moments of slow pacing in the first season, are so riveting, with suspensefully written cases that you care about getting solved, that one can't wait for the next episode. The solutions are never too obvious either, nor are they too complicated. The characters are well-written and are more than just stereotypes (although it took me a while to get used to Munro, who is the complete opposite of Lawson in a not-so-good way), Lucien is a fascinating title character.Craig McLachlan is superb in the role as well, quite possibly his best role and certainly the best acting he's ever done. He seemed an unlikely choice at first, but the characters suits him perfectly. All the acting is very good actually, and seldom if ever any less.All in all, a riveting series that deserves better treatment scheduling-wise. 9/10 Bethany Cox