It’s about time Sally Phillips got her own murder mystery drama. Joining the ranks of David Mitchell in Ludwig, Alan Davies in Jonathan Creek, and Steve Martin and Martin Short in Only Murders in the Building, the Bridget Jones star is the latest comedy favourite to front a cosy crime show – and it doesn’t get much cosier than this.
Written by acclaimed playwright and screenwriter Jim Cartwright, the six-part series follows Lily Petal (Phillips), a hairdresser who swaps bustling city life for a charming rural village populated by delightfully eccentric locals. In a world that feels increasingly cynical, this series is the much-needed light-hearted escapism we’ve been waiting for.
In the premiere episode, Lily arrives in the bucolic town of Blossom Vale to take over a derelict high-street salon that hasn’t been touched since the 1970s. “This is just perfect,” beams Lily – who looks as though she’s stepped straight out of the decade herself, behind the wheel of a classic yellow convertible while rocking high-waisted flares and patterned headscarves. Alongside her bright assistant Clary Coombs (Charlotte Jordan), who serves as the Watson to her Holmes, the pair begin solving the town’s most puzzling crimes.
Episode one puts the duo’s amateur sleuthing to the test when a local spinster is found dead, and a priceless antique teacup vanishes. Later in the season, a celebrity weather reporter meets a grim fate after giving a string of local businesses poor reviews.
© BBC/Mill Bay Media/Gary MoyesLike any great cosy crime drama, the supporting cast is stacked with quirky characters. Sunetra Sarker plays the village gossip, Clive Rowe portrays a flamboyant charity shop manager, and Guy Henry takes a turn as an eccentric antiques dealer. A lovely mash-up of genres, it feels a bit like The Vicar of Dibley meets Sister Boniface Mysteries.
Oh, and there’s also a Viking-themed fish and chip shop, Valhalla with Chips, where the staff sport fake beards and horn-adorned hats.
© BBC/Mill Bay Media/Joss BarrattDelightfully silly and packed with heart, each episode leaves you feeling warm and fuzzy. Perhaps down to the fact that every installment wraps up with a cast dance-along to a 70s classic – ranging from Sister Sledge to T. Rex – while the perpetrators often confess and express remorse over their crimes. This camp and cosy show knows exactly what it is, and is all the better for not taking itself too seriously.
Plus, Sally Phillips and Charlotte Jordan make an utterly charming double act – if only we could all have a salon duo like these two!
© BBC/Mill Bay Media/Khuram MirzaWith picturesque scenery, buckets of nostalgia, and plenty of charm, The Hairdresser Mysteries is the ultimate tonic for our times.
The Hairdresser Mysteries is available to stream on BBC iPlayer now.
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