Retirement isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, especially for Agatha Raisin. But then she plumped for the Cotswolds rather than Cyprus. Where there are, apparently, rather more murders than one finds in, say, Peyia!

The titular character of a Sky One TV series (based on the books by MC Beaton), Agatha is a 50-something executive who’s had a highly successful career as a top marketing executive. But as episode 1 begins, she’s chucking in life in the London fast lane in favour of a sleepy Cotswolds existence in the fictional village of Carsely…

The village, of course, is supremely unprepared for the brash newcomer. In this insular community, where everyone’s known everyone else for donkey’s years, the self-made Brummie comes as a shock to the system.

While she totters over the ancient cobblestones in her highest heels, the locals muck about in hand-me-down Hunters. They hack to church on horses; she zooms about the lanes in a brand-new BMW. It’s a recipe for social disaster (and audience laughter)!

Fortunately, Agatha possesses a keen intelligence, an insatiable curiosity, and a particular talent for being in the midst of mayhem…

If she joins the church quiche competition, there’s sure to be a fatal poisoning. If she takes up rambling, hikers inevitably begin to expire. And should she be invited to attend a shotgun wedding, the proceedings are likely to take a literal turn for the worse!

Despite the community’s dim views of its newest member, Agatha’s a breath of fresh air for viewers. Modern, outspoken, and pushy, she’s the kind of detective who chases every lead, rubs people up the wrong way, and Gets Things Done.

Surrounded by an equally amusing cast (the long-suffering vicar’s wife, the handsome ex-war hero, the opinionated cleaner) and plonked down in an area known for its stunning views, Agatha Raisin is a triumph. The character as much as the series.

I love a good murder mystery. Especially if it’s set in middle England. And though Agatha is an entirely new breed of detective (she’s the anti-Marple; a marvel of wit and chaos!), we’re still basically watching a good old whodunnit!