User Reviews

Adapted from his own book by Nigel Williams. The Wimbledon Poisoner is a black comedy that oftens lurches into the farcical.

Henry Farr (Robert Lindsay) is a hen pecked solicitor who has had enough of his nagging wife Elinor (Alison Steadman.) So he fantasises about murdering her.

Fantasy turns into reality as he obtains some poison and adds it to some chicken he cooks for her. Unfortunately their friend Dr Donald Templeton (Larry Lamb) drops in, eats the chicken instead and drops dead.

Later the whole estate seems to have been poisoned when they drank the infected wine during the doctor's wake

Inspector Rush (Philip Jackson) a neighbour gets to be rather suspicious.

This relies a lot on Lindsay's comedy skills as Farr also provides the narration of his inner thoughts. He wonders if strangulation would had been easier.

Farr is hapless as his plans go wrong at every turn. Even Dr Donald Templeton funeral goes awry. The priest thinks he is someone else, under pressure Farr gives an expletive laden eulogy.

The first episode is powered by both Lindsay and Steadman. She has the touch of Beverly Moss, the character she played in Abigail's Party.

Henry Parr appears to be an ordinary, unassuming chap, with a nice house and nice life, but there's one stumbling block, his nagging and domineering wife Elinor, Henry is pushed too far, and plots her murder.

I haven't seen this since it first aired, but I did remember snippets of it, it's aged pretty well, and still manages to surprise and entertain.

Very much a 90's black humour, this first half plays out almost like an extended episode of Dawn French's Murder most horrid, it's that kind of absurd, farcical black humour.

The relatively low score surprises me, it's way better than the meagre rating would suggest, I'm not sure you'd say it's a classic, but it's definitely worth your time.

The best element is definitely Robert Lindsay's comedy, his sarcastic remarks and sheer desperation are joyful, the elements working against him are deliciously dark and twisted, the party scene was almost surreal.

Bags of fun, 7/10.