A very good episode with Frost coming under investigation from the British version of internal affairs. A man spent ten years in prison because of a case where evidence was probably manipulated to get a confession. Also, a harsh businesswoman has been murdered (it was made to look like suicide) and her murder pits two brothers against one another. The two interesting aspects are the heavy handedness of the investigation into Frost (who is having none of it, even though he is suspended), and a confession made before the murder where a man says he is going to commit the act. The priest, of course, is caught in the old seriousness of the sacrament of confession. He has to weigh very carefully how he is going to present this if called upon. Another interesting aspect of this case is the old methods of police work versus the rights of possible criminals. A visit to a retired priest is excellently presented and a high point of the episode.
6 Reviews
Confess your sins.....
jamiecostelo586 December 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Jack Frost is on the case of a murdered woman. It seems her husband had killed her, but is it really that simple? It turns out that this man was also under investigation 10 years previously....
Frost discusses his case with his former boss, but has he got something to hide? That's the least of Jack Frost's problems however...
Cue Cassandra from Only Fools and Horses and there is certainly great rivalry between Gwyneth Strong and David Jason, but you can never shy away from the fact that these two are really the best of friends! As usual with A Touch of Frost, you get a great storyline mixed with intrigue and a super conclusion - True Confessions is certainly that.
Frost discusses his case with his former boss, but has he got something to hide? That's the least of Jack Frost's problems however...
Cue Cassandra from Only Fools and Horses and there is certainly great rivalry between Gwyneth Strong and David Jason, but you can never shy away from the fact that these two are really the best of friends! As usual with A Touch of Frost, you get a great storyline mixed with intrigue and a super conclusion - True Confessions is certainly that.
The sanctity of the confessional
safenoe19 August 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Eoin (not Ian) McCarthy excels as the motorcycle-riding Father Murphy, who hears a murderous confession at the beginning. Interestingly, Frost doesn't take the mickey out of religion in this fine episode, as we are left guessing who the murderer is amidst affairs and an Oxfordshire hotel.
Gwyneth Strong is impressive as DS Bailey from Complaints and Discipline, who investigates Frost's alleged misconduct in an earlier and possibly related murder. Talking about murder, Jane Wymark appears here and she played Joyce Barnaby in Midsomer Murders.
Also appearing is Anthony Calf, as the chief suspect. Anthony is DAC Strickland in New Tricks, and he's one of the best things about New Tricks, with due respect to the other major stars of course.
The house that's the scene of the possible murder is quite fancy, and I'd love to know where it was filmed, as I guess it demonstrates British people can be wealthy I guess. Also I'd love to know where the church building is.
I kind of rolled my eyes when Charlie Fairclough bemoaned the fact that the police force is now called service...kind of a dig at "political correctness" whatever that means.
Gwyneth Strong is impressive as DS Bailey from Complaints and Discipline, who investigates Frost's alleged misconduct in an earlier and possibly related murder. Talking about murder, Jane Wymark appears here and she played Joyce Barnaby in Midsomer Murders.
Also appearing is Anthony Calf, as the chief suspect. Anthony is DAC Strickland in New Tricks, and he's one of the best things about New Tricks, with due respect to the other major stars of course.
The house that's the scene of the possible murder is quite fancy, and I'd love to know where it was filmed, as I guess it demonstrates British people can be wealthy I guess. Also I'd love to know where the church building is.
I kind of rolled my eyes when Charlie Fairclough bemoaned the fact that the police force is now called service...kind of a dig at "political correctness" whatever that means.
Confession time with 'A Touch of Frost'
TheLittleSongbird2 July 2017
'A Touch of Frost' is a personal favourite of mine, and one of my favourite shows from the detective/mystery genre. Do have a preference perhaps for the earlier-mid-show episodes over the later ones, but none of the episodes are less than watchable and none do anything to embarrass the show.
So much appeals about 'A Touch of Frost'. Love the mix of comedy (mostly through Frost's snide comments and quips) and dark grit, the tension between rebellious Jack Frost and by-the-book Mullet which has led to some humorous moments, how he interacts with the rest of the staff, the deft mix of one or two cases and Frost's personal life, how Frost solves the cases, the production values, music and of course David Jason in one of his best roles.
There may have been people initially sceptical about whether the show would work, and with Jason (a mainly comedic actor) in a departure from usual in the lead role. Scepticism very quickly evaporated, with the first season containing three consistently great episodes, even with the darker and grittier approach with less humour, that established the tone and characterisation so brilliantly so early on with no signs of finding-their-feet. Seasons 2 and 3 continued that high standard, "Appropriate Adults" and "Stranger in House" particularly being show highlights. Season 4 was also very good, particularly "Paying the Price" and "Deep Waters", the weakest "Unknown Soldiers" still being pretty good.
"Penny for the Guy" and "House Calls" were brilliant episodes and show high points, so naturally one expects more of the time from "True Confessions". Luckily one does get that in another one of the best episodes. It does some interest points, notably the investigation into Frost, the whole thing with the confession before the crime and the chemistry between Frost and Gwyneth Strong's Kitty.
Visually, as always with 'A Touch of Frost', "True Confessions" is a great-looking episode. It matches the dark, gritty tone of the episode beautifully with atmospheric lighting and the stylish way it's shot. The music is haunting without being over-bearing while the theme tune is one of the most iconic in the detective genre (or at least to me it is).
The script is well written, with a few very amusing quips from Frost, and thought-provoking, while the direction is solid. The story is absorbing and suitably twisty, with highlight scenes being the scene with the retired priest and a suitably tense ending with a solution that leaves one floored.
Frost is a remarkably well-established character , and one cannot help love his interaction with the rest of the officers and his chemistry with Bruce Alexander's stern and by-the-book Mullet, who constantly despairs of Frost's unconventional approach. Love the chemistry with Kitty too Jason is brilliant, then again he always was as Frost, while Bruce Alexander, Gwyneth Strong and John Lyons are more than up to his level. All the support is strong from the likes of Anthony Calf.
In summary, another great episode. 10/10 Bethany Cox
So much appeals about 'A Touch of Frost'. Love the mix of comedy (mostly through Frost's snide comments and quips) and dark grit, the tension between rebellious Jack Frost and by-the-book Mullet which has led to some humorous moments, how he interacts with the rest of the staff, the deft mix of one or two cases and Frost's personal life, how Frost solves the cases, the production values, music and of course David Jason in one of his best roles.
There may have been people initially sceptical about whether the show would work, and with Jason (a mainly comedic actor) in a departure from usual in the lead role. Scepticism very quickly evaporated, with the first season containing three consistently great episodes, even with the darker and grittier approach with less humour, that established the tone and characterisation so brilliantly so early on with no signs of finding-their-feet. Seasons 2 and 3 continued that high standard, "Appropriate Adults" and "Stranger in House" particularly being show highlights. Season 4 was also very good, particularly "Paying the Price" and "Deep Waters", the weakest "Unknown Soldiers" still being pretty good.
"Penny for the Guy" and "House Calls" were brilliant episodes and show high points, so naturally one expects more of the time from "True Confessions". Luckily one does get that in another one of the best episodes. It does some interest points, notably the investigation into Frost, the whole thing with the confession before the crime and the chemistry between Frost and Gwyneth Strong's Kitty.
Visually, as always with 'A Touch of Frost', "True Confessions" is a great-looking episode. It matches the dark, gritty tone of the episode beautifully with atmospheric lighting and the stylish way it's shot. The music is haunting without being over-bearing while the theme tune is one of the most iconic in the detective genre (or at least to me it is).
The script is well written, with a few very amusing quips from Frost, and thought-provoking, while the direction is solid. The story is absorbing and suitably twisty, with highlight scenes being the scene with the retired priest and a suitably tense ending with a solution that leaves one floored.
Frost is a remarkably well-established character , and one cannot help love his interaction with the rest of the officers and his chemistry with Bruce Alexander's stern and by-the-book Mullet, who constantly despairs of Frost's unconventional approach. Love the chemistry with Kitty too Jason is brilliant, then again he always was as Frost, while Bruce Alexander, Gwyneth Strong and John Lyons are more than up to his level. All the support is strong from the likes of Anthony Calf.
In summary, another great episode. 10/10 Bethany Cox
Intriguing, engaging episode
grantss14 June 2022
Another excellent Frost episode. Good mystery, not easily solved. Frost also encounters some internal police issues that expose how police aren't themselves above using illegal means to acheive their ends.
Frost's personal life also becomes more complex, adding to the engagement factor.
Frost's personal life also becomes more complex, adding to the engagement factor.
Questionable about Confession
Littlelep14 February 2022
The writers/director attempted to skirt the Church's stance about a priest disclosing information about a person who has confessed. The episode clouds the issue by disguising the "confession" as a search for guidance. However, a priest may not disclose even that someone has been to Confession, much less ANY facts related thereto. This certainly is not clearly represented in this episode.
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