Despite the current COVID restrictions it was entertaining and what a great cast putting Rob Braden as MrGilbert in as a similar person to Dodds is great looking forward to next one
20 Reviews
Great return of a good series
briansullivan-808321 March 2021
Up and away.
valstone5210 May 2021
I found this to be a great episode. People have been to realize that this is a very good new series. Give it a chance to instead of the trashing it. Like one person said, there are ev other people who series called to make watch. No one is making you watch, if you're going to complain, don't., watch.
A decent enough opening to the second series
Tweekums4 March 2021
As this, the first episode of the second series, opens a group of friends head to a field outside Bath. Here they are joined by a fifth person; they don't seem that pleased to see him. They all take off for a balloon flight. As they approach the city a carabiner holding the basket in place breaks causing it to swing precariously before the balloon makes a forced landing. By the time they land there is one less person on board, the latecomer... did he fall, did he jump or was he pushed? DCI McDonald and DS Dodds are joined by Roy Gilbert of the 'Air Accidents Investigation Branch' who quickly established that the balloon was sabotaged... was this done by somebody trying to kill all aboard or one of the survivors hoping to create an opportunity to push the victim out?
I enjoyed this episode although it is definitely light weight fare with its cast of well-known guest stars playing suspects in an unlikely potential murder case. Being light weight isn't too much of a problem and the set up gives plenty of suspects to keep viewers guessing till near the end. Even after the main mystery is solved there are more revelations to enjoy. There are some decent laughs to be had; many from Dodds not seeing that Gilbert is very like him in many ways. The cast is solid with fun guest appearances from Rob Brydon as Gilbert and Martin Kemp, Patsy Kensit, Rupert Graves and Cathy Tyson as the four surviving balloonists. Overall not a must see but it passes the time nicely if you enjoy light-hearted murder mysteries... still I'd have preferred new 'Midsomer Murders' or 'Brokenwood Mysteries'.
I enjoyed this episode although it is definitely light weight fare with its cast of well-known guest stars playing suspects in an unlikely potential murder case. Being light weight isn't too much of a problem and the set up gives plenty of suspects to keep viewers guessing till near the end. Even after the main mystery is solved there are more revelations to enjoy. There are some decent laughs to be had; many from Dodds not seeing that Gilbert is very like him in many ways. The cast is solid with fun guest appearances from Rob Brydon as Gilbert and Martin Kemp, Patsy Kensit, Rupert Graves and Cathy Tyson as the four surviving balloonists. Overall not a must see but it passes the time nicely if you enjoy light-hearted murder mysteries... still I'd have preferred new 'Midsomer Murders' or 'Brokenwood Mysteries'.
Great blend of mystery and the 80s
wrevvwsm8 August 2021
Amazingly Brilliant Episode!
melissasnyder-397927 August 2021
I'm glad it's back-
agnabeya1 March 2021
But the plot holes in this story were shocking! I am hoping the writing in the next episodes improve, though. I will watch them all because of the wonderful Jason Watkins input. He is such a pleasure to watch-like Toby Jones. They both dignify any dodgy scripts and nonsense. Rob Brydon was equally marvellous- and the two junior sidekicks are shaping up well. I enjoyed the developing relationship between DCI McDonald and Dodds. All of them deserved a better script. It was still fun- and I look forward to seeing Bath-just like Oxford was for Morse. I did enjoy it- a bit-but I look forward to a better story next week.
10/10
jemburey-8557530 June 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Take no notice of the nitpickers! Just watched this episode and thought the storyline was one of the best I've come across.
I know there were a couple of factual errors (weight of weights for example) but unless you research this straight away or have this knowledge in your head (why would you?) they don't matter and I don't mind.
I love the little humour drops (Dodds' friend was a librarian (I think!) then tells us he's also dyslexic - it's the way he tells it!)
Overall it's more than enough to keep most people happy, unless your hobby is looking for errors.....
I know there were a couple of factual errors (weight of weights for example) but unless you research this straight away or have this knowledge in your head (why would you?) they don't matter and I don't mind.
I love the little humour drops (Dodds' friend was a librarian (I think!) then tells us he's also dyslexic - it's the way he tells it!)
Overall it's more than enough to keep most people happy, unless your hobby is looking for errors.....
Could have been a better series
spikeluvr9 August 2021
I tried hard to like this series because I love British mysteries. I struggled through the first season even though I couldn't stomach DCI McDonald. By the end of the first series it seemed she might finally have realized how invaluable Dodds was to her investigations. But for most of the very first episode of the second season she's back to the stereotype of every bad police officer in British crime shows. She's an arrogant know it all who routinely dismisses valid points of view to cling to her own poor deductions. She's constantly sneering at those who serve under her and she's happy to throw them under the bus to deflect criticism. She's the worst kind of female stereotype- a female who can't be driven or aggressive without being a witch. Having her finally work with Dodds as an equal for the last part of the episode is too little, too late. If I continue watching the series it will only be because I really enjoy the Dodd character and the always stellar casts in British tv. They made a major mistake creating that female character. It's as if the writers don't like women and feel compelled to make them unlikable.
Good fun
dennisonfamily-642614 March 2021
It was a great pleasure to watch it.
JinJin-547534 March 2021
Back with a flop.
Sleepin_Dragon28 February 2021
Five People go up in a hot air balloon, only four return alive.
You'd be forgiven for thinking that this was going to be exciting reading the summary...... Sadly in reality it was one of the most boring things I've sat through in ages.
This reminded me of the very first episode, once again though, I'll stick with it, in the hope that it gets better, episode two of the first series was great, and showed what the show could be.
I'll be honest, this was terrible, absolutely shocking, this needed to be on in the afternoons, giving people an alternative to Doctors.
DCI McDonald, why is she always struggling to have any degree of authority, they're writing her as if she's not in control.
I'll just remind you that the Sunday evening slot had been filled by Morse, Lewis, Endeavour, Poirot and Foyle, in comparison to those greats, this really was an embarrassment.
Martin Kemp, he's looking amazing, but he, Rupert Graves, Cathy Tyson etc are so much better than this, each character was so unbelievable, each almost a caricature.
The conclusion was cringe worthy.
I really wanted to like this, I really did, but sorry, this was shocking. 4/10.
You'd be forgiven for thinking that this was going to be exciting reading the summary...... Sadly in reality it was one of the most boring things I've sat through in ages.
This reminded me of the very first episode, once again though, I'll stick with it, in the hope that it gets better, episode two of the first series was great, and showed what the show could be.
I'll be honest, this was terrible, absolutely shocking, this needed to be on in the afternoons, giving people an alternative to Doctors.
DCI McDonald, why is she always struggling to have any degree of authority, they're writing her as if she's not in control.
I'll just remind you that the Sunday evening slot had been filled by Morse, Lewis, Endeavour, Poirot and Foyle, in comparison to those greats, this really was an embarrassment.
Martin Kemp, he's looking amazing, but he, Rupert Graves, Cathy Tyson etc are so much better than this, each character was so unbelievable, each almost a caricature.
The conclusion was cringe worthy.
I really wanted to like this, I really did, but sorry, this was shocking. 4/10.
Mixed feelings about this Series
mgumsley1 March 2021
It was interesting to see this series back again, and I quite understand why the makers chose to make much of the action out of doors, considering the problems with Covid. It boasted a starry collection of guest stars, who did a good job of portraying a mostly unlikeable bunch of celebrities. However, the plot bordered on the bizarre, and even James Murray seemed to stumble with the clunky script.
Dodds and McDonald are coming along fine and both are finding their way in their roles, and perhaps it would be a good idea to introduce some of their personal stories into the plot? The plots at the moment veer between the unbelievable and the boring, and as much as one can admire the scenery and production values, I am not switching on just to admire Bath, beautiful though it is.
Dodds and McDonald are coming along fine and both are finding their way in their roles, and perhaps it would be a good idea to introduce some of their personal stories into the plot? The plots at the moment veer between the unbelievable and the boring, and as much as one can admire the scenery and production values, I am not switching on just to admire Bath, beautiful though it is.
Absolute Drivel
crumpytv1 March 2021
The Man Who Wasn't There
Prismark102 March 2021
Warning: Spoilers
The second series of the lighthearted crime drama McDonald & Dodds returns. The first episode was back to the 1980s and promised to be fantastic.
Four 1980s cultural powerhouses who now live in the same luxury apartment complex in Bath go on a hot air ballooning trip. They are joined by a fifth person Frankie Marsh who also lives in the complex. He was just a minor pop star, briefly a drummer in a new wave band.
Something goes wrong with the balloon and Frankie falls to his death. The rest survived as the balloon handily crash landed just outside the Royal Crescent.
Roy Gilbert (Rob Brydon) is the air accident investigator who joins McDonald & Dodds. He shares manys traits with Dodds.
It all points to an elaborate murder plot to get rid off Frankie who was blackmailing the other four. They were Mick Elkins (Martin Kemp) a music mogul. Barbara Graham (Patsy Kensit) a former pop presenter. Jackie Somner (Cathy Tyson) a lefty music magazine writer now a right wing columnist for the Daily Telegraph. Gordon Elmwood (Rupert Graves) a cultural commentator.
The two hours running time meant that the plot got overly complex and fell off the edge. The theory that Elkins set the accident up, with the rest throwing Frankie overboard and hoped they survive the crash landing was fantastical.
The actual reveal was even more bizarre, delving into a revenge plot as to just how these four people became wealthy back in the mid 1980s.
There was some ropey writing. At one point, the four of them think they got away with murder because someone else set up the incident. It might not be murder but it would still be manslaughter.
The people who run the hot air balloon company captured the event on their phone camera but somehow did not video the moment when Frankie fell. Also in a popular tourist area like Bath, no one else did neither.
There were some clever bits though. Some nice use of 80s songs to dovetail with the drama. Especially the song Ghosts by Japan.
There was some fun trying to place the four characters with real life people. The cultural commentator Gordon Elmwood was obviously inspired by Robert Elms with the sartorial elegance of Peter York. (Incidentally Elms once used to squat in London with Sade in the 1980s.) Jackie Somner was a less poisonous Julie Burchill. I guess Barbara Graham might have been based on Paula Yates.
Four 1980s cultural powerhouses who now live in the same luxury apartment complex in Bath go on a hot air ballooning trip. They are joined by a fifth person Frankie Marsh who also lives in the complex. He was just a minor pop star, briefly a drummer in a new wave band.
Something goes wrong with the balloon and Frankie falls to his death. The rest survived as the balloon handily crash landed just outside the Royal Crescent.
Roy Gilbert (Rob Brydon) is the air accident investigator who joins McDonald & Dodds. He shares manys traits with Dodds.
It all points to an elaborate murder plot to get rid off Frankie who was blackmailing the other four. They were Mick Elkins (Martin Kemp) a music mogul. Barbara Graham (Patsy Kensit) a former pop presenter. Jackie Somner (Cathy Tyson) a lefty music magazine writer now a right wing columnist for the Daily Telegraph. Gordon Elmwood (Rupert Graves) a cultural commentator.
The two hours running time meant that the plot got overly complex and fell off the edge. The theory that Elkins set the accident up, with the rest throwing Frankie overboard and hoped they survive the crash landing was fantastical.
The actual reveal was even more bizarre, delving into a revenge plot as to just how these four people became wealthy back in the mid 1980s.
There was some ropey writing. At one point, the four of them think they got away with murder because someone else set up the incident. It might not be murder but it would still be manslaughter.
The people who run the hot air balloon company captured the event on their phone camera but somehow did not video the moment when Frankie fell. Also in a popular tourist area like Bath, no one else did neither.
There were some clever bits though. Some nice use of 80s songs to dovetail with the drama. Especially the song Ghosts by Japan.
There was some fun trying to place the four characters with real life people. The cultural commentator Gordon Elmwood was obviously inspired by Robert Elms with the sartorial elegance of Peter York. (Incidentally Elms once used to squat in London with Sade in the 1980s.) Jackie Somner was a less poisonous Julie Burchill. I guess Barbara Graham might have been based on Paula Yates.
2001 episode
alisonferguson-8748428 March 2021
Yawn.
littleredroses3 March 2021
Jason Watkins was very good, and single handedly carried this drama in his own shoulders. It surprised me that this was brought back, two poor previous stories, with another here. It simply wasn't up to scratch, a mix of good actors and actresses, sadly none of them were able to elevate the wooly script. Won't be switching on again.
The worst tv show ever
mivvi-804601 March 2021
The viewers who weren't there
studioAT6 March 2021
Oh, joy. The second series of a show I don't believe anyone was particularly banging on ITV's door to make.
Still, in these difficult times anything that's 'new' deserves some praise.
That doesn't mean it's good. Oh dear me no. It's just an excuse for lazy stereotypes about people in the West Country, and for has been actors to pop up as suspects.
I'm not saying the BBC's 'Death in Paradise' is faultless, or fall into similar stereotypes and by the box casting, but it's a lot better than this.
If it wasn't so heavily populated with game shows ITV would be best served dumping this in the day time slot.
Still, in these difficult times anything that's 'new' deserves some praise.
That doesn't mean it's good. Oh dear me no. It's just an excuse for lazy stereotypes about people in the West Country, and for has been actors to pop up as suspects.
I'm not saying the BBC's 'Death in Paradise' is faultless, or fall into similar stereotypes and by the box casting, but it's a lot better than this.
If it wasn't so heavily populated with game shows ITV would be best served dumping this in the day time slot.
Light-weight? Any lighter and it would blow away!
Tony-Holmes7 March 2021
I see a few reviewers like this series, maybe they're used to seeing some moving wallpaper on TV in the afternoons?
Others described it as lightweight, or tongue in cheek, and it's all of those.
The plot of this one was ludicrous, as was the one I saw in the first series.
Perhaps because this one opened the new series, they roped in a galaxy of guest stars, none of whom would have been overly taxed by the acting requirements. Martin Kemp in one of the closing scenes had to utter "rubbish" & "this is a load of crap" - I wondered if they'd actually filmed it at the start, and he was commenting on the script?
This plot revolved around s group who had a guilty secret, a fairly common theme in the crime series genre, as the police (or sometimes a P.I. if that's the hero) gradually unravel who knows what, and where the motive came from years ago. Oddly enough, a similar plotline is under way in the new series of Unforgotten, which is a show for real fans of this sort of thing.
McD & Dobbs isn't totally awful, it has mostly decent acting, and a few gags to jolly things along. But it's very long, padded out to almost 2 hours, and is under false pretences as primetime evening viewing. If you prefer say Auf Wiedersehen Pet (good) or Keith Lemon (yuk) to say, Downton Abbey, this show might be for you. You can probably do some knitting or read the paper while it's on, not miss much.
Others described it as lightweight, or tongue in cheek, and it's all of those.
The plot of this one was ludicrous, as was the one I saw in the first series.
Perhaps because this one opened the new series, they roped in a galaxy of guest stars, none of whom would have been overly taxed by the acting requirements. Martin Kemp in one of the closing scenes had to utter "rubbish" & "this is a load of crap" - I wondered if they'd actually filmed it at the start, and he was commenting on the script?
This plot revolved around s group who had a guilty secret, a fairly common theme in the crime series genre, as the police (or sometimes a P.I. if that's the hero) gradually unravel who knows what, and where the motive came from years ago. Oddly enough, a similar plotline is under way in the new series of Unforgotten, which is a show for real fans of this sort of thing.
McD & Dobbs isn't totally awful, it has mostly decent acting, and a few gags to jolly things along. But it's very long, padded out to almost 2 hours, and is under false pretences as primetime evening viewing. If you prefer say Auf Wiedersehen Pet (good) or Keith Lemon (yuk) to say, Downton Abbey, this show might be for you. You can probably do some knitting or read the paper while it's on, not miss much.
Just Not Good
GB6510 September 2021
I so wanted to like this (I didn't see S1) if only for Jason Watkins but it's so poor. Watkins is the only actor in the ensemble who displays any decent acting abilities. As said by so many others, the two senior officers, the DS & DCI, are poor, the former's overacting truly awful. The two younger coppers are little better. Of course, the guest actors do not help. Patsy Kensit showing the true limits of her ability, Cathy Tyson not much better, Martin Kemp being, well, Martin Kemp and the other fella, more overacting. Then the holes in the story; I've think I'll leave it there, as I will the actual programme. I'm1hr30 in to the 2hr episode and I'll just about stick it to the end but that'll be it.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
