An Anxious Aunt

This is an absolutely first-class travelogue for the Italian region of Umbria. The old houses, the piazze, the terracotta roofs, and a laid-back life under the Italian sun.

Everyone would watch it and want to go and live there.

End of review. Well worth 5/5

Oh, was there a plot as well? Maybe even a murder? Maybe some organised crime? But nothing really coherent that anyone could detect.

Instead there was a sheer mountain of meaningless froth.

Froth, froth, froth.

It was a sort of 007 meets Day of the Jackal, and yes, of course she had to shoot some poor unsuspecting item of fruit, just like her dear old dad did way back then.

Meaningless.

So 0/5 for that part of it, giving us 5/10 total for this cure for insomnia.

I watch sooo many international crime shows. The most important thing to me is a great lead character, and Fox is fantastic. Most TV detectives are defined by their methods and personality flaws, almost as a rule. This one has interesting methods, but it's her choices that are fascinating beginning to end. Aside from that, it's a solid story, well-paced, well-acted, and simply gorgeous to look at. Really looking forward to more!

Not based on a book serial nor true life story, the creators/writers trust the audience's intelligence and ability to connect the dots and fill-in the non-essential details while offering a fun nod-and-a-wink relationship with the clued-up genre fans that creates its own pleasure. Best to enjoy Signora Volpe on its own terms - or simply skip it.

Why do some viewers insist an actress stay in a pigeonhole? Committing outright stereotyping! Actual real-life spies have stated for the record that super-spy (now super hero) James Bond is a male fantasy - pure fictional escapism; Now let the females explore theirs, though Emilia's unthreatening Sylvia Fox is closer to reality than 007 is. Every woman who has taken self-defense and martial arts courses knows the power of her lower-center of gravity, to use the opponent's own force to their disadvantage, how to use the hardest/strongest parts of her body, leveraging with the element of surprise which were all executed well in this first episode. Sylvia Fox doesn't jog; she runs like boxers do every day - her body is lean, conditioned and flexible. While her opponents may have had more size and weight, they rely on their weapons thus are out-of-shape to bout. When she knows back up is needed, she has assessed the conditions, even wisely asks a favor of techno-savvy Raffaela (ep.2). Emilia Fox's Signora Volpe is a multilingual markswoman, smart, perceptive, compassionate, and skilled - can drive like Bond and knows the trick to winning a scooter race. You got the salient point if you think she doesn't come off as a badass super spy but Sylvia can kick-ass.

British Agent takes a break from work in Italy, staying with her sister in Umbria for her niece's wedding. On the big day, the groom is nowhere to be found, and a dead woman's body is found at his home.

First off, the title made me chuckle a little Signora Volpe, Lady Fox in English, I had a feeling it related to Emilia herself, but it's her character Sylvia (who thought of Sylvia!)

I didn't find myself thinking of Nikki for a second, Fox is that good, that's she's able to make Sylvia a unique character.

Ninety minutes if blissful, easy going mystery, this was a joy from start to finish. Very easy viewing, along the lines of Mallorca Files and Father Brown, nothing heavy, just an easy going, easy to follow Whodunnit.

How refreshing during a British winter to see the sun, even if it is on TV.

Giulio Corso, who plays Tomasso proves one old stereotype, about Italian men, he's incredibly handsome.

Giovanni Cirfiera, Issy Knopfler and Tara Fitzgerald were all excellent.

9/10.

An OK establishing episode, we get to know disillusioned MI6 agent, Sylvia, who takes a vacation to attend her niece's wedding. Whilst there she becomes embroiled in solving a mystery.

As a concept, good, but the execution is poor. The first third is consumed by travel agency scene setting, the plot is linear and dull, with so many serendipitous jumps it has zero credibility.

The padding is egregious with many lingering scenery shots, constant irrelevant meal tables as exposition dumps and long discussions to establish minor plot elements.