The No.1 Ladies left us hungry for more
By Mike Jennings
26/ 3/2008


After storming best-seller lists as a series of nine successful books, The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency has made the transition to the small-screen, with a feature-length pilot aired on Easter Sunday and a 13-part series that begins production in the summer.

The plot is similar to the book: after losing her wise, kind father, Precious Ramotswe travels to the Botswanan capital, Gaborone, and establishes herself as the best female private detective in the whole country – because she’s the only female detective in Botswana.

What follows is a charming mix of light-hearted detective work and the kind of moral lessons that Richard Curtis, who wrote the screenplay along with Anthony Minghella, has been shoe-horning into his comedies for years: The Vicar of Dibley and Love Actually being prime examples.

Not that this is a bad thing – this pilot episode was one of the better ways to spend a couple of hours and merely whetted the appetite for the full series which, sadly, looks many months away.

It’ll be just as good if they can keep the cast together.

American jazz singer Jill Scott played the central role, and was superb – and has earned plenty of praise from critics surprised at her acting ability.

Her performance was full of humour and humility, capturing the character that’s made the books so popular.

The rest of the cast were just as good: Anika Noni Rose was brilliant as the super-organised secretary, and Lucian Msamati absorbing as the understated mechanic who, as fans of the books will know, becomes Ramotswe’s love interest – a development that will be seen as the series gets under way.

There was also the poignancy of knowing that this was the last film helmed by the Oscar-winning British director Anthony Minghella, in the role of executive producer this time.

It’s a shame that the impeccable cinematography and huge experience that he brought to the set won’t be available for the series when it begins shooting in the summer.

The atmosphere took a distinctly intimidating turn when the agency’s previously light-hearted work uncovered drug rings and potential child abuse – it was all well done, but seemed very sudden.

Perhaps this is an area the series will have a chance to expand upon.

Despite this minor complaint, it’s a fantastic appetiser for the rest of Alexander McCall Smith’s novels when they reach our screens – as long as they can keep the superb cast intact.