Why we’ve been missing The Missing until now M

Y wife and I (which sounds ever so posh) like to record television drama series and watch them en bloc, in perhaps two sittings.

This allows the viewer to grasp the complexities of plot and characters without those annoying tasters at the beginning and end of an hour-long episode: “What happened last week ...” is of no help if you’ve waited seven days and already forgotten that the bloke with the ’tache is an undercover DC, and “Next week ...” is particularly annoying because teasers of future action can confuse a simple soul like me.

For this very reason, I have on my shelves the boxed sets of some of the finest European crime dramas that, if watched an hour at a time once a week, would take the best part of a year, which is no way to follow the careers of detective inspector Sarah Lund, police captain Laure Berthaud or detective Sara Noren.

Instead, we have bingewatched everything Scandinavian, French, Belgian and Italian in a way that allows you to properly connect with The Young Montalbano and the Savastano Mafia family in Naples.

And let’s be honest, the only way to fully embrace Game of Thrones is chunks at a time.

My friend Karen is such a

It’s years since people planned their social life around their favourite programme

fan, she has watched the boxed sets twice and taken notes. Roll on series seven.

Which is why my wife and I record quality British drama and save it until we have the complete series when we can become properly immersed in characterisation, plots, counter-plots, twists, red-herrings the unexpected.

This is a trait that is catching on with people who choose to watch the box at a time of their choosing rather than stick to TV schedules.

It’s years since people planned their social life around their favourite programme, because there was no e-player, no catchup and no recording devices.

So I am disappointed with those TV writers and commentators who splashed the ending of The Missing.

As we read the papers over the last few days, Maria and I have called out to each other: “Avoid this one” or “Another spoiler” or switched off news programmes which featured a post mortem into the drama.

Times have changed. Many of us prefer to record and arrange a viewing night.

So don’t tell us the ending or I’ll have to send the Savastano family round to see you.