Posh plots
Adrian Scarborough’s back for more mysteries on ‘The Chelsea Detective’
The second season of AcornTV’s “The Chelsea Detective” offers an intriguing, behindthe-scenes look at the ways the rich are different in four 90-minute murder mysteries, beginning Monday.
Adrian Scarborough returns as Chelsea Detective Inspector Max Arnold, custodian of London’s richest borough.
This season Max investigates homicides linked by their affluence, including the wealthiest long-term elderly care facility you could imagine.
“It’s a very interesting neighborhood to set a detective series because it’s often seen by Londoners as very well to do,” Scarborough, 55, said in a phone call from London. “But it does give us the opportunity, for the rest of the world particularly, to show bits of London which are rather marvelous.
“You get a cracking view of the Thames, partly because this character lives on a houseboat. That gives you some fantastic views up and down this glorious river that runs through the center of London. And you get some pretty magnificent bridges as well as some glorious architecture with those good old red London buses passing through every five minutes. And the old taxis!
“It’s just a cracking way to show off London. In fact, I think we’re the only crime show that shoots in inner-city London at the moment.”
Arnold’s D.I. leads a crack quartet to crack each week’s criminal activities.
“One of the wonderful things about ‘Chelsea Detective’ is that you get a different story every week on every episode. It means that we can kind of dodge about all over the place, really, and give our viewers lots of different takes on the people who inhabit this wonderful
world.
“For example, we have an art heist that goes horribly wrong, that high-end retirement home which is the location for a pretty grisly murder and there’s a psychotherapist murdered, which is caught on camera. They’re all very, very
different.”
As picturesque as Arnold’s houseboat is, filming can be a challenge for both the crew and Scarborough.
“Those are incredibly expensive, actually, and much sought after. Particularly the ones down where we’re working.
“They’re not the easiest thing to film on either. I don’t think any of us realized just how dramatic it would be when the tide went out. Because the houseboat obviously sinks down and ends up sitting at a right terrible angle. It’s practically at 45 degrees by the time we’re actually on the deck.
“Filming on that is not the easiest thing in the world. You’ve really got to watch your step a lot of the time when you’re floating about because it does tend to pop up and down quite a bit. You need your sea legs!”