TV review: Jonathan Creek

Should you wish to appear dramatic, a flowing trench coat may be the ideal choice. For those in the country set, a wax jacket may be just the thing to drape a shot gun over.

One garment that has never exuded power is the humble duffle coat. I mean, has Paddington Bear ever seemed in any way authoritative?

The duffle coat is a strange enough choice for a lost Peruvian bear, but for a supernatural investigator it is an even more curious piece of apparel.

With his mop of curly hair – and Paddington's coat – Jonathan Creek made a welcome return to our screens last night.

It is difficult to believe that Alan Davies, stand-up comedian and mainstay of BBC panel gameshow QI, first starred as the quizzical Creek some 16 years ago.

His last adventure was screened Easter, 2010 and a lot has clearly happened in the intervening years. The character has now married and got himself a high flying job in the city. For all intents and purposes, his amateur sleuthing days appear to be over. That is until sidekick Joey Ross, played by the oh so versatile Sheridan Smith, tracks him down.

Smirking uncontrollably at her former colleague's new look of a dapper business suit, the inevitable transformation finally happens some 40 minutes in.

Having been informed of the death and subsequent disappearance of an acquaintance, Franklin Tartikoff, we see Jonathan kiss his wife goodbye as she heads off on a business trip. Within moments he reaches into his wardrobe – accompanied by a suitably dramatic, also anthemic score – reaching for his superhero costume. Yes, that damn olive green toggled number. Wonderfully over the top. And so the investigating begins.

What is it about detectives and the dishevelled look? Stateside, Peter Falk's crumpled Columbo was as inspired a character as you'll ever get, solving the many murder mysteries of the day. Davies as Creek is little less convincing, resembling as he does a perpetual student, forever on the hunt for the next pot noodle and tree to hug. What both have in common is they are frequently underestimated protagonists.

The cast for Jonathan Creek: The Clue of the Savant's Thumb, is – as ever – an impressive collective. Ever dependable Joanna Lumley plays a survivor of a 50-year-old mystery revolving around a death at a girls' school, while Rik Mayall reprises his role as wheelchair-based detective inspector Gideon Pryke. Mayall's old comedy pal Nigel Planer plays politically-charged Renaissance man Franklin Tartikoff, the doomed heart of the investigation.

Both Mayall and Planer seem to enjoy hamming up their roles, albeit in an ever so subtle fashion.

And for anyone who tuned in a tad late, they could have been forgiven for thinking this was a new episode of Comic Strip Presents or indeed The Young Ones. Nigel even sported the lank locks we associate with his classic Neil the hippy character.

Writer David Renwick, whose other creations include One Foot In The Grave, has committed to writing a further three episodes to be aired early next year. Last night's feature long instalment serves as a taster to those and a comforting reminder to his past glories.

As in previous versions of the show, two linked stories are solved – one current and the other from the past. The 50-year-old mystery revolving primarily around Joanna Lumley's character, Rosalind Tartikoff, is solved swiftly by Creek and confirmed by Rosalind herself. I won't spoil it for those who recorded the show or wish to watch it on iPlayer in the near future.

The more recent death of Tartikoff and his subsequent apparent disappearance into thin air gets the full-on Scooby-Doo treatment for what we believe to be the finale.

But, with so many loose ends, a twist reveals the origins of the events leading up to the death of Tartikoff, rounding off another successful case (or three) for Jonathan and Joey.

Paul Naylor