Murder On The [Rectory] Floor: Reviewing Acorn TV’s ‘Murder Before Evensong’

The saying is “everyone’s a critic,” but more like “everyone’s a detective.” After finding a man murdered in the rectory of his church, vicar Daniel (Matthew Lewis) offers his services to DS Vanloo (Amit Shah) as a community liaison, with the theory that people might be more inclined to talk with a familiar face in the room. That theory seems debatable, but this isn’t the type of show where Daniel’s motives are ever questioned or seen as suspect. Rather than let DS Vanloo take lead, though, Daniel starts carrying out interviews on his own and not in a the-police-are-dropping-the-ball-and-community-action-is-needed-to-expose-the-truth way but in an overstepping, ask-questions-to-satisfy-his-own-curiosity way that doesn’t seem very aboveboard.

Murder Before Evensong is a show where it doesn’t really pay to ask too many questions, like “would this be allowed?” or “I know the show hasn’t really spelled out what denomination Daniel is, but wouldn’t confidentiality factor in here?” because, right or wrong, people are coming to him as a reverend and he is not treating these conversations as private.

A lot of the problem lies in the relationship that’s underdeveloped between Vanloo and Daniel, where they start out friendly but no effort is made to give Vanloo a backstory.  The show addresses homophobia and racism towards the Romani — including a certain unkind word used against Edgy (Francis Magee) and his son, Nathan (Sam Baker-Jones) — but not the racism Vanloo would’ve likely faced as a cop in the 1980s. Focusing on Daniel is what sets this series apart from the hundreds of other crime shows that are out there (and it is based on a book series by Reverend Richard Coles), but that doesn’t mean Shah couldn’t have been given more material to work with and expand on his character’s homelife or partner dynamic with Daniel.

As for the show being a period piece, this only really becomes obvious after a newspaper refers to AIDS as the plague and then, as if on cue, a very ’80s song plays. Lewis (who is probably most recognizable for playing Neville Longbottom in the franchise-that-should-not-be-named) takes unflappability to a whole new level in his performance as Daniel. Not even the suggestion that, perhaps, the murderer intended to kill him gets much of a rise out of him. And while his character takes some strong moral stances — like refusing to back down when advised to stop visiting AIDS patients — his demeanor never really changes or comes across as especially warm or inviting. There is something appealing about his lack of emotionality. Especially after a long day, this is the kind of show you can just turn on and not have to tax your brain too much.

It’s certainly not subtle. Characters are only kept around as long as they can serve the plot or act as red herrings. Early in the first episode, Daniel goes to pray at the bedside of a dying parishioner (Paul Beech) and when he passes on that should be the end of it. When it’s not, though, and the show keeps referring to the fact that the man’s son (David Newman) was adopted, it’s obvious that is going to have some connection to the murder case.

Much more effort is made to unpack Daniel’s prickly relationship with his mother (Amanda Redman), who’s recently moved in with him and makes her presence known fast. It’s not Call the Midwife, in terms of being a progressive comfort watch that even viewers weary of organized religion can embrace, but it’s not a bad way to spend six hours.

Murder Before Evensong is available on DVD now in the UK and streaming on Acorn TV.