The Judas Tree (Jonathan Creek)
Encyclopedia
"The Judas Tree" is the twenty-seventh episode of the British crime drama series Jonathan Creek
. The feature-length episode was written and directed by series creator David Renwick
, and premiered on BBC One
on 4 April 2010. The episode focuses on a series of mysteries surrounding housekeeper Emily Somerton (Natalie Walter
), including a vanishing house and the murder of her employer Harriet Dore (Sasha Behar
). Alan Davies
returns as the series' titular sleuth, Jonathan Creek, while Sheridan Smith
reprises her role as his assistant Joey Ross, and Stuart Milligan
returns as Jonathan's boss, magician Adam Klaus.
Financial constraints at the BBC delayed broadcast of the episode from January until April 2010. Davies' fee for the episode was reduced by 25 per cent, and the production's design budget was also subject to a significant reduction, as the BBC attempted to achieve efficiencies with the show. The episode was watched by 5.45 million viewers, and received mixed reviews from critics. David Brown of the Radio Times
and Vicky Frost of The Guardian
both praised the plot and Davies' performance, however Paul Whitelaw of The Scotsman
felt that the series ought to be retired.
) and his wife Harriet. The Dore's other housekeeper, Mrs Gantry, (Doreen Mantle
) tells Emily about Green Lanterns' mysterious past. In the late nineteenth century, the house was owned by Dr Thadeus Northcote (Kevin McGowan) and his wife (Amanda Haingue). Dr Northcote had an affair with his egyptian housekeeper, Selima El Sharad (Sofia Hayat
), who supposedly put a curse on him when the affair ended. Selima accurately predicted the exact date and time of his death, and no foul play was ever discovered.
Emily contacts paranormal investigator Joey Ross about strange events at Green Lanterns, including a ghostly apparition in the woodshed and threatening letters sent to Harriet in Emily's handwriting. One of them seems to say 'Beware the approach of Isis
.' Joey and her investigative partner Jonathan Creek agree to take on the case. However shortly after their arrival they get stuck in a celler, and Creek realises they mistook the handwriting and it means 15:15. Harriet is defenestrated
, and identifies Emily as her killer, showing part of her dress at which point Emily sees a piece is missing, before dying in Hugo's arms. After Emily is arrested, Jonathan solves the 1988 mystery, postulating that house Emily saw was actually a standing film set which blew over in the wind when she turned away. He suggests that the man in the field was actually the site watchman, reaching out to Emily in an attempt to free himself from beneath the set. He and Joey continue their investigation at Green Lanterns, and Jonathan is also able to solve the second mystery. He deduces that Selima had a pocket-watch constructed for Dr Northcote containing lethal hydrogen cyanide, beneath a thin sheet of glass which could be shattered by a high-pitched noise at a specific tone. At the predicted time of his death, Dr Northcote took out his pocket-watch, and a nearby Selima screamed at the required frequency to break the glass, releasing the hydrogen cyanide which killed the doctor on the spot. She claimed to have screamed as she saw Death approaching. Jonathan additionally theorises that Hugo framed Emily for Harriet's death, but is unable to convince the jury at her trial, who find Emily guilty.
Still determined to solve the case, Jonathan and Joey return to Green Lanterns and follow Hugo to the Judas Tree
in the grounds, where they are surprised to find Harriet alive. It transpires that she and Hugo faked her death, framing Emily as a means of revenge. On the same day Emily encountered the man in the field in 1988, she and Kim car-jacked Hugo's mentally impaired older brother Danny (Gregor Henderson-Begg). When he tried to defend himself, Kim bludgeoned him to death with a stone and hid his body. He survived long enough to draw a picture of his attackers. The jury at their trial ruled in their favour, and years later Harriet persuaded Hugo to exact vigilante justice. Harriet kidnapped Kim, who is shown being drugged next to Harriet's car, then bound and gagged in the house, dressed them both in identical clothes, and threw Kim from the window to her death. She then switched places with her for long enough to implicate Emily in the attack, taking advantage of the fact that Harriet spent so little time in the village that nobody who knew her was likely to see her body after her 'death'. Although their crime is uncovered, Harriet reminds Jonathan that he has already failed to convince a jury once, and is likely to again. Emily remains in prison, while she and Hugo are free (Although Jonathan admits later that Emily's lack of remorse about the death of Hugo's brother- which he is certain she remembers despite Joey suggesting that she repressed the trauma of it- leaves him with little real sympathy for her). It is left unexplained how the notes in Emily's handwriting came into existence.
A running sub-plot throughout the episode sees Joey begin working as an assistant to Jonathan's boss, magician Adam Klaus (Stuart Milligan
). Adam receives a spate of negative publicity after obliviously making comments which are construed as bigoted. Videos featuring him are edited and posted on the internet, depicting him dressed as Hitler and in blackface
. Jonathan explains to Joey how the editing can be performed, and she then suggests to Adam that he perform a routine dressed as a wizard, a costume which is easily manipulated to make it appear that he was wearing Ku Klux Klan
robes. The torch he carries turns into a flaming cross. At the end he grabs a sword and angrily asks whose idea it was to dress up as a wizard at which point Joey walks in. Jonathan says it is ironic as it is just coming up to 15:15.
", aired in January 2009, after series creator David Renwick revived the drama as a means of deferring retirement. Renwick both wrote and directed "The Judas Tree", while Rosemary McGowan served as producer. Filming of the episode began in September 2009, and took around 20 days to complete. The series' executives hoped that the episode would air on 1 January 2010, a year after the broadcast of "The Grinning Man", however due to financial constraints at the BBC its broadcast was delayed until Easter 2010, in the next tax year. "The Judas Tree" will be released on Region 2 DVD on 12 April 2010.
The episode sees the return of Alan Davies
as the series' titular sleuth Jonathan Creek, Sheridan Smith
as his crime-solving partner Joey Ross and Stuart Milligan
as his boss, magician Adam Klaus. Doreen Mantle
guest-stars as Mrs Gantry, in a role created specially for her by Renwick, with whom she worked on his BBC comedy series One Foot in the Grave
. Paul McGann
plays Hugo Dore, and Sasha Behar
appears as his wife Harriet. Behar had auditioned for and been offered a role in the series before, but ultimately turned it down in favour of playing Maya Sharma
in the ITV
soap opera
Coronation Street
.
In 2009, the BBC
came under criticism for the high salaries paid to its top executives and performers. The Scotsman
reported that Mark Thompson
, Director-General
of the station, would be cutting all salaries of over £100,000 by at least a quarter. As part of the pay-cut, Davies' fee for "The Judas Tree" was reduced by 25 per cent. Davies was dismayed that the pay-cut meant he was being paid less than when working on the series twelve years previously, and additionally claimed that the series' design budget had been cut by over 50 per cent, causing him concern that the quality of the episode may suffer. A spokesperson for the BBC denied the allegation, stating that efficiencies were being made with the show, but not to the extent Davies stated.
Davies hopes Renwick will continue to create new episodes of Jonathan Creek, but thinks it is unlikely there will ever be another full series. He explained that the five months it takes to shoot a series is a "hefty commitment" and "quite hard-going", and that it is difficult to create the number of mysteries required, and to present them in a 50-60 minute format without the resultant episodes feeling rushed. He prefers the feature-length episodes as they contain more comedy, and allow the centric mysteries to be "really bedded in" so the audience can consider them at length.
likened the episode to a Sherlock Holmes
mystery, commenting that it has "the definite feel of a Baker Street
consulting room about it." He praised the "hoodwinking and sleight of hand" involved in the plot, as well as Davies' "extremely likeable" performance, however felt that the Adam Klaus sub-plot "detracts from an otherwise well-burnished brainteaser of an episode." The Guardian
Vicky Frost complimented Sheridan and Davies' performances and deemed the plot "satisfyingly fiendish", but felt that the episode's conclusion was rushed. The Scotsman
Paul Whitelaw criticised the episode, deeming it "an unsatisfying tale, overindulgent and padded with a superfluous 'comedy' sub-plot" which: "sprints across that delicate line between ingenious folderol and implausible, convoluted rubbish." Of Davies's performance, Whitelaw observed: "he never stretches himself beyond an expression of subdued petulance, as though resentful of having to act in the first place." He concluded his review by suggesting that Renwick ought to retire the Jonathan Creek series.
Jonathan Creek
Jonathan Creek is a British mystery series produced by the BBC and written by David Renwick. Primarily a crime drama, the show is also peppered with broadly comic touches...
. The feature-length episode was written and directed by series creator David Renwick
David Renwick
David Peter Renwick is an English television writer, best known for creation of the sitcom One Foot in the Grave and the mystery series Jonathan Creek....
, and premiered on BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
on 4 April 2010. The episode focuses on a series of mysteries surrounding housekeeper Emily Somerton (Natalie Walter
Natalie Walter
Natalie Walter is a British actress who is best known for her film, theatre and television roles. She was born in Woking, Surrey in 1974. Her father is David Walter, the former BBC and ITN journalist. She studied at London's prestigious Drama Centre, where one of her classmates was the comedian...
), including a vanishing house and the murder of her employer Harriet Dore (Sasha Behar
Sasha Behar
Sasha Behar is a British actress, known for portraying Maya Sharma in ITV1 soap opera Coronation Street.-Background:...
). Alan Davies
Alan Davies
Alan Davies is an English comedian, writer and actor best known for starring in the TV mystery series Jonathan Creek and as the permanent panellist on the TV panel show QI.- Early life :...
returns as the series' titular sleuth, Jonathan Creek, while Sheridan Smith
Sheridan Smith
Sheridan Smith is an English actress and singer who is best known for her contributions to the British sitcoms Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps, Gavin & Stacey and Benidorm. She has also become a recognised face in West End theatre, where she has appeared in Little Shop of Horrors,...
reprises her role as his assistant Joey Ross, and Stuart Milligan
Stuart Milligan
Stuart Milligan is an American actor based primarily in Britain, best known for his recurring role as Adam Klaus in Jonathan Creek.He attended South High School in Denver, Colorado...
returns as Jonathan's boss, magician Adam Klaus.
Financial constraints at the BBC delayed broadcast of the episode from January until April 2010. Davies' fee for the episode was reduced by 25 per cent, and the production's design budget was also subject to a significant reduction, as the BBC attempted to achieve efficiencies with the show. The episode was watched by 5.45 million viewers, and received mixed reviews from critics. David Brown of the Radio Times
Radio Times
Radio Times is a UK weekly television and radio programme listings magazine, owned by the BBC. It has been published since 1923 by BBC Magazines, which also provides an on-line listings service under the same title...
and Vicky Frost of The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
both praised the plot and Davies' performance, however Paul Whitelaw of The Scotsman
The Scotsman
The Scotsman is a British newspaper, published in Edinburgh.As of August 2011 it had an audited circulation of 38,423, down from about 100,000 in the 1980s....
felt that the series ought to be retired.
Plot
The episode begins in 1988, with flatmates Emily (Florence Hall) and Kim (Susanne Ahmet) lost while driving. Emily sees a nearby house across a field, but when she turns around again the house has vanished. She begins to cross the field, but is seized about the ankle by an old man (Sean Buckley) in the grass. Emily beats him off and flees. In the present day, Emily begins working as a housekeeper at Green Lanterns house, owned by crime novelist Hugo Dore (Paul McGannPaul McGann
Paul McGann is an English actor who made his name on the BBC serial The Monocled Mutineer, in which he played the lead role...
) and his wife Harriet. The Dore's other housekeeper, Mrs Gantry, (Doreen Mantle
Doreen Mantle
Doreen Mantle is a South African-born British actress who is probably best known for her role as Mrs Jean Warboys in One Foot in the Grave ....
) tells Emily about Green Lanterns' mysterious past. In the late nineteenth century, the house was owned by Dr Thadeus Northcote (Kevin McGowan) and his wife (Amanda Haingue). Dr Northcote had an affair with his egyptian housekeeper, Selima El Sharad (Sofia Hayat
Sofia Hayat
Sofia Hayat is a British Asian of Indian origin actress, singer and model. She has worked on both British and Indian projects.Hayat first came to public attention on Satellite Channel, Zee TV, where she hosted her own TV show for 3 years starting in 2000. The show became a cult favourite amongst...
), who supposedly put a curse on him when the affair ended. Selima accurately predicted the exact date and time of his death, and no foul play was ever discovered.
Emily contacts paranormal investigator Joey Ross about strange events at Green Lanterns, including a ghostly apparition in the woodshed and threatening letters sent to Harriet in Emily's handwriting. One of them seems to say 'Beware the approach of Isis
Isis
Isis or in original more likely Aset is a goddess in Ancient Egyptian religious beliefs, whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. She was worshipped as the ideal mother and wife as well as the matron of nature and magic...
.' Joey and her investigative partner Jonathan Creek agree to take on the case. However shortly after their arrival they get stuck in a celler, and Creek realises they mistook the handwriting and it means 15:15. Harriet is defenestrated
Defenestration
Defenestration is the act of throwing someone or something out of a window.The term "defenestration" was coined around the time of an incident in Prague Castle in the year 1618. The word comes from the Latin de- and fenestra...
, and identifies Emily as her killer, showing part of her dress at which point Emily sees a piece is missing, before dying in Hugo's arms. After Emily is arrested, Jonathan solves the 1988 mystery, postulating that house Emily saw was actually a standing film set which blew over in the wind when she turned away. He suggests that the man in the field was actually the site watchman, reaching out to Emily in an attempt to free himself from beneath the set. He and Joey continue their investigation at Green Lanterns, and Jonathan is also able to solve the second mystery. He deduces that Selima had a pocket-watch constructed for Dr Northcote containing lethal hydrogen cyanide, beneath a thin sheet of glass which could be shattered by a high-pitched noise at a specific tone. At the predicted time of his death, Dr Northcote took out his pocket-watch, and a nearby Selima screamed at the required frequency to break the glass, releasing the hydrogen cyanide which killed the doctor on the spot. She claimed to have screamed as she saw Death approaching. Jonathan additionally theorises that Hugo framed Emily for Harriet's death, but is unable to convince the jury at her trial, who find Emily guilty.
Still determined to solve the case, Jonathan and Joey return to Green Lanterns and follow Hugo to the Judas Tree
Cercis siliquastrum
Cercis siliquastrum, commonly known as Judas Tree, is a small deciduous tree from Southern Europe and Western Asia which is noted for its prolific display of deep-pink flowers in spring.-Description:...
in the grounds, where they are surprised to find Harriet alive. It transpires that she and Hugo faked her death, framing Emily as a means of revenge. On the same day Emily encountered the man in the field in 1988, she and Kim car-jacked Hugo's mentally impaired older brother Danny (Gregor Henderson-Begg). When he tried to defend himself, Kim bludgeoned him to death with a stone and hid his body. He survived long enough to draw a picture of his attackers. The jury at their trial ruled in their favour, and years later Harriet persuaded Hugo to exact vigilante justice. Harriet kidnapped Kim, who is shown being drugged next to Harriet's car, then bound and gagged in the house, dressed them both in identical clothes, and threw Kim from the window to her death. She then switched places with her for long enough to implicate Emily in the attack, taking advantage of the fact that Harriet spent so little time in the village that nobody who knew her was likely to see her body after her 'death'. Although their crime is uncovered, Harriet reminds Jonathan that he has already failed to convince a jury once, and is likely to again. Emily remains in prison, while she and Hugo are free (Although Jonathan admits later that Emily's lack of remorse about the death of Hugo's brother- which he is certain she remembers despite Joey suggesting that she repressed the trauma of it- leaves him with little real sympathy for her). It is left unexplained how the notes in Emily's handwriting came into existence.
A running sub-plot throughout the episode sees Joey begin working as an assistant to Jonathan's boss, magician Adam Klaus (Stuart Milligan
Stuart Milligan
Stuart Milligan is an American actor based primarily in Britain, best known for his recurring role as Adam Klaus in Jonathan Creek.He attended South High School in Denver, Colorado...
). Adam receives a spate of negative publicity after obliviously making comments which are construed as bigoted. Videos featuring him are edited and posted on the internet, depicting him dressed as Hitler and in blackface
Blackface
Blackface is a form of theatrical makeup used in minstrel shows, and later vaudeville, in which performers create a stereotyped caricature of a black person. The practice gained popularity during the 19th century and contributed to the proliferation of stereotypes such as the "happy-go-lucky darky...
. Jonathan explains to Joey how the editing can be performed, and she then suggests to Adam that he perform a routine dressed as a wizard, a costume which is easily manipulated to make it appear that he was wearing Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
robes. The torch he carries turns into a flaming cross. At the end he grabs a sword and angrily asks whose idea it was to dress up as a wizard at which point Joey walks in. Jonathan says it is ironic as it is just coming up to 15:15.
Production
"The Judas Tree" is the second feature-length Jonathan Creek special produced since the series concluded in 2004. The first such episode, "The Grinning ManThe Grinning Man (Jonathan Creek)
"The Grinning Man" is a feature-length episode of the BBC crime drama series Jonathan Creek, first broadcast on 1 January 2009. The episode marked the series' return to television following a five year hiatus, and saw the return of Alan Davies as the show's titular sleuth...
", aired in January 2009, after series creator David Renwick revived the drama as a means of deferring retirement. Renwick both wrote and directed "The Judas Tree", while Rosemary McGowan served as producer. Filming of the episode began in September 2009, and took around 20 days to complete. The series' executives hoped that the episode would air on 1 January 2010, a year after the broadcast of "The Grinning Man", however due to financial constraints at the BBC its broadcast was delayed until Easter 2010, in the next tax year. "The Judas Tree" will be released on Region 2 DVD on 12 April 2010.
The episode sees the return of Alan Davies
Alan Davies
Alan Davies is an English comedian, writer and actor best known for starring in the TV mystery series Jonathan Creek and as the permanent panellist on the TV panel show QI.- Early life :...
as the series' titular sleuth Jonathan Creek, Sheridan Smith
Sheridan Smith
Sheridan Smith is an English actress and singer who is best known for her contributions to the British sitcoms Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps, Gavin & Stacey and Benidorm. She has also become a recognised face in West End theatre, where she has appeared in Little Shop of Horrors,...
as his crime-solving partner Joey Ross and Stuart Milligan
Stuart Milligan
Stuart Milligan is an American actor based primarily in Britain, best known for his recurring role as Adam Klaus in Jonathan Creek.He attended South High School in Denver, Colorado...
as his boss, magician Adam Klaus. Doreen Mantle
Doreen Mantle
Doreen Mantle is a South African-born British actress who is probably best known for her role as Mrs Jean Warboys in One Foot in the Grave ....
guest-stars as Mrs Gantry, in a role created specially for her by Renwick, with whom she worked on his BBC comedy series One Foot in the Grave
One Foot in the Grave
One Foot in the Grave is a BBC television sitcom series written by David Renwick. The show ran for six series, including seven Christmas specials, two Comic Relief specials, over an eleven year period, from early 1990 to late 2000...
. Paul McGann
Paul McGann
Paul McGann is an English actor who made his name on the BBC serial The Monocled Mutineer, in which he played the lead role...
plays Hugo Dore, and Sasha Behar
Sasha Behar
Sasha Behar is a British actress, known for portraying Maya Sharma in ITV1 soap opera Coronation Street.-Background:...
appears as his wife Harriet. Behar had auditioned for and been offered a role in the series before, but ultimately turned it down in favour of playing Maya Sharma
Maya Sharma
Maya Sharma is a fictional character on the soap opera Coronation Street. She was played by Sasha Behar. She appears between 2003 and 2004.-Controversy:...
in the ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Coronation Street
Coronation Street
Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
.
In 2009, the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
came under criticism for the high salaries paid to its top executives and performers. The Scotsman
The Scotsman
The Scotsman is a British newspaper, published in Edinburgh.As of August 2011 it had an audited circulation of 38,423, down from about 100,000 in the 1980s....
reported that Mark Thompson
Mark Thompson
Mark John Thompson is Director-General of the BBC, a post he has held since 2004, and a former chief executive of Channel 4...
, Director-General
Director-General of the BBC
The Director-General of the British Broadcasting Corporation is chief executive and editor-in-chief of the BBC.The position was formerly appointed by the Board of Governors of the BBC and is now appointed by the BBC Trust....
of the station, would be cutting all salaries of over £100,000 by at least a quarter. As part of the pay-cut, Davies' fee for "The Judas Tree" was reduced by 25 per cent. Davies was dismayed that the pay-cut meant he was being paid less than when working on the series twelve years previously, and additionally claimed that the series' design budget had been cut by over 50 per cent, causing him concern that the quality of the episode may suffer. A spokesperson for the BBC denied the allegation, stating that efficiencies were being made with the show, but not to the extent Davies stated.
Davies hopes Renwick will continue to create new episodes of Jonathan Creek, but thinks it is unlikely there will ever be another full series. He explained that the five months it takes to shoot a series is a "hefty commitment" and "quite hard-going", and that it is difficult to create the number of mysteries required, and to present them in a 50-60 minute format without the resultant episodes feeling rushed. He prefers the feature-length episodes as they contain more comedy, and allow the centric mysteries to be "really bedded in" so the audience can consider them at length.
Reception
"The Judas Tree" averaged 5.45 million viewers, attaining a 21.3% audience share in its timeslot, and received mixed reviews from critics. David Brown of the Radio TimesRadio Times
Radio Times is a UK weekly television and radio programme listings magazine, owned by the BBC. It has been published since 1923 by BBC Magazines, which also provides an on-line listings service under the same title...
likened the episode to a Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
mystery, commenting that it has "the definite feel of a Baker Street
221B Baker Street
221B Baker Street is the London address of the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes, created by author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. In the United Kingdom, postal addresses with a number followed by a letter may indicate a separate address within a larger, often residential building...
consulting room about it." He praised the "hoodwinking and sleight of hand" involved in the plot, as well as Davies' "extremely likeable" performance, however felt that the Adam Klaus sub-plot "detracts from an otherwise well-burnished brainteaser of an episode." The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
Vicky Frost complimented Sheridan and Davies' performances and deemed the plot "satisfyingly fiendish", but felt that the episode's conclusion was rushed. The Scotsman
The Scotsman
The Scotsman is a British newspaper, published in Edinburgh.As of August 2011 it had an audited circulation of 38,423, down from about 100,000 in the 1980s....
Paul Whitelaw criticised the episode, deeming it "an unsatisfying tale, overindulgent and padded with a superfluous 'comedy' sub-plot" which: "sprints across that delicate line between ingenious folderol and implausible, convoluted rubbish." Of Davies's performance, Whitelaw observed: "he never stretches himself beyond an expression of subdued petulance, as though resentful of having to act in the first place." He concluded his review by suggesting that Renwick ought to retire the Jonathan Creek series.
External links
- "The Judas Tree" at BBC Online
- "The Judas Tree" at TV.comTV.comTV.com is a website owned by CBS Interactive. The site covers television and focuses on English-language shows made or broadcast in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Japan...