Radio Times

I've tried, but I can't think of a duller TV detective partnership than that of lumpen "I'm a bit thick, me, but I don't care" Detective Inspector Lewis and "I'm a pinched, posh git who quotes from classical works" Detective Sergeant Hathaway in Lewis. Admittedly, the supposed allure of Dalziel and Pascoe has always escaped me; to me, Pascoe looks as if he's half-hopefully waiting for a bus while Dalziel might as well be grazing in a field, staring malevolently at hikers.

But back to Lewis, boring, claustrophobic and tedious Lewis (Sundays, ITV1), with its dreary, attenuated stories. Sunday's episode (2 March) is a mess, lurching down various plotline byways as if it can't make up its mind about any of them before settling on some nonsense about the former East German secret police, the Stasi.

Along the way (an Oxford University professor is murdered) we are thrown little factoids about Wagner (said professor adored Wagner, so, frankly, no wonder someone wanted him dead) and given peeks into the world of illegal bare-knuckle boxing. Wagner and boxing in the same episode. Lewis, you are spoiling us!

It's all so infuriating and it's so unforgivably slow, as Lewis and Hathaway (Kevin Whately and Laurence Fox) potter around Oxford, bumping into witnesses in the street and, in Lewis's case, becoming entangled with yet another totally unsuitable woman. This is what I mean about the claustrophobia - I get sick of the two of them, they need staff, a handful of people to bounce off, to provide a bit of light and shade and to give some sort of context to their relationship.

And talking of TV detective relationships - what's going on with DCI Gene Hunt and DI Alex Drake (Philip Glenister and Keeley Hawes) in Ashes to Ashes (Thursdays, BBC1)? Everyone seems to be so keen that we think they fancy each other rotten, hence every episode's "will they/won't they" moment. But, and lord knows why, the chemistry is missing. Glenister works really hard - and he's a master of the smouldering look that says so much - only to have any electricity he generates bounced right back at him by Hawes. I feel sorry for her - Drake is a thankless, humourless, whiny role.

If you want a bit of romance, though, as well as buckets of off-kilter, surreal humour, you could do a lot worse than Love Soup (Saturdays, BBC1). The first series (written by David "One Foot in the Grave" Renwick) went out in 2005 and I don't think many of us would have wasted any money betting on a second. Yet, oh joy!, it's returned. And it's wonderful.

**

Alison Graham is TV editor of Radio Times.

The best thing on TV since Morse is still being rubbished by your critics,whose taste and intelligence must by now after three sparkling episodes be called into question.Are they as impartial as they would have us believe ? I begin to wonder.

More rubbish from the dreadful Ms Graham. Lewis, is a well made, well acted piece of TV, just like Morse was. Ms Graham shouldn't be allowed anywhere near a magazine like radio times, which should be about celebrating the best of British TV, not complaining that it isn't enough like the garbage that gets imported from the US. Get rid of her now!

Interestingly this programme and Foyles War were similarly slagged off in these reviews. Clearly your reviewer has a short attention-span.

"if Lewis is so bad, why is it starred as a highlight? Or is it simply that everything else is dire?"

Hmn, think you may have a point here. The rest of the crime dramas are so (American) bad, that Lewis is like a breath of fresh air. I still prefer Morse; but sadly no more. I think as the two leads mature in thier roles it can only get even better!

Oh Alison, it hasn't got a 'reality' tag, it's not got 'strictly' in the title, it's not about desperate teenage no-marks trying to make it, and there's not a dreaded celebrity in sight. It's not hosted by an 80 year-old has been or two professional Northerners. It's just good, honest, quiet, genteel entertainment. Please don't let them take it away. Or would you rather have back-to-back episodes of 'Gavin and Stacey'? Oh my goodness, too late! 'My eyes, my eyes'!!!

Alison Graham is so unfair on Lewis. It is genjoyable dramatic entertainment. Whately and Fox are a great combination. The filming is beautiful. Is this just sour grapes from Radio Times because it is an ITV show and not BBC?

I think Lewis is the best thing on TV since Morse. The fact that it is always in good taste and not a 'bang bang your dead' sort of plot perhaps means it appeals to a more limited audience.Pay no attention to the predjudiced revues this is gold standard television.

I can't help thinking the critics on this thread haven't been watching the same Lewis programmes that I have! Lewis might not be a genius, but he gets there in the end through sheer hard work, Hathaway isn't a bored posh cop, he has greater depth than that, which was shown well in the introductory series.

Of course it's implausible, no real policeman would explain the whole detail of the murder except in court. I agree with jacq about gory graphic detail being unnecessary and that it's like a lot of the classic English crime programmes. Good! I like a good puzzle and a relaxing entertaining watch without ear-splitting sound tracks. That's where Lewis wins against Morse. I liked the theme tune for Morse, but his penchant for loud opera sometimes grated on me.

I can't say I've ever had the inclination to watch Lewis: something that advertises itself as being about two 'good cops' seems about as interesting as a documentary on the life of a cheese sandwich.

I like Lewis as it is safe viewing on a Sunday night without nasty sweary words and if he keeps lumbering around trying to solve the crime, then so be it. I can't be doing with D S Hathaway as he acts as if he is bored with the character and needs to put a wee bit of life in to his part I think. You are right Alison. that maybe Lewis needs some more staff to bounce off just to make it a wee bit more interesting. Our family certainly enjoyed last week's programme and it is handy with the breaks to have some coffee! It is also nice to try to spot bits of Oxford you have visited!

I couldn't agree less about Lewis. Yes, I think the writers (and directors) should remember that a character doesn't have to be under 35 to be interesting, and build some complexity into Whately's character. But these criticisms are similar to those directed at Midsommer Murders: that it is implausible (though what detective drama isn't??), slow, parochial. But this is ENGLAND! not Miami. And those who love Midsommer Murders, Lewis, Morse et al like the pace and the settings. Personally I enjoy a cosy mystery on a Sunday evening and don't get a kick out of mutilated bodies, violence against women or sex with children - see American crime dramas for that type of viewing. Also, I like characters who can say more than 2 single syllable words per sentence.

The pace may be slow, but hey, how long does it take the British police to solve a crime??! They aren't exactly known for speed - or for getting the right man!

if Lewis is so bad, why is it starred as a highlight? Or is it simply that everything else is dire?