From Jessica Fletcher to Kojak – the greatest TV detectives of all time
The sad passing of Dame Angela Lansbury also marks the death of TV sleuth Jessica Fletcher – yet she was far from the small screen's only great detective.
At the age of 96, the Murder, She Wrote star and film, TV and stage icon Dame Angela Lansbury died yesterday. Famous for portraying crime writer and amateur sleuth Jessica Fletcher, Lansbury's keen and cunning tones will ever be the hallmark of the whodunnit genre. But of course, many a dynamic super sleuth has stormed the small screen over the years.
As we pay tribute to Dame Angela, here we take a look at her most well-known role and some of the other fictional detectives to have fought for TV's undisputed crime-solving crown.
Sherlock Holmes
(Benedict Cumberbatch – Sherlock)
We just love him. Benedict Cumberbatch first donned the pea coat and hit our screens back in 2010, and from that moment the torch of the greatest ever portrayal of the world's most famous detective was forever passed.
In this superb series created by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, Cumberbatch's Sherlock Holmes is arrogant, damaged and vulnerable. Yet as a 'consulting detective', his brilliance is elementary.
Hercule Poirot
(David Suchet – Agatha Christie's Poirot)
Sporting the most famous moustache in the business, Agatha Christie's greatest detective has never been brought to life quite like he was by David Suchet.
From 1989 to 2013, Suchet brought the Belgian bastion of brilliance to the small screen in a series of adventures that defined the genre, and sublimely showcased the master sleuth as he was surely always meant to be seen.
Veronica Mars
(Kristen Bell – Veronica Mars)
An early starter, Veronica Mars was a young private eye who began her career in high school under the guidance of her detective dad.
Solving mystery after mystery, this talented teen was portrayed by Kristen Bell, and from 2004 to 2007 was one sleuth you'd never slip past.
Don't let her age fool you – what she lacked in years, she made up for in pluck and focus.
Theo Kojak
(Telly Savalas – Kojak)
"Who loves ya, baby?" The only bloke who could evoke fear in the hearts of the criminal fraternity while sucking on a lollipop, Theo Kojak was a king of cool and a crime-fighting icon.
Played in the popular 70s TV series by the immortal Telly Savalas, Kojak was an incorruptible New York cat who never failed to get his man. Cootchie-coo!
Jane Tennison
(Helen Mirren – Prime Suspect)
Sharp, driven, focussed and no-nonsense, they didn't come any more cutting than Jane Tennison, brought to life in Prime Suspect by the fantastic Dame Helen Mirren.
A creation of the acclaimed Lynda La Plante, Tennison was presented as one of the first female Detective Chief Inspectors in the Met, who rises to the rank of Detective Superintendent while confronting institutionalised sexism within the police force.
A ground-breaking character anchored by an iconic turn from Mirren, Tennison was the force behind the force.
Jack Frost
(David Jason – A Touch of Frost)
Dedicated, grumpy and never afraid of clashing with his superiors, DI Jack Frost was everything a grizzled TV detective should be and then some.
Portrayed to perfection by the incredible Sir David Jason, Frost brought justice to the fictional town of Denton for 18 years before Jason hung up his badge.
One of the all-time greats, Jack Frost sent a chill through the underworld like few others before him.
Jessica Fletcher
(Angela Lansbury –Murder, She Wrote)
The godmother of them all, Jessica Fletcher is as iconic as an amateur sleuth as it gets, putting even the magnificent Miss Marple to shame.
Brought to life in Murder, She Wrote by the brilliant Dame Angela Lansbury, Fletcher was charming, sharp, and smart, solving crime after crime while also working as an author, an English teacher and a congresswoman.
Farewell, Dame Angela – if you'd brought us only this other great lady, that would've been enough.
