User reviews

As a teenager I didn't appreciate Pie In The Sky when it first aired in the mid 90's. However, it's being re-run in an early evening slot on ITV3 at the moment & it's well worth watching again. As mentioned in other comments, the plots often follow a similar path in each episode & Henry almost invariably solves the crime or saves the day single handedly. This is only a very minor flaw though. The scripts & dialogue are great & the excellent cast really bring it all to life. Richard Griffiths is a brilliant character actor & Henry Crabbe is played with an understated charm that most actors would not be able to carry off. This charm & subtlety is carried throughout the whole series & I haven't seen a single bad episode yet. It's also worth mentioning the sheer number of characters in the series. Many of the restaurant staff & Police officers appear regularly from episode to episode but the writers have put real effort into giving them all distinct personalities. I never get the feeling that they are just cardboard cut-outs put there just to advance the plot. Pie In The Sky is very enjoyable light viewing with more than enough substance to keep me interested for the whole 40 episodes.

Just finished watching the first four episodes of this police series via Netflix. And it's a pleasure to report that at least thus far, there have been no serial killers, blood-spattered bedrooms or lethal shoot-outs. Just a series of gentle, slyly amusing capers. Even more of a pleasure is that the central character, detective inspector Henry Crabbe, is a gourmet chef who has opened a charming little restaurant while awaiting his retirement. And to complete the pleasures, there's Richard Griffiths as Crabbe, lovingly basting a leg of lamb or whipping up a glorious soufflé when he isn't waddling off to probe some criminal conspiracy. For instance, the mystery of a bank robber, dead some 16 years ago, who has turned up very much alive in the local village. Solving such puzzles is duck soup for Crabbe. Leaving his stove in mid-simmer to hunt down a villain is another kettle of fish. If you're looking for raw red meat, this probably isn't for you. But if you have a taste for subtler fare, this series could be just the dish.

One of those yearnings for simpler, happier times led me to reflect on life in the nineties and seeing this a few times lately on ITV3 only helped to foster sentimental memories of a less complex age.

It may only be lightweight, but that's its beauty and delight. Richard Griffiths is excellent and was made for his role as the wise, phlegmatic and unconventional inspector. His portly frame hardly lends itself to much frenetic activity, but his facial expressions are a joy and all you need.

A good mix of stories, not always featuring murder, and the slice of restaurant life is a warm counter to the police activity. Plenty of understated humour from a cast of colourful characters.

In 1995 I thought that the century was ending at a pretty fast and bewildering pace, with technology and media beginning to impose itself in almost every walk of life. But watching "Pie" and remembering it all as if it were only yesterday makes me think that maybe life wasn't so fast after all. Fifteen years on and what I find so curious now is that it was made just before the world went nuts with mobile phones and The Internet. It's a show that has dated well in terms of story, but to never see anybody use a mobile phone and scant mention of computers seems strange and rather sweet.

All in all, a really good example of BBC light drama at its best, when the Corporation considered subtlety and intelligence as important as glamour and ratings.

"Pie In The Sky" is one of those great little programs that comes along now and then and which the British are so good at creating. It is well scripted and well acted and the cast contains two great character actors, Richard Griffiths and Maggie Steed as (Inspector) Henry Crabbe and Margaret Crabbe. Henry just wants to retire from the force with his police pension and run his restaurant but is prevented by ACC Freddie Fisher. Henry's ability to solve crimes makes Fisher look good to his superiors. Bella Enahoro as Cambridge and Samantha Janus as Nicola are just gorgeous. One even picks up a few recipe tips along the way. It's a shame it didn't run for longer but all good things must come to an end and it's one of those shows that I continue to watch in repeats.

I really don't have any quibbles about this series. Until recently I could only access the first couple of series in New Zealand but have just finished a marathon of Pie in the Sky and have become totally hooked. Apparently not wanting terror, blood and guts in a detective series means that it is lightweight, if that is so, then so be it. However the story lines are decidedly chewy and the characters have substance. I did miss Cambridge when she disappeared - her clothes were stunning - and I was disappointed that Nicola didn't last the full term, but the rest of the cast/team were splendid and reacted beautifully to one another. Fisher is a complete prat, and it is a well written and well acted character that makes one want to smack him soundly on the nose. As for Richard Griffiths and Maggie Steed, no praise is high enough. It's a great watch and worth anybody's time and brain power - without getting an ulcer through stress at the same time.

Nice blend of cops and robbers and cookery, great cast and varied characters each fleshed out individually. A good chemistry between the two leading players, and the others dovetail together well. Stories are light but well drawn fitting neatly into an ideal time slot for me. I found it easy to slip into getting involved with the character dynamics.

I even found a good cookery tip regarding the perfect shepherd's pie, put a layer of mash on the bottom of the casserole dish, to soak up the meat juices.

Cooking programs are an anathema to me, but I found it very easy to be interested when it was an integral part of the plot.

Photography its wrongly said doesn't lie, well to say least it fibs, food photography is a case in point. A good photo of a meal can have us salivating, but you wouldn't want to eat the food, as it would prove totally indigestible. The tricks of the trade of the food photographer, are fairly ingenious.

Why is this lengthy aside relavent? Because this program is replete with my kind of grub, especially the chefs signature dish steak and kidney pie. I am really a pie a'holic, a crucial element being the pastry, this can make or break a great pie. I get great pleasure over the food its ingredients, preparation, and presentation. Something I can never say about any food program I'm never likely to watch.

But back to my point about food photography, the way it appears on the box makes it enticing. But would you actually be able to eat that food? Is it even real food?

here in new england we depend on PBS or BBC America for good English programming. I stumbled on this show last year. It is a light detective show with good character portrayals. Griffiths is great. They only seem to run the same 10 episodes over and over, i see there are 33 episodes. Might have to buy the DVD. It would be worth it.

I wonder why it didn't go more seasons. Was it not well received? Some shows are better than others, some a little fluffy, others delve more into his detectives ability to see through mysteries at his waddling slow pace. I know Richard Griffiths has done other work, I first saw him in naked gun. But i believe some of his best screen work is here.

This is a delightful series regarding a policeman with aspirations to be a chef. That delight is primarily due to the performances of Richard Griffiths and Maggie Steed. They make a great couple and seem to have good chemistry. They get on each other's nerves and yet there seems to be real intimacy between them. The supporting players are enjoyable, too, despite changes in casts from season to season. (I particularly enjoyed the character of Cambridge. Her tall smooth elegance was a nice contrast to Inspector Crabbe's portly crankiness). The exception is Freddy Fisher. His character is really just too unpleasant for such a light-hearted series. No reflection on the actor playing him! It's just that his presence was always jarring. My favorite episodes tended to exclude him. In contrast, episodes that didn't include Margaret always seemed of poorer quality. But overall, very enjoyable!

You had me at "Richard Griffiths"... add Maggie Steed and the staple Detective Show format with a food twist, and there is barely an unwatchable episode.

That doesn't mean there aren't a multitude of flaws: the character of Cambridge is both appalling uninspired in creation and woodenly acted; the "Hooperman"-arc opportunity is wasted; staff changes at the restaurant are clumsily handled - not one well-handled exit; and the reason Henry is doing two jobs is inconsistent and illogical.

But we can all turn a blind-eye to these shortcomings, as they are not really important to most episodes which stand on their own merit.

But mostly I watch it because I salivate at Henry's Steak & Kidney Pie... we all have our weaknesses!

We love this show have watched the entire series several times. It is one of those easy listening humorous detective shows. It is not a serious detective show, just a very pleasant show to watch... now to my issues 1. It ended... there should have been some kind of post retirement season or at least a special just to show Henry in his element and free of Fisher.

2. Probably our main objection ... Fisher never got his. He abused Henry, used him, blamed him for everything an anything that went wrong and always made sure he got the glory when anything went well. The man was a weasel. Perhaps the special could have taken care of that... at least the last episode should have dealt with the man.

Other than that we have loved the show and will watch it again and again....

I love crime dramas Such as frost/poirit/ midsummer,

they are exciting, have elements of comedy and can be unpredictable

The problem with pie is its just way too predictable and safe, you can predict exactly whats going to happen and who the bad guy is,there are no twists,

And the comedic elements are not actually funny, it's like a British version of murder she wrote , but actually worse

Richard Griffith's is a Very good actor. But fisher constantly over acts and his accent is clearly exaggerated,thus making him appear cartoonish,

the kitchen staff are also completely dull and we really don't have to hear about their romantic lives

What this show really Lacks is strong characters

The absolute worst part of this series is the never ending music, whenever there is any hint of sadness or intrigue on comes the music And soft focus camera.

'Pie in the Sky' is the name of a country restaurant run by part-time Detective Inspector Henry Crabbe and his accountant wife, Margaret. Henry makes the world's greatest steak and kidney pies and would cheerfully retire from the police force. Assistant Chief Constable Freddie Fisher, however, won't okay his retirement for reasons I won't disclose. Freddie calls in Henry to solve difficult cases which are likely to cause embarrassment to senior members of the local police force. There are moments of drama in this series, but these are tempered by an underlying streak of gentle humour. A wonderful cast, great scripts, as well as cooking lessons from Henry, in between the action. Take note of Bella Enahoro who plays 'Cambridge' in the first five seasons. She and Henry make a great duo!

Pie in the Sky makes you realise you don't need endless violence, drug related tragedies and serial killers to bring entertainment to your TV screen in the Crime genre

Food connoisseur the obese Henry Crabbe is desperate to retire from the police force and open his own restaurant. He manages to open the Pie in the Sky restaurant with his wife Margaret but the manipulative Asssistandt Chief Constable Freddy Fisher uses a dubious piece of evidence to blackmail Crabbe and retain his excellent detective skills for his own glorification. Henry still manages to run his restaurant successfully with the help of capable employees while becoming increasingly annoyed with Fisher's demands upon his time for his own purposes.

Many of the crimes Henry investigates appear minor and trivial, but there is always more buried beneath the surface and sometimes the consequences are more telling than they appear at first. Henry doesn't need to throw punches or instigate shoot-outs to solve the crimes that are directed his way and often it is just his intelligence and perceptiveness that navigate him to the answers. A special mention for Nigerian/British actress Bella Enahoro who plays his assistant during a number of the investigations. She nails the part by downplaying her role but always emerging as Henry's more than capable colleague. The always delightful Maggie Steed excels as Henry's wife Margaret and their partnership could make you reassess some of the flakey glamour couples the Hollywood production line pops out are forgettable and unrealistic.

Viewed in a modern context, "Pie in the Sky" seems quaint and specific to its time and place that is rural England during the mid '90s. Fortunately, its charms are just as entertaining today as they were back then. Filmed in the days before HD television, the SD picture quality only reinforces this impression but having watched the entire series more times than I'd care to admit, I'll say it never fails to entertain. Though it may appeal more to anyone living through that period in history, there's been nothing quite like it before or since and fans of British police procedurals should give this series a go.

Richard Griffiths is perfectly cast as our intrepid Inspector Henry Crabbe, a gastronome whose infectious passion for cookery and English cuisine complement his sunset years in Barstock CID. Solving a host of often unusual crimes in the politically charged environment of the local police service along with working his dream job cooking for the small local eatery operated by he and his wife make for a unique example of the genre. It never takes itself too seriously and manages to offer a wide range of characters in stories that are short on moralizing and long on clever detail.

As an American and fan of Bruce Robinson, I only knew Richard Griffiths from Withnail & I.

This series is simply a delight from start to finish! Griffiths is Henry Crabbe, a police detective and gourmet who has always wanted a little restaurant, and an on-the-job "incident" gives him an excuse to retire. Except his boss, the assistant chief constable won't let him go! That's the set up.

Maggie Steed plays his dedicated wife Margaret, who tries to keep his restaurant on track financially, while her work as an accountant takes her into many local businesses which often have financial issues which can lead to...crime. It's a gourmet's delight. As a former caterer, and mom of a pastry chef, who love police procedurals fan, it's a gourmet's delight!

Wonderful program.

8.5 I don't know why i didn't see this one when it came out in the 90s. Maybe PBS didn't have it or I was more into the brooding Dalgliesh type shows than the jolly chef.

I loved the look back at the 90s. It made me nostalgic somehow.

Everyone who pooh poohs identifying as feminist should watch the harassment the waitresses went through. And it was up to them to come up with a legal threat to solve it. That's what society would still look like if it weren't for the pesky women libbers.

I didn't mind the rotating kitchen help or coppers on the show. I think I preferred some over others but they were all okay in the end.

This reminded me of Lovejoy somehow with middle-aged main characters. Although Lovejoy would be horrified to be considered so. Henry and Margaret were superb and the 20 and 30 somethings were correctly shown as more inexperienced in life and work (as opposed to the supposed overachievers they are depicted as in some programs. )

I liked how food was a theme for many of the episodes in the crimes Henry was investigating.

Freddy Fisher was a good villain. And it was a nice contrast to Henry's weary performance on the job.

I was surprised and delighted to discover this series. I don't usually watch older SD shows on BritiBox; they just don't have the resolution to enjoy. But Griffiths is such a fine actor and most of the cast are interesting and entertaining. Not perfect of course but one of the better detective shows of the 90's.

Too often the scripts call for good people, like Henry and his cohorts, to be bullied while they just smile through and rarely fight back. It's fine with the wonderful Malcolm Sinclair as the epitome of the vacuous, pompous, dull-witted Henry's boss but too many other bullies dominate the episodes. The relationship between Henry and Margaret begins to seem too strained by season three. Perhaps something happened between the actors? In any case, one of the better scripted and acted shows from Britbox.

I have just finished watching Pie in the Sky. I remember I watched it when it was first in TV. Loved it then and I loved it now. Must admit it wasn't easy watching a television show from 30 years ago. Obviously quality and technology has vastly improved. There were times it sounded like they were talking in a barn. Once I got used to it, it was pure joy for 5 seasons. I only wish it could have been more. The storylines were simple and there was no gratuitous violence and no foul language...what a breath of fresh air. I loved all of the characters in the show with the exception of fisher. He irritated me from the first episode to the last. RIP Richard Griffith, you were wonderful. I also had fun looking up the actors on IMDB those who's faces were familiar.

I find the slow pace and characters in this series very entertaining and a change of pace after watching the likes of Hawaii Five O and Starsky & Hutch. Richard Griffiths is perfectly cast in the lead role. The only negative is Freddy Fisher-a humorless self centered prig who abuses the talents of Henry Crabbe and then takes credit for Crabbe's success. I would like to see Fisher parachuted into Northern Borneo and have to fend for himself, using his no talent personality to survive !! LOL.

"Pie in the Sky" is a guilty pleasure of mine: not great television, but I admit a show I watched religiously.

It follows the police and restaurant life of one Henry Crabbe (Richard Griffiths). He is a Detective Inspector who gets shot in the line of duty, following which he wants to retire to open a restaurant - the titular "Pie in the Sky" - as cooking, especially of good English styled cuisine, is his passion in life. However standing in his way of this dream is his boss, Assistant Chief Constable Freddy Fisher (Malcolm Sinclair), who refuses to issue a full retirement pension because the incident in which Henry was shot has raised some questions about Henry's police conduct. In reality, Freddy knows that Henry is innocent of any impropriety, but uses this only as a reason to keep Henry, Freddy's "brains", on the force: Henry does all the brain work, Freddy gets all the glory. However, Freddy does allow Henry to work on a part-time or "on call/as need be basis" (i.e. whenever Freddy is in a jam, which is always) while the shooting incident is investigated. This leaves the possibility of a full pension in the future if Henry is cleared, but in the meantime also allows Henry to open his dream restaurant with all this extra time he has on his hands. The second conflict in the series is between Henry and his accountant wife Margaret (Maggie Steed). Margaret supports Henry in his dream - in actuality, the restaurant is under her name - however in her mind the restaurant needs to be solely operated in a cost efficient/effective manner regardless of the result on food quality. This stance is enhanced by the fact that Margaret is a non-foodie who does not appreciate good cooking: she would much rather eat a bag of crisps than to sample Henry's creations. The remaining cast of characters are an assortment of police constables/sergeants working with Henry (played by Bella Enahoro, Darren Litten and Mary Woodvine) and restaurant staff (wait staff played by Ashley Russell, Alison McKenna, Samantha Janus and Marsha Thomason; kitchen staff played by Joe Duttine and Nicholas Lamont; produce supplier/farmer played by Nick Raggett). The one other story twist is that both of his assistant chefs are reformed ex-cons on the "mend" – they are basically good people who had been caught in bad circumstances prior to Henry's salvation of their lives. Their love of cooking and food outweighs their police records.

The strength of the show is that the main cast of characters are likable, even that of Freddy Fisher. As such, you root for the characters in whatever situation they may face. Even when there are conflicts between main characters, such as the episode where John the waiter (Ashley Russell) and Steve the chef (Joe Duttine) are constantly at each others' throats, you like them both because they are basically good people but just different personalities. All the story lines are the classic "good" versus "bad", and very rarely do characters fit into that grey area in the middle. Even when guest characters fit into that grey area, they are always portrayed in the end as either on the side of good or bad. The other strength of the show is the food. Much like food themed movies like "Babette's Feast" or "Eat Drink Man Woman", there is an obvious love of food by the series creators. Yes, one really would like to sample Henry, Steve and Gary's (Nicholas Lamont) culinary creations, perhaps with the exception of the episode with the Stargazy Pie. And based on the series' concept, "good English cuisine" is not an oxymoron.

Beyond some holes in the basic series' concept, the weakness of the show is that the characters are a little too extreme in their portrayal, especially that of Henry and Freddy. Henry is just a little too smart (he is right 99% of the time) and Freddy a little too callous. With the former, Cambridge (Bella Enahoro), Guthrie (Darren Litten) and Morton (Mary Woodvine) all come off as capable enough police officers, but dim wits compared to the ever knowing Henry. No fault of the any of the actors but rather of the writers.

Overall, an entertaining but somewhat mindless and inoffensive series. A pure guilty pleasure.