The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency: Season 1

When I first started reading the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency books, it took me a while to slow down to their gentle pace. Once I did, though, I thoroughly enjoyed the books and the world they took me to. It's not that bad things don't happen, it's that the way of dealing with the slings and arrows is calmer, or certainly the pace is more measured. This BBC/HBO collaberation series is the same. At first I was thinking, hmmm, this is a little slow. But then, as I kept watching it, I realized that it isn't really slow, it is calm. Your office is ransacked - the way to deal with it isn't to run around accusing people. You observe and you wait. It's actually pretty Sherlock Holmes-y in that way. The acting is excellent. The scripts are intelligent. The humor is great. When Precious Ramotswe hires a secretary, the efficient and prickly Grace Makutsi, she also needs a typewriter for said secretary. The resourceful JLB Matekoni brings in two manual typewriters. Each one has keys that don't work, but they are different keys. Later, the determined Grace explains how she can word her reports to get around the missing keys. And then we see her typing a report on one machine, taking the paper out and inserting it into the second machine, and resume typing, using only words the 2nd machine can type without misses. It takes longer to explain than it does to watch and appreciate. The "mysteries" Precious solves are varied and interesting. No bodies, which is true of the books, too. But just because there aren't bodies in these mysteries, doesn't mean they don't need solving. The feel of the series is very similar to "The Gods Must Be Crazy" films, and that's not surprising, as "The Gods Must Be Crazy" are supposed to take place in Botswana, also. However, the films were mainly filmed in South Africa, while "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" was actually filmed in Botswana. In this DVD set, you get the feature-length pilot (109 minutes), originally aired in the U.S. in 2009, and six one-hour epiosodes. The quality of the series is a reflection of the people who created it. For example, Anthony Minghella (1996 Oscar for Best Director of "The English Patient") directed and co-produced the pilot. Minghella said this about filming in Botswana: "Particularly fascinating to me was working and filming in an African country where old and new are currently coexisting, where traditional values have not yet been eroded by the demands and efficiencies and neuroses of the modern. It was a privilege to be working on a film which celebrates what we can learn from Africa, and not what we think we can teach it." Unfortunately, the U.S. ratings were poor, and HBO did not renew the series for a 2nd season. So this is all we get, and that is a shame. Happy Reader

The series follows the books well, but not exactly. Filled on location in Botswana & nearby. Jill Scott brings Mme Ramotswe to life PERFECTLY & the assistant & her shoes jumps off the pages of the novels in a way I wouldn't have thought possible. Mr JLB is portrayed with all the heart & genuine concern of the novel. I'd have married him by episode 3! I'm do sad they didn't continue the series after a producer died. It is beautiful & powerful.

I couldn't put the books down. A friend sent them to me. They aren't anything that I would have chosen on my own, I know nothing about and have never been even remotely interested in Botswana, but once I started reading, I couldn't stop! I had to have every single one of them and finished them at a rate of one per day. If I had turned on this video or seen a promo for it on TV, I would have passed on it. It takes time to "warm up" to the personalities and their surroundings, even though the actors are superb! I had bought the video thinking I wouldn't like the books and watching it would be better (and faster). I could then tell my friend who sent me the books that I had enjoyed the series, but not tell her that I didn't read them all. It didn't work out that way. I LOVED reading the books! So far I've only watched the first episode on the video. The problem is, I had only read 3 or 4 of the books at the time I got the video, and most of the images on the screen were much different from what I had visualized in my head while I was reading. I wanted to get the books solidly in my head first before seeing an interpretation of it from someone else. I did watch enough to know that some of video series was spot on and a few things were even better than I had "seen" in my mind. I stopped watching because I had ordered the rest of the series in book form and wanted to enjoy those before I "ruined" them by watching what someone else had visualized. Now I have given it a couple of weeks and I am ready to see another interpretation or version of these great books that I never thought I would want to read. Now I can get excited about the video, because ...there are no more books left for me to read until he writes a new one. I'm still hesitant to spoil my own version, the one in my head, but I will do that today and will report back.

As a big fan of the book series, I was somewhat reluctant to watch this series. Too often, good books don't translate into film -- particularly into television series! But despite my trepidation, I bought season one and I have to tell you -- IT IS PERFECT IN EVERY WAY. No, it's NOT a literal transcription of the books but it does remain fairly true to the plotlines and "spirit" of the original books. None of the minor changes hurts the story and a few of the changes -- like new characters -- actually add to it. When critiquing books and shows, one of my criteria is whether or not I like the characters. After all, I'll be spending several hours (at least) with them. I wouldn't spend time with a loud, nasty or vulgar neighbor so why would I spend time with characters I don't like? Based on this one criterion, this show is a real winner. I liked ALL of the "regulars" -- Precious, and Grace and JLB, and BK -- and would gladly have dinner with any of them! I can't possibly list everything I liked about the series, but I will point out a few highlights: CASTING -- is perfection itself. I was worried that they would make Precious less of a "traditionally built" woman to fit the common TV star mold (young, thin and vapid) but Jill Scott is a true beautiful fatty (not as fatty as I am, but she can be forgiven that one flaw). She's a bit younger than I thought she was in the books (I seem to remember reading that Mma was in her late 30s or early 40s?) but Scott's depiction is so true to character that it didn't bother me in the least. The other main characters are equally ideally cast with particularly kudos to the actors who play JLB Matakone and Mma Makutsi. Absolute gems one and all! WRITING -- the writing is funny but never slapstick, poignant without being maudlin, and always very natural -- the way people speak, not the way writers write. CINEMATOGRAPHY -- short of going to Botswana, I can't think of a better way to view this sometimes stark but always intriguing country. The shots are as good as you'll see in any first rate movie and almost never see in television series. In short, I simply adore this show. It's the best thing I've watched in years (decades?) and I hope it goes on and on and on and on...

Gee, a well written, well presented, thoughtful and interesting 'detective' series without blood, guts, nonstop foul language and nihilistic worldview! It's hard to believe something of this quality is still around. One person's recounting of her childhood, the forming of her character, and her aspirations of becoming a real detective in Botswana! All the characters are totally believable, each mystery that needs solving is unique to itself and not the usual fare of today's TV series. I highly recommend this for anyone, old or young!

We loved this DVD series and regret that there wasn't a second season to go with it. First, it's a cheap, fun way to see the country of Botswana, which is clearly beautiful. Second, the acting fooled us! I had no doubt that the main characters were all from Africa; their accents seemed so authentic to me. As it turned out, two of the actresses were from America, one from Connecticut! The bottom line is that every person in the film did a great job portraying a different culture as well as different personalities, while outwitting the requisite bad guys. The difference between this and so many others in this genre is that the story line is permeated with African homespun common sense, compassion, and a sometimes zany, usually witty, sense of humor. It's just a fun, top quality series that our whole family enjoyed.

Precious Ramotswe is deeply loved by her Daddy, a respected elder of their community. Precious taught look carefully, remember details, find ways to expose truth, and try to help people solve their problems. Alexander McCall Smith creates thus far 20 mysteries introducing the comfort of a cup of bush tea, the incense of thorn trees, the wide veld, colors of sunset, the surrogate family a neighborhood on Kgale Hill can offer a young woman. The freedom of knowing that you are loved allows Precious to embark on a self defined career much as Tiffany Dufu has done in real life, a career that never existed before helping others. The humor and affection in Smith's books is translated onto 3 discs including the Pilot of the series and 7 subsequent episodes, plus Bonus Features, held in a three part disc holder, encased in card slipcase, all embellished with lively photos and graphic colorful artwork from the series. Precious is like all people in the world, blind to things she does not want to see, and does not want to know especially about Note Makoti a trumpet player. As a detective Precious listens carefully to the questions she is asked by people who say they want their problems solved. And after she learns the truth, devises kind ways to resolve the difficulty without necessarily using the law, but generating justice in a satisfactory manner. The colors of Botswana are brilliant, the sweep of the land, animals, people, lively communities which are trying to survive against the challenge of weather, greed, muti (witchcraft), loneliness, betrayal, fear while searching for hope. Humorous introduction to Botswana, awash in diamonds mined by those who will die of respiratory failure like Obed Ramotswe the Daddy, due to breathing dust. We meet individuals like Grace Makutsi whose 97% score at the Botswana Secretarial College garners her the position of Secretary at the Number 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, garage owner JLB Matekoni who kindly repairs Mma Ramotswe's rickety pickup when it coughs and wheezes, and BK the neighboring hairdresser who Grace notices "acts more like a woman than a man." The books are cozy and delightful, the films stopped at episode 7 sadly enough and have not been resurrected. But this compilation of the available 2008 episodes introduces another culture with all the quirks and sorrows and joys of any group of friends, in village or town, finding itself in the 21st century. Acting is inspiring, comedy infectious, and the gentle ways Mma Ramotswe figures out how to resolve the difficulties ingenious. There is even some romance.

As a fan of the Precious Ramotswe books, I was generally pleased with the video series -- at least, with episodes I was actually able to watch on the discs that I received. Warning: As soon as you can after receiving your order from this series, open and play it. I did not view mine immediately and found (well after the return period) that 2 of the discs I received in Set 1 are visibly flawed, and I could not get Episode 2 to play at all. A couple of other episodes stopped or stuttered in mid-viewing and I had to restart the video to get those to play through. A not-so-user-friendly menu made that harder than it should have been. That said, I thoroughly enjoyed the video treatment of the books' plots and characters, even though the stories sometimes were regrouped differently from the order in which the books presented them -- not a problem, as far as I'm concerned. If the set's discs had been high-quality, I would have given the series a 5-star review.

"Dumela" - If you`ve got a problem and no one else can help you, then pay a visit to Precious Ramotswe Botswana`s only and finest female privat detective. Her methods may be unconventional but she`s got warmth, wit and canny intuition on her side, not to mention the support of her friends Mr J.L.B. Matekoni, proprietor of Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors and Mma Makutsi, the fastest-typing secretary in Gaborone. - __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Inhalt: DVD 1: 1. The Big Bonanza 2. Poison 3. The Boy With The African Heart DVD 2: 1. Problems In Moral Pilosophy 2. Beauty And Integrity 3. A Real Botswana Diamond ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Zuerst diese Serie gibt es bis jetzt leider nur auf Englisch. Aber die Schauspieler sprechen sehr deutlich und es gibt Untertitel, so dass man die Dialoge sehr gut versteht, auch wenn man sein Schulenglisch lange Zeit nicht angewendet hat. Ich habe diese Serie zufällig im Sommer 2011 bei Arte gesehen und war von der ersten Minute an fasziniert von den Geschichten und den Akteuren. Man bekommt einen guten Einblick in das fremde Land Afrika und dessen Einwohnern, die uns Europäern immer noch so unterentwickelt und Rückschrittig vorkommen. Man erfährt wie dort zwischenmenschliche Beziehungen aussehen, wie Problme gelöst werden, was die Menschen bewegt, wie sie die Welt sehen und was sie uns voraushaben! (Wir haben doch mehr Gemeinsamkeiten als man auf den ersten Blick glauben will!) Es ist eine besondere Detektive-Serie die unterhält, die bewegt, die einen zum Weinen bringt, die einen zum nachdenken zwingt! Alles in allem tausend Gründe diese Serie zu kaufen und immer wieder anzusehen!

Muy divertida. Excelente adaptación del libro, ofrece una visión muy diferente de un país africano. Me gusta también la valoración del papel de la mujer en la sociedad, y que la protagonista no sea prototípica, esto es, rubia y con buen tipo. Enversión original es una excelente manera de mejorar el inglés.

Brilliant! I read the books and the series is faithful to the story. Wish they had other seasons.

This is a great DVD for anyone who enjoyed the McCall Smith stories. It arrived promptly, no issues. BUT, keep in mind that it plays only in Region 2 (Europe) DVD players, so it will not play in most North American DVD units. I am watching it on my computer which has an external DVD drive set to play Region 2. Instructions for getting a computer DVD drive to play Region 2 may be found online.

The television adaptation of The No.1 Ladies' Detectie Agency is an utterly charming and beautiful piece of work, a deceptively complex set of upbeat and interesting characters, and a terrific way to while time away. The premise is good fun - Mma Precious Ramotswe has set up a detective agency with herself and her one staff member in secretary Grace Makotsi and seeks to make a go of her business. The six part series puts her detecting skills to the test with typically three consecutive cases running simultaneously. Ramotswe solves the cases gradually including the one that runs through most of the series with break-ins happening to many of the local businesses. No.1 has a clear moral message and Ramotswe's ethics are based on the importance of developing and building personal relationships and helping those who deserve to be helped. Those who are rude or dangerous are dealt with assertively and it is a pleasure to see a good hearted character not be naive. The morality jars in a couple of places where she defends the actions of those responsible on the grounds that those with more authority should have helped them out but in general this is a rich exploration of the ethics mainly because the characters are never one dimensional and they grow and respond to the circumstances they face. Characterisation is what sets greatness apart and this series has excellent characters. Mma Ramotswe is a terrific lead because she has weaknesses. Her penchant for cakes and her large frame are oft-repeated by other characters, especially the other women. The men generally are very responsive to her and that she handles both flattery and negative comment with such good grace is charming. Her real weaknesses though are in a complete lack of business experience and Note Mokoti the irresponsible and violent musician she loved and married long ago. Ramotswe displays indecision and insecurity at times provides a superb roundness to the thought process she goes through for instance in deciding how to handle the advances of the honest but shy JLB Matekoni. The supporting cast is fantastic. JLB Matekoni is a very well developed lead male character. He is hardworking, honest, giving which are virtues many aspire to but not ones that lead to success in finding relationships. As the series develops he learns from the mistakes he makes in trying to woo Ramotswe and while the verbalisation of his developing courage probably should have been left un-said it is rewarding to see Matekoni develop the leadership and resilience a man needs. Other supporting characters such as Mr Patel and BK add comedy value every time they appear on screen but also a pathos in both struggling to find their place in the modern world for very different reasons. The supporting character that absolutely steals the show though is Ramotswe's assistant Grace Makutsi played by Anika Noni Rose. Rose is beautiful which always helps but her mannerisms are magnificent. The quirks such as the stuttering trot she often breaks into are nice pieces of consistent characterisation but it is her response to things she has not seen before that is so wonderful. The simple but effective facial response to the end of the beauty pagent where she evidently realises that people are not as simple to pigeon-hole as she believed is a moment of magic where no words were needed. The comedy timing is first rate and Anika Noni Rose is someone to look out for as a special actor, her Grace Makutsi breathes life into this series every time she appears. Not every character is as well acted and the two weakest are the two biggest name British actors. Paterson Joseph as the arch-rival Cephas Buthelezi puts on the worst southern African accent so far heard on television. Colin Salmon as Note Makoti has the physical presence to pull off the aggressive character but is really wooden. These are only fairly minor characters in the grand scheme of the series and not everything can always be perfect. The intelligence of the writing is another great asset. The episode featuring Ramotswe staying in a house and delivering a Miss Marple style whodunnit is a lovely homage but is rolled into the overarching storylines seemlessly. Minor touches like seeing cute street urchin Wellington later be part of an orphanage paid for by one of the characters involved in an earlier crime helps to bring a sense of community. The community is something the series actively fosters and harkens to an era now long gone in the west. The much much slower pace of life in Botswana exists in a country managing its diamond wealth with admirable skill despite the many development needs and the ravages of AIDS. The setting is fabulous and the realistic interpretation of a set of diverse lives in that sparkling African success story is one of the very few fair and non-patronising insights into that part of the world. No.1 introduces some of the issues at stake in Botswana very subtly. Grace Makutski's brother Richard has AIDS and while his character is not expanded he lives a difficult and painful life. More effectively the series introduces the fundamental disparity between the sets of people in the State. The hunter-gatherers who have been losing the battle for supremacy in humanity for tens of thousands of years are shown briefly but excellently. There is a reason that English is the main language for many African States and that is the peoples within do not speak similar languages to one another. The hunters in No.1 live in the hardest parts of the country and have very little compared to the burgeoning economy of the cities and while they may share some values they are clearly a people apart as indicated by the vastly different language spoken. The arrival of an African-American is an interesting interlude and the centuries that separate these people from the continent of Africa underlies everything the American says and does and presents a wholly different world view. While it is a shame there are no extras it is a real treat to have this great series on DVD. One can only hope that sense prevails and further series are put together for what is a truly great production.