Bests In Picture

We all have seen and heard so many detective series and so many great characters in literature, movies, television, and radio. However, some of those characters are more memorable than others. They remain in the heart and soul of the mystery fans for a reason: They were crafted masterfully in the minds of some notable crime writers and they were portrayed by amazing actors/actresses. The Best In Pictures, is a series in which represents our compilation of the most notable characters in the mystery genre. As the first post in the series, here is the list of the best British TV detectives:

(Note: For the full screen version, click here)

Best British TV Detectives In Picture

[img src=http://www.mysterytribune.com/wp-content/flagallery/best-british-tv-detectives-in-picture/thumbs/thumbs_inspector-alleyn-2.jpg]Inspector Roderick Alleyn
Roderick Alleyn is a fictional character who first appeared in 1934 as the policeman hero of the 32 detective novels by Ngaio Marsh. Patrick Malahide played as Alleyn in an early 1990's series adapted for TV titled "Inspector Alleyn Mysteries". [img src=http://www.mysterytribune.com/wp-content/flagallery/best-british-tv-detectives-in-picture/thumbs/thumbs_albert-campion.jpg]Albert Campion
Campion is a television show made by the BBC, adapting the Albert Campion mystery novels written by Margery Allingham in 1920's. Two seasons were made, in 1989 and 1990, starring Peter Davison as Albert Campion. Ingenious, resourceful and well-educated, Campion lived his life as an adventurer and detective.[img src=http://www.mysterytribune.com/wp-content/flagallery/best-british-tv-detectives-in-picture/thumbs/thumbs_tv-secrets-2-inspector-morse-431x300.jpg]Inspector Morse
Inspector Morse is a fictional character in the eponymous series of detective novels by British author Colin Dexter, as well as the 33-episode 1987–2000 television adaptation of the same name, in which the character was portrayed by John Thaw. Morse is a senior CID (Criminal Investigation Department) officer with the Thames Valley Police in Oxford, England. Morse is ostensibly the embodiment of white, male, upper-middle-class Englishness, with a set of prejudices and assumptions to match. He may thus be considered a late example of the gentleman detective, a staple of British detective fiction.[img src=http://www.mysterytribune.com/wp-content/flagallery/best-british-tv-detectives-in-picture/thumbs/thumbs_adam_dalgliesh_1.jpg]Adam Dalgliesh
Adam Dalgliesh is a fictional character who has been the protagonist of fourteen mystery novels by P. D. James. Dalgliesh first appeared in James's 1962 novel Cover Her Face. Dalgliesh holds the rank of Commander in the Metropolitan Police Service at New Scotland Yard in London, although he is introduced in Cover Her Face, as a Detective Chief Inspector. He is an intensely cerebral and private person. He writes poetry, a fact about which his colleagues are fond of reminding him. The first 10 novels of James were adapted for TV with Roy Marsden playing as Dalgliesh. [img src=http://www.mysterytribune.com/wp-content/flagallery/best-british-tv-detectives-in-picture/thumbs/thumbs_936full-cadfael-poster.jpg]Brother Cadfael
Brother Cadfael is the main character in a series of historical murder mysteries written between 1977 and 1994 by the linguist-scholar Edith Pargeter under the name "Ellis Peters". The character of Cadfael himself is a Welsh Benedictine monk living at Shrewsbury Abbey, in western England, in the first half of the 12th century. Cadfael became a monk only in middle age and, as a result, is more familiar with the secular world outside the monastery than most of his brother monks. His personality reflects more modern, pragmatic attitudes and progressive ethics than those of his time.[img src=http://www.mysterytribune.com/wp-content/flagallery/best-british-tv-detectives-in-picture/thumbs/thumbs_foyle_use.jpg]Chief Superintendent Christopher Foyle
Chief Superintendent Christopher Foyle (Michael Kitchen) was the hero of a series titled Foyle's War, a British detective drama television series set during World War II. Commissioned by ITV after the long-running series Inspector Morse came to an end in 2000, Foyle was portrayed as quiet; methodical, very sagacious and scrupulously honest, yet frequently underestimated by his foes.[img src=http://www.mysterytribune.com/wp-content/flagallery/best-british-tv-detectives-in-picture/thumbs/thumbs_inspector-frost.jpg]Inspector Jack Frost
A Touch of Frost is a television detective series produced by Yorkshire Television from 1992 until 2010, initially based on the Frost novels by R. D. Wingfield. It stars David Jason as Detective Inspector William Edward "Jack" Frost, known almost universally as Jack, an experienced and dedicated detective who frequently clashes with his superiors.[img src=http://www.mysterytribune.com/wp-content/flagallery/best-british-tv-detectives-in-picture/thumbs/thumbs_chief-inspector-barnaby.jpg]Inspector Tom Barnaby
Midsomer Murders is a British television detective drama that has aired on ITV since 1997. The show is based on the books by Caroline Graham, as originally adapted by Anthony Horowitz. The lead character is DCI Tom Barnaby (John Nettles) later replaced in 2011 by Neil Dudgeon who plays Tom's younger cousin DCI John Barnaby. The stories revolve around the Barnabys' efforts to solve the numerous murders that take place in the fictional English county of Midsomer.[img src=http://www.mysterytribune.com/wp-content/flagallery/best-british-tv-detectives-in-picture/thumbs/thumbs_inspector-lynley.jpg]Inspector Lynley
The Inspector Lynley Mysteries is a series of BBC television programmes about Detective Inspector Thomas "Tommy" Lynley, 8th Earl of Asherton (Nathaniel Parker) of Scotland Yard and Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers (Sharon Small). In addition to the tensions involved in solving murder cases, the series thrives on the characters' clashes regarding personality, gender, and class, since Lynley is an earl (a peer of the realm), while Havers comes from a working class background.[img src=http://www.mysterytribune.com/wp-content/flagallery/best-british-tv-detectives-in-picture/thumbs/thumbs_poirot460.jpg]Hercule Poirot
Agatha Christie's Poirot is a British television drama that has aired on ITV since 1989. It stars David Suchet as Agatha Christie's fictional detective Hercule Poirot. Suchet was recommended for the part by Christie's family for the role. According to many critics and enthusiasts, Suchet's characterisation is considered to be the most accurate interpretation of all the actors who have played Poirot, and the closest to the character in the books. [img src=http://www.mysterytribune.com/wp-content/flagallery/best-british-tv-detectives-in-picture/thumbs/thumbs_sherlock-holmes-brett.jpg]Sherlock Holmes
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is the name given to the TV series of Sherlock Holmes adaptations produced by British television company Granada Television between 1984 and 1994. The series starred Jeremy Brett as the famous detective. His portrayal remains very popular among Sherlock fans.