Professor T (UK) - General Discussion

[Door County Cherry]

Quote

Professor Jasper Tempest, a genius Cambridge University criminologist with OCD and an overbearing mother, advises the police. British version of the Belgian crime drama of the same name.

 

[Rickster]

Huh. I’ve seen this pop up in my channel listings, but figured they were reruns of the Belgian series, which was shown here last year. Will have to check out the next showing.

[treeofdreams]

My TV Guide shows it airing at 9:00 July 11 (Sunday) on PBS (I am in Arizona).

[Ms Lark]

Thanks for setting this up. Looking forward to the new series.

[Door County Cherry]

On 7/7/2021 at 4:07 PM, Rickster said:

Huh. I’ve seen this pop up in my channel listings, but figured they were reruns of the Belgian series, which was shown here last year. Will have to check out the next showing.

My PBS channel is airing the first season of the British series followed by the third season of the Belgian series. 

[AZChristian]

We watched it last night, and enjoyed it.  The guy who plays Professor T was in the first two seasons of Death in Paradise, playing a similarly quirky person.  Hard for me to think of him as a comic actor (which he says he is).

[Kemper]

This Professor T (Ben Miller) was in Bridgerton earlier this year.

 

[Ms Lark]

I liked Ben Miller in Death in Paradise and I like him here. I think he's a little more likable than Koen De Bouw's Professor T. Hard to tell from just one episode, but I may enjoy this version more than the original.

Edited July 13, 2021 by Ms Lark

[Humbugged]

12 hours ago, AZChristian said:

We watched it last night, and enjoyed it.  The guy who plays Professor T was in the first two seasons of Death in Paradise, playing a similarly quirky person.  Hard for me to think of him as a comic actor (which he says he is).

he was mainly in sketch shows unitl he go Primeval and Death in Parardise

 

 

[Humbugged]

9 hours ago, Kemper said:

This Professor T (Ben Miller) was in Bridgerton earlier this year.

 

And so was his Donkler's as Alice Mondrich

 

https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/images/emma-naomi-1609785298.png

 

 

[Rickster]

I ended up being a bit disappointed in this. I think mostly because, having seen some of the original Belgian episodes, they are mirroring the plots very closely, at least for the first two episodes. Also, the original series had the benefit of being Belgian, which was unique and gave me a bit of an insight into Belgian society without worrying too much about the plot. Now we are in the UK, where we have a multitude of  competing UK based detective and cop shows on TV and streaming, and I have a bit more critical eye on the mechanics of the plot which I found a bit simplistic. Perhaps this will get more complex plot wise or as a character study in upcoming episodes.

[Back Atcha]

Copy/Paste from the "original" Professor T:    

  ON 7/12/2021 AT 5:22 AM, KEMPER SAID:

I watched the first episode of the British version last night.  If I had not seen the original, I would have thought the new version was okay - not something I would probably get too invested in.  It doesn't help that the lead, Ben Miller (is that his name?) leaves me cold; always has.  I did like the actress who plays the mother.   I will probably watch the other episodes; in spite of the lead actor, not because of him.

 

I have too many things to watch.  It's a poor replica and didn't maintain my interest.  I'll check on the German edition.  I don't think anyone will compare favorably with Koen De Bouw as Professor T.   Perhaps the storylines need to be different.

[Door County Cherry]

Hi everyone!  

Just an FYI about discussion in this thread.  Please be careful when discussing the other versions of this show so you don't inadvertently spoil either this version or those versions by discussing plot events which haven't happened on this series yet. 

If you would like to reference major differences or plots from other versions, you can use spoiler tags.  If your primary objective is to discuss the original version, it has its own thread.

Thank you!

[gingerella]

I was so excited to see Professor T pop up on my DVR list again, hoping it was a continuation of the stellar Belgian series and was totally confused to see that this was a new British version of that series, but I gave it a chance because the original series was so captivating and unique.

To say I'm underwhelmed is an understatement. The new version feels much darker and well, British, but it lacks the subtle humor and quirkiness that made the original series so fresh and wonderful. That,  and nobody can compete with the way Belgian actor, Koen De Bouw, brought Professor T to life. He embodied the character in such a way that you felt he was dealing with mental health issues and was living in two worlds - the real world and the even more real world in his mind. For me, the British actor portraying Professor T in the new series just comes across as a cold but normal person who is maybe a germaphobe. He lacks the dimension, nuance, and depth that De Bouw brought to the hallucinatory aspects of the Belgian version.

I also loved the character of Donkers in the original and while the British version was okay, it felt like it needed a more mature actress or shall I say an actresswith more depth.

That said, I'll likely keep watching, but man, I wish/hope that the Belgian version comes back for another season,  butnI think it's done, alas!

FWIW, I watched a few minutes of the German version and really it also cannot compare to the original Belgian version.

 

[Driad]

Hello?  *crickets*  I'm enjoying this so far.  Did not see the original.  

The actress who plays Prof. T's mother was on "Vicious."

A friend worked at a university and knew an emeritus professor who was 80 and long retired, but he came to his office every day because he lived with his mother and they didn't get along.

ETA:  If Prof. T is so perceptive, why didn't he notice that he and his assistant were both feeding the (first) fish?

Edited July 20, 2021 by Driad

[AZChristian]

Watched the episode with the librarian being poisoned.

So . . . the Professor made a big deal about the fact that poisoning is a rare method of murder, but that something like 79% of poisonings are done by women.  Once they figured out that the librarian was not meant to be the victim, it was pretty obvious that the killer had to be the mother of the sick child.  Wife of the intended victim had no way to get the poisoned drink to her husband from what we saw.  Process of elimination - mother of sick child had to have done it.  She was the only other non-series-regular woman in the episode.

Wasn't sure why she did it until later, but I "called it" pretty early on that she was the guilty party.  

[leighdear]

I'm liking it so far too.  As a Brit Adrian Monk, he needs to charm up a bit, but that probably won't work too well.  The Brits tend to like their charming guys as criminals or victims.  *LOL*

Mother is such a character, she's scary and ridiculous.  I can't imagine tolerating that kind of behavior.  I do not want to see her move in with him.  

[zoey1996]

I watched the first episode last night. The actor portraying Prof. T seemed familiar, and now I know why. I am intrigued by his character and the story. 
I haven’t seen the Belgian version, but I quite liked this one.

[sugarbaker design]

16 hours ago, Driad said:

The actress who plays Prof. T's mother was on "Vicious."

Frances de la Tour is also in a sitcom from the seventies called Rising Damp, available on Prime.  It also stars a young Don Warrington (Death in Paradise) and Kate Beckinsale's late father.  It's definitely not PC, but I always enjoy seeing actors in their exuberant youth.

[AZChristian]

33 minutes ago, sugarbaker design said:

Frances de la Tour is also in a sitcom from the seventies called Rising Damp, available on Prime.  It also stars a young Don Warrington (Death in Paradise) and Kate Beckinsale's late father.  It's definitely not PC, but I always enjoy seeing actors in their exuberant youth.

Thanks for mentioning that.  I looked it up on Prime Video and showed the first scene with Frances de la Tour.  Hubby looked up and said, "Oh, that's Professor T's mother"!!!

Then I fast-forwarded to Don Warrington.  Asked hubby if he could identify him.  Nope.  We looked a little further into the show, and there were some camera angles that made it more obvious . . . but it was fun seeing him as someone other than the Chief on Death in Paradise.

[Ms Lark]

Frances de la Tour was also Madame Olympe Maxime, head of the Beauxbaton Academy of Magic  in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Pt 1.  She's not that tall, though! I like her here as Professor T's mother, but she's a little too mean. Loved her best in Vicious.

[AZChristian]

3 hours ago, Ms Lark said:

Frances de la Tour was also Madame Olympe Maxime, head of the Beauxbaton Academy of Magic  in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Pt 1.  She's not that tall, though! I like her here as Professor T's mother, but she's a little too mean. Loved her best in Vicious.

I am a HUGE Harry Potter geek and must add . . . She just had a small part in DH1.  She was much more prominent in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

[leighdear]

5 hours ago, Ms Lark said:

Frances de la Tour was also Madame Olympe Maxime, head of the Beauxbaton Academy of Magic  in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Pt 1.  She's not that tall, though! I like her here as Professor T's mother, but she's a little too mean. Loved her best in Vicious.

THAT's where I remember her!  *LOL*  I could have IMDB'd her, but I thank you for saving me the trouble!!  :)

 

[12catcrazy]

So far, I've watched 3 episodes of this show and I'm just not feelin' it.  When I see the Professor himself, and how he is being played, it makes me think of how well Jonny Lee Miller and Bernard Cumberbatch both played their version of Sherlock Holmes.   Both versions were prickly and eccentric but the actors made them so human.   Ben Miller seems out of his element here.   And the supporting cast of characters!  I'm beginning to wish that overbearing mother would get hit by a bus, and the young cop with his constant pestering of the young woman cop borders on sexual harassment.   And of course, the older male cop is "broken" by the loss of his daughter and Prof T has a thing for the Chief Detective.  It's just too damn much with the personal relationships and the crime of the week is basically filler (when it should be the other way around).

My SO seems to like the show and there is nothing else on Sunday night at the moment so I'll be stuck watching it, but I can't say that I'm enjoying it.  

[ichbin]

On 7/12/2021 at 4:56 PM, AZChristian said:

Hard for me to think of him as a comic actor (which he says he is).

Check out Worst Week of My Life, I think there were three seasons.  He is definitely a comic actor.

[novhappy]

3 episodes and wow they took all the fun and charm out of the original version. It’s just got an unpleasant, tense atmosphere. Agree w above poster who commented that the flirting between the two cops reads as sexual harassment. 
 

OG T had a humor to his personality. The chemistry is totally nowhere with the whole cast. The energy between him and the admin is so lifeless. The chief Detective lady is all whispery and weird. Was this filmed during Covid maybe that explains the lack of chemistry amongst the cast?

[leighdear]

7 minutes ago, novhappy said:

 Agree w above poster who commented that the flirting between the two cops reads as sexual harassment. 

I kinda felt that way too, but she did get drunk & have sex with him.  And she's had plenty of opportunities to shut him DOWN, but she keeps doing the flirty thing with him.  As if NO doesn't actually mean NO, but means maybe.  I'm seeing her throwing him plenty of mixed signals.  

Maybe others aren't seeing it.  But it's still annoying as hell.  

[novhappy]

19 minutes ago, leighdear said:

I kinda felt that way too, but she did get drunk & have sex with him.  And she's had plenty of opportunities to shut him DOWN, but she keeps doing the flirty thing with him.  As if NO doesn't actually mean NO, but means maybe.  I'm seeing her throwing him plenty of mixed signals.  

Maybe others aren't seeing it.  But it's still annoying as hell.  

You’re right. It’s inappropriate flirting at work. She has try to shut him down but always kinda flirty. And he needs to shut the hell up at work about his desire for her. 
UK Donkers seems kinda personality less. Even the way she got Prof T to get involved was lifeless. Hey I could learn a lot from you. Ok. 
Dan also doesn’t have a lot of personality going on. Maybe cuz the show is new and we are just meeting all the characters  🤷‍♀️ 

[leighdear]

Ok, PBS has got a dud on their hands with this.   I stopped caring about any of it about halfway through, and I'm done. 

Just because you CAN remake a show doesn't mean you SHOULD remake a show.  None of the characters or the performances are anywhere near compelling or interesting.  

I won't be finishing this out, but good luck to you that manage to gut out the rest of it.  You get points for sheer determination!  *LOL*

Edited August 3, 2021 by leighdear

[AZChristian]

I took it off my DVR automatic recording.  There was just no "there" there.

[novhappy]

I watched episode 4 and it’s just lifeless. The acting is so boring so dead across the board. Maybe it’s the show runner or director. Terrible!

[sugarbaker design]

Unpopular opinion:  I'm enjoying the show.  I'm familiar with the Belgian original, but I've never seen it.  I like the lead, his assistant, his mother and Juliet Aubrey.  All the rest can go, especially the two cops that are screwing.  The plots are tight, and the scenery is gorgeous.  I'm a huge fan of the hour long mystery, and while I somewhat enjoy Vera and Grace, ninety minutes is way too long for a TV mystery.

[12catcrazy]

On 7/27/2021 at 9:34 PM, leighdear said:

I kinda felt that way too, but she did get drunk & have sex with him.  And she's had plenty of opportunities to shut him DOWN, but she keeps doing the flirty thing with him.  As if NO doesn't actually mean NO, but means maybe.  I'm seeing her throwing him plenty of mixed signals.  

Maybe others aren't seeing it.  But it's still annoying as hell.  

The "no" meaning "maybe" got even worse on episode 4.   She's telling him no and then winds up in a passionate kiss with him.  It reminded me of the old joke where the "wolf" is sexually going after a woman and she says, " No! Don't! Stop!   then "No Don't! Stop" until finally "No, don't stop!".      I guess that the people who write this show are tone deaf to the "Me Too" thing.  

The actual crime seemed to have more time devoted to it than usual, which was a plus.  The relationship between Prof T and his mother is beyond bad.   He actually shows up to the gallery show but leaves before his mother can see him and then he buys up all the paintings to keep them locked up in a room.   Just weird and ick.  

[novhappy]

The lack of rapport between the characters is really glaring. There’s none of the underlying affection and warmth between anyone. I don’t even remember the interactions between him and Most other characters. Just one liners.  
anyway I’m going to keep watching bucuz I have to see if it gets better or do they bring this level of cold and restraint to the next seasons which get pretty intense and emotional.  

[zoey1996]

On 8/4/2021 at 11:12 AM, sugarbaker design said:

Unpopular opinion:  I'm enjoying the show.  I'm familiar with the Belgian original, but I've never seen it. 

I’m enjoying it, too. I didn’t know about the Belgian original. I’m just liking this for what it is. I like the imaginary scenes of what Professor T would like to do (burning the invitation, etc.) but dares not. 

[sugarbaker design]

6 hours ago, novhappy said:

The lack of rapport between the characters is really glaring. There’s none of the underlying affection and warmth between anyone. 

That's one of the reasons I like it!

[catrice2]

The worst part of this show is the relationship between the co workers... and of course she is made to appear cold and heartless towards him...

[12catcrazy]

14 hours ago, catrice2 said:

The worst part of this show is the relationship between the co workers... and of course she is made to appear cold and heartless towards him...

If you're referring to Dockers and the young male cop, I don't think she is really cold and heartless but the way they are presenting the way the two of them relate to each other is uneasy to watch.   It seems to have taken the Chief Detective (still don't know her name) to see an interaction between the two of them and mention "transfer" to set up the latest thing of where she makes a date with the guy and then stands him up but sends an attractive friend to take her place.   Why did she do this rather than the adult way of dealing with it which would be to have a conversation with him and tell him that she is caretaking her father who has dementia and really has no time to be involved in a relationship and doesn't just want to use the guy for easy sex (or whatever it is).    And the way the young cop is being portrayed, you can see why she had to hit him over the head by standing him up because he also doesn't seem to want to take "no" for an answer.     It's all so middle school, but I did like the case of the week.   Even Mother was portrayed as somebody human this week.  

[izabella]

On 8/4/2021 at 10:12 AM, sugarbaker design said:

Unpopular opinion:  I'm enjoying the show.  I'm familiar with the Belgian original, but I've never seen it.  I like the lead, his assistant, his mother and Juliet Aubrey.  All the rest can go, especially the two cops that are screwing.  The plots are tight, and the scenery is gorgeous.  I'm a huge fan of the hour long mystery, and while I somewhat enjoy Vera and Grace, ninety minutes is way too long for a TV mystery.

I like it, too!  My only problem is with Donckers.  The Beligan Donckers was so vibrant and full of life and personality and drive.  This one seems too milquetoast and bland for the role.

[novhappy]

Episode 5 was better I thought. Altho the situation between the Dinckers and Dan is kinda ridiculous   

I noticed in this episode Dan provided little to no value to the case. To the point where, he n Donckers were interviewing someone at their house, she got a call and walked out of the room and he just looked at the suspect shrugged silently. Like he can’t continue the conversation? 
im glad we seem to be done w the relationship. 
agree w poster that said Donckers is milquetoast. She has the angry attitude but not really any drive and life 

[zoey1996]

No comments regarding episode 6? I watched it today. I am intrigued by the final scene. Does it mean anything, or is it just an imaginery playing out of Prof. T's remembrance of his father's last moments?

Faking his own death, then dying from a heart attack? And why did the stepson try to obscure what really happened? I really didn't get that part.

[Driad]

There were several things I didn't get in episode 6.  Did we find out who was the shooter on the motorcycle at the beginning, and what was shooter trying to accomplish? 

[MrsKravitz]

And what was with Freddie dropping things? I kept waiting to hear he had a degenerative disease that stem cells would help.
 

I really wanted to like this show, but the writing was subpar. 

[zoey1996]

I watched Episode one of Series 2 tonight on my PBS station.

Quote

When a university student is left badly burnt and in a coma after a house fire, detectives reluctantly call in the professor when it emerges that the victim was drugged and the fire deliberate.

How could so many students fail oral exams finals? And one who passed cheated! Fortunately discovered, but still!

I'm glad it's back as part of the Masterpiece Mysteries line up. I've missed my PBS Sunday nights the past few weeks.'

[Mermaid Under]

Quote

I watched Episode one of Series 2 tonight on my PBS station.

Was there ever a Series 1 on PBS or did they start with Series 2? 

I enjoyed this.  At first I kept thinking House, or Monk or Death in Paradise, but by the end I just enjoyed it for what it was. 

[zoey1996]

Yes, I watched Series 1 on PBS as well. I didn't realize that was two years ago!

I started watching Death in Paradise a few weeks ago. I kept thinking the actor playing Richard Poole seemed familiar, and was pleased to see it was the same actor, Ben Miller, portraying Jasper Tempest in Professor T.

 

[magdalene]

Never seen the original but I like this so far. It's all very eccentric in a way I enjoy. I do remember the lead from Death in Paradise.

[Trey]

9 hours ago, zoey1996 said:

How could so many students fail oral exams finals?

Weren't all the failures based on the same "who would you save" question?

I've never heard of this show before but I found it on PBS when scrolling for some evening entertainment. I liked it well enough and will continue to watch.

[alias1]

I really enjoyed season one (which my PBS station just reran).  And I really like Ben Miller in this role.  I've never seen any other version.  This first episode of season two seemed like it lacked something.  But I'm so glad it's back. Love my PBS station for showing it.

[12catcrazy]

I guess that I'm an outlier here in not really liking this show.  To me, the writing isn't great, I can't warm up to any of the characters, and the mother is just downright gonzo.  The actress has a face that reminds me of melting wax and the way her part is written, you can see why the son is so weird.   He's obviously supposed to be a person on the spectrum but even a non-spectrum person would be screwed up with that mother.  

Granted this is the first week of the new season's Sunday night Trio of shows but so far they are all kind of disappointing.