Danse Macabre

My recent detour into Japanese detective fiction and the captivating mysteries of locked-room whodunits reminded me of popular BBC series Jonathan Creek. The show ran for three seasons between 1997–99. It returned with season 4 and 5 in 2003 and 2014 respectively. A few feature-length specials were scattered between seasons with a final one in 2016.Fond memories led me to the only reasonable action: binge the entire lot in a fortnight.The original 90’s episodes remain the best. They’re decidedly camper than I remember. Later seasons took a sombre tone and lost some of the charm. The theme tune is based on the violin riff in Camille Saint-Saëns’ Danse Macabre (YouTube) — a certified banger from 1874. Hence the title of this post, and as it happens, my favourite Jonathan Creek episode.Before that, there’s a moment in season one that I think explains everything.The matchboxA matchbox magic trick is used to illustrate what makes for a good or bad illusion. I’m sure these were found in…