If you enjoyed the first two series of The Mallorca Files, a bright spot in the BBC One daytime schedules, then I hope you have an Amazon Prime Video subscription. That’s the only place you will find the third series. The show is co-produced by the BBC’s commercial arm which has decided to sell it to the streaming giant, for reasons that are undisclosed but probably have something to do with Amazon’s deep pockets.
Written by Dan Sefton, this sunny crime drama was popular with BBC daytime viewers, doubling its audience over the course of its first two seasons. But I guess hard-headed commercial decisions take precedence.
Storywise, the series still delivers. At its heart are two mismatched detectives, Miranda (Elen Rhys) and Max (Julian Looman). She’s British and sensible. He’s German and fun. They secretly fancy each other, which translates as gentle bickering. “Why are you not more annoyed?” asks Miranda, uptight about something. “Why are you so annoyed that I’m not more annoyed?” says a baffled Max, whose laidback approach to the job probably wouldn’t make him a great police officer in real life.
In every episode they tackle a new crime, all set against a gorgeous holiday backdrop. You don’t have to be Einstein to work out whodunit, but it’s easy, feelgood TV which bobs along on the strength of Looman’s goofy charm and the fact that the show never takes itself seriously.
In the first episode, the pair have to pose as a Silicon Valley billionaire and her dumb toyboy, as part of a plan to entrap a conman running a property scam. In the second, they go undercover as employees in a luxury hotel after the manager reports a spate of thefts. Max is assigned to be a housekeeper, and seems quite chuffed when he masters the art of the hospital corner.
There are speedboat chases, jet-ski chases, and chases through Mallorca’s picturesque streets, all bathed in golden sunlight. It’s all good-natured and jolly, with witty support from María Fernández Ache as the police chief. Why would she employ a Brit and a German who never speak in Spanish to police a Balearic island? Don’t overthink it. The show is like a perky Death in Paradise. The BBC’s loss is Amazon’s gain.
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