Death on the Tyne

Good script, good cast and overall a good 90mins. It's not trying to win a BAFTA or be anything it's not. Puts me in mind of Benidorm or a Carry On spoof.

If you saw murder on the Blackpool express- you knew what to expect. It was silly, daft, mad fun in the way of a carry-on film. Terrific cast too- and I had a laugh. It was very much as I expected. As a veteran of North Shields ferries to Holland- the hen-night could have been rowdier. ;)

Death on the Tyne is a passable comedy murder mystery following the (slightly) better Murder on the Blackpool Express that follows the misadventures of the hapless Draper's Tours company, but it should have been better. And it definitely should have been funnier. Part of the problem is that the Tyne in the title is a misnomer (Death on the Amsterdam Ferry would have been a more accurate title) and the cast is rather limited in scale, which gives the ship-board scenes a distinctly empty feeling (and visually suggests a low budget). It is of course meant to be silly, but it should then also be consistently funny, and it isn't. There are certainly quality actors on display (Sheila Reid is always great), with the addition of Johnny Vegas being, well, Johnny Vegas and Sian Gibson going for the comedy gurning route, usually in reaction to a less-than-hilarious Johnny Vegas quip or hapless routine. However, James Fleet (sporting a magnificently epic beard, and looking cool with it!) is good value and he clearly has fun playing a very different role from the likes of The Vicar of Dibley's Hugo Horton. So, a reasonable time-filler after a busy day, but it is a series that needs to be quietly murdered off-screen, and the Draper's coach must be sent to the scrapyard, ASAP.

A very worthwhile nights viewing of a clever witty screenplay with a dialogue brilliantly executed by a fabulous cast. You will be entertained and the light hearted style works well. A refreshing skilled script which is often lacking in comedy dramas these days - 10/10 most definitely👍👍😁😁

After Murder on the Blackpool Express, Terry (Johnny Vegas) and Gemma (Sian Gibson) of Draper's Tours return on Death on the Tyne. The cruise has not started well as the tour company expected. They only have three old passengers booked to sail the North sea to Amsterdam. Terry though plans to propose to Gemma and has got a fine cabin room for them both. The passengers though have a little box room with bunk beds. The Captain of the boat is on his last sailing, due to give way to his first officer and his high maintenance adulterous wife who is also the cabaret singer. However as soon as the ship sails, a crew member is attacked and then someone in a fish costume is bumping off people one by one. Death on the Tyne is flimsy and feeble stuff. There is very little story to it, it gets boring very quickly and the whole thing is stretched out. Even has a light hearted mystery it fails.

The original 'Murder on the Blackpool Express' was quite a pleasant surprise of a film in all honesty and this sadly however is a bit of a step down from the first. Keeping the 'core' of the cast and switching up location and plot crux it's refreshong whilst still parodying the basis where it came frome. A bit rushed and less fun to some extent than its predecessor there's still a fair amount of charm intact, obviously no blockbuster but for an "English low budgeter" it's a decent try

I am absolutely shocked with the low rating of this film. It is an amazing film, and well written. It had lots of stars I knew (Sheila Reid, Tony Gardner and many more). I think the bad reviews are because people clearly don't know the definition of the word 'comedy', if you want a serious murder mystery, get over to NCIS or Criminal Minds and stop throwing all the good work from everyone involved in the making of this.

I guess the only thing wrong with this is the title - bar the ferry leaving North Shields ferry terminal it's nothing to do with the Tyne, I didn't see one Geordie in the show. That said this is excellent fun. The cast are great and play the characters out superbly. The banter between the characters is hilarious and the lines very amusing. It's well worth two hours if you're looking for a good laugh, very funny. I'm surprised at some of the hate reviews I've read. Give it a go.