This is the first of our (spoiler-free) episode reviews from a fan’s perspective. With winter weather upon us in Southeast London, the blanket is on our knees and tasty treats to hand, so let’s get started with The FireFly Cage, Season 1 Episode 1! 

The episode introduces our favourite, roguish East Anglian antiques dealer along with his trademark technique of ‘breaking the fourth wall’ to tell the audience directly what’s on his mind. Throughout the series, these asides to camera are some of the funniest and most insightful into a now vanished world of antiques dealing, along with the character. 

We also meet many of the main characters who support Ian McShane’s lead, including Tinker, Eric and Lady Jane Felsham, plus his on-off nemesis and rival Charlie Gimbert. Finally, there are a number of locations which make this episode memorable both to those of a certain age and/or interested in military history (strong crossover). 

The plot starts simply, with Lovejoy bidding for a carved Japanese firefly cage which ends up being won by a mysterious young woman. Using tactics which would seem stalker-y unless used by our hero, he tracks her down and discovers it is key to a much bigger mystery…

This approach sets the structure for many of the future Lovejoy episodes; as the show’s popularity took off, there was a need to balance different audiences. Some (like us) love the focus on the trade, auctions and gentle scams perpetrated by characters on each other, while other viewers doubtless enjoyed mystery-solving, action packed romps, preferably in glamorous locations. 

Here, it’s almost like two different stories and styles spliced together which, although enjoyable doesn’t always come off smoothly. The earlier scenes of Lovejoy’s struggles with his car (Miriam) and splashing through chocolate-box villages evoke shows like The Last of the Summer Wine, while the violent action on the water in the final scenes are right out of The Sweeney. 

Also notable are our hero’s innuendos around the Firefly Cage (“they would make love in its gentle glow”) and the language he uses with the young woman (“not even a spoiled bitch like you…”) – this is a Lovejoy still rough around the edges. 

Unpolished, ungentrified but also beautiful are the locations where the action plays out, a number of which return throughout the series and are covered in the excellent book by Paul Atkinson on The Lovejoy Trail. 

Felsham Hall in Essex, Lavenham and Waiberswick in Suffolk (where Charlie keeps his boat) show us how close this part of the world still was to its farming, fishing and historical roots, and you can almost smell the pubs! There is also a cameo of the Napoleonic-era Horse Sand Fort, down towards the Isle of Wight. 

In summary, this is a funny, if slightly confusing start to the Lovejoy journey which has all the ingredients present for what would make it so loved over the next decade! We’ll be watching and sharing more of our thoughts and welcome yours, so please contact us using the form…