Maigret
Series title with a silhouette of Maigret against a map of Paris
GenreCrime drama
Based onNovels (by Georges Simenon)
Written byStewart Harcourt
Starring
ComposerSamuel Sim
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series2
No. of episodes4 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersPaul Aggett
Stewart Harcourt
Ben Latham-Jones
John Simenon
Barnaby Thompson
ProducerJeremy Gwilt
Production locationsBudapest, Hungary, Szentendre, Hungary
Running time90 minutes
Production companiesEaling Studios
Maigret Productions
Original release
NetworkITV
Release28 March 2016 (2016-03-28) –
24 December 2017 (2017-12-24)[1][2]

Maigret is a British television series from ITV. It is an adaptation of the books by Georges Simenon featuring his fictional French detective Jules Maigret, played by Rowan Atkinson.[3] The series is set in France in the mid-1950s.[4] Its first episode aired on 28 March 2016 and the second on Christmas Day, 2016. A second series (also of two episodes) aired during 2017. It was reported in 2018 that the series had been cancelled.[1][2]

The series premiered in the United States on 31 August 2019 on Ovation.[5]

Rowan Atkinson, who plays Jules Maigret, is a notable fan of the books saying, "I have been a devourer of the Maigret novels for many years and I'm very much looking forward to playing such an intriguing character at work in Paris during a fascinating period in its history."[6][7]

Series overview

SeriesEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
1228 March 2016 (2016-03-28)25 December 2016 (2016-12-25)
2216 April 2017 (2017-04-16)24 December 2017 (2017-12-24)

Cast

Production

Series 1

The Jezsuita Stairs in Budapest doubled as stairs in Montmartre.[8]

The episodes were mainly filmed on location in Budapest and Szentendre, Hungary, which stood in for 1950s Paris.

Series 2

These buildings on Alkotmány Street, Szentendre became the Picratt for Maigret in Montmartre.[9]

Prior to the second episode's airing on 17 June 2016 and after the popularity of the first, ITV commissioned two further episodes, production of which took place between November 2016 and February 2017.[10]

Episodes

Series 1 (2016)

No.
overall		No. in
series		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateUnited Kingdom viewers
(millions)
11"Maigret Sets a Trap"Ashley PearceStewart Harcourt28 March 2016 (2016-03-28)7.17[11]

Based on Maigret Sets a Trap.
Maigret is under heavy pressure from his superiors and the press because he has failed to catch a serial killer of women with no common feature, except their hair. Maigret sets a trap using undercover police women. The trap yields a clue to a suspect with a wife and mother, both very possessive, just as the decision to replace him as lead investigator brings the pressure to a boiling point.

22"Maigret's Dead Man"Jon EastStewart Harcourt25 December 2016 (2016-12-25)5.48[12]

Based on Maigret's Dead Man.
One morning an agitated man calls the Police judiciaire asking for Maigret. He claims he's being followed by someone trying to kill him. Before Maigret can get the details he hangs up, calls back again from various cafés until the calls finally stop. That night his body is found, his face badly beaten and has been stabbed to death. Riddled with guilt for not having saved "his" dead man, Maigret is determined to find the murderer.

Series 2 (2017)

No.
overall		No. in
series		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateUnited Kingdom viewers
(millions)
31"Maigret's Night at the Crossroads"Sarah HardingStewart Harcourt16 April 2017 (2017-04-16)5.47

Based on Maigret at the Crossroads.
The body of one Jewish jeweller is found in the car of a Danish national who lives with his sister. When the man is taken in for questioning, he denies all knowledge of the murder, but establishing his true identity is problematic. Maigret attends the funeral of an old colleague, and then works with another old colleague on the case.

42"Maigret in Montmartre"[10]Thaddeus O'SullivanGuy Andrews24 December 2017 (2017-12-24)5.48

Based on Inspector Maigret and the Strangled Stripper.
Arlette, an exotic dancer at the "Picratt Club" comes to the police for help, telling Maigret about a "countess" who is in grave danger, but she then flees distrustful and afraid. Soon afterwards she is found murdered; then the countess's body is discovered. Maigret must discover the link between the two women, as he and his men hunt for the killer in Montmartre's streets.

References

  1. ^ a b Howard, Kirsten (30 May 2018). "Maigret has been cancelled". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on 27 March 2019. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Maigret • Rowan Atkinson kann auch ernst (und Krimi!)". Hörzu (in German). 5 June 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
  3. ^ "Rowan Atkinson starts filming ITV drama Maigret". ITV. 8 September 2015. Retrieved 25 December 2015.
  4. ^ The episode Montmartre at 1:26:41 shows a calendar dated 1955.
  5. ^ "Following the Success of "Versailles" and "Riviera," Ovation Returns to France with "Maigret"". The Futon Critic. 15 July 2019. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
  6. ^ Nicola Methven (8 September 2015). "Rowan Atkinson to get serious as filming for ITV remake of Maigret begins". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 25 December 2015.
  7. ^ "IMDB.com". IMDb. 19 July 2018. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
  8. ^ "Follow in the footsteps of Rowan Atkinson's Maigret… in Budapest". radiotimes.com. 16 April 2017. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
  9. ^ "Ismét Magyarországon forgat Mr. Bean, Szentendréből francia kisváros lett". szeretlekmagyarorszag.hu. 16 April 2017. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
  10. ^ a b "ITV Press Centre - "ITV commissions further Maigret films starring Rowan Atkinson"". ITV Press Centre. 17 June 2016. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
  11. ^ "Digital Spy – Forums – The Ratings Thread (Part 67)". Digital Spy Forums. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
  12. ^ weekly viewing at barb.co.uk

External links

Georges Simenon's Maigret
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