Biscuits, Tea and Alibis

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  • Ludwig Wins Big At The 53rd International Emmy Awards

    The 53rd International Emmy Awards ceremony took place on November 24, 2025, in New York City.

    The International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences presented Emmys to television creators and performers from nine countries. The ceremony hosted by Live with Kelly and Mark co-hosts Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos.

    Congrats to Ludwig (Big Talk Studios / That Mitchell & Webb Company) for taking home best comedy! Ludwig stars David Mitchell as John Taylor, a brilliant but reclusive puzzle-maker who steps into the shoes of his missing twin brother, police detective James Taylor. What starts as a desperate attempt to figure out what happened to James quickly turns into something more: John realizes his knack for puzzles makes him surprisingly good at solving real-life murder cases. Anna Maxwell Martin plays Lucy, John’s determined sister-in-law, who drags him into the investigation and keeps him moving forward.

    Martin also took home Best Actress honors for her role in Until I Kill You (World Productions). Until I Kill You, written by Nick Stevens and directed by Julia Ford, is based on Delia Balmer’s autobiographical book Living with a Serial Killer (2017).

  • The Word Drop – Cranachan

    Cranachan is one of Scotland’s most beloved traditional desserts—a mix of toasted oats, whipped cream, honey, and raspberries, usually with a generous splash of whiskey. It’s often served at festive occasions such as Burns Night, Hogmanay, and summer gatherings, but its roots reach deeper into Scottish agricultural traditions.


    (Fun fact: I first learned about cranachan on The Great British Baking Show, not initially on a mystery series. But Shetland references it in Season 7, Episode 1 when Sandy Wilson mentions that his mother-in-law had offered to make cranachan for him.)


    Word Origin


    Cranachan (pronounced “CRAN-a-kun”) has its origins in Scotland’s farming communities.


    According to the Dictionaries of the Scots Language, it originated from the Gaelic for “a kind of churn” and was described as “a milk-based dish traditionally eaten at harvest-time or Halloween.”


    The Dictionaries cites an example from Catherine Brown’s Scottish Cookery (1985), where cranachan is given as an alternative name of the dessert cream crowdie. Crowdie is a mixture of crowdie cheese (a soft, tangy Scottish curd cheese) combined with oats and sometimes honey.


    Brown described cranachan as: “Unique Scottish flavours — whisky, heather honey and oatmeal combine with cream and soft fruits in this versatile creation… The ritual eating was originally a celebration of ‘harvest home’ when brambles and blaeberries would most likely have been used”.


    Today


    Today, cranachan is almost always associated with raspberries, which typically come into season in late summer. And as cream became more available to everyone (and not considered a luxury) and raspberries more widely cultivated, the dish evolved into the what it is today.


    By the 20th century, cranachan had firmly established itself as a national favorite in Scotland. Modern recipes favor whipped cream over crowdie, bringing a richer texture, while whisky adds warmth and a distinct Scottish character.


    Cranachan Recipe

    Serves: 4
    Time: 15–20 minutes


    Ingredients

    • 300g fresh raspberries
    • 300ml double cream (heavy cream)
    • 3 tbsp honey (Scottish heather honey if possible)
    • 50g porridge oats
    • 2–4 tbsp whiskey (optional)
    • Sugar to taste (optional)


    Instructions

    • Toast Oats. Toast oats in a dry pan over medium heat until golden and nutty. Let cool.
    • Prepare Raspberries. Lightly crush half the raspberries to make a rustic purée. Leave the rest whole.
    • Whip Cream. Whip cream to soft peaks. Do not over-whip.
    • Add Honey & Whiskey. Fold honey and whiskey into the cream. Adjust sweetness to taste.
    • Add Oats. Fold most of the toasted oats into the cream, reserving a little for garnish.
    • Assemble. Layer raspberries and cream in glasses or bowls. Top with remaining oats and a drizzle of honey.
    • Serve Immediately. It’s best enjoyed fresh before the oats soften.

    Variations: The recipe lends itself to variations, including using crowdie cheese for a tangy, old-fashioned version—you could also use brambles (blackberries) instead of raspberries. You can also add whiskey-soaked oats, though that can change the texture.


    For another variation, try this.

  • From DC to DCS: A Look At Criminal Investigation Department Ranks

    I’ll admit that the first few times that I heard British mystery shows describing police ranks, I was a bit confused. What the heck is a constable anyway? And why do folks rarely use the word “detective”?

    Criminal Investigation Department (CID)

    It can be confusing, and I’ve finally been able to sort out some of the key bits.

    First, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has the same rank structure as uniformed officers—they just use the word “Detective” before the rank. Detectives are simply a specialist division, but a detective is not superior to a uniformed officer of the same rank.

    (CID handles a number of complex criminal matters, including suspicious deaths, serious assaults, robbery, burglary, major property thefts, and abuse cases.)

    And importantly, the ranks of UK police detectives tend to be identified by initials—such as DI Perez—instead of the words themselves as titles (like Detective Inspector).

    Individual Roles

    Here’s a quick look from lowest to highest (note that the uniform equivalent follows each term in parentheses):

    • 
DC: Detective Constable (PC: Constable). The rank of constable is the first rank you can attain when joining the police—a DC is the lowest rank in the CID. Constables perform daily duties like gathering information. officers for the service. A DC may gather and analyze evidence from crime scenes, interview victims and suspects, surveil suspects and places of interest, and prepare cases for court. (Those who are training are called a Trainee Detective Constable (TDC). You have to complete the national Initial Crime Investigators’ Development Programme (which takes around two years) before you can become a DC.
    • DS: Detective Sergeant (PS/Sgt: Sergeant). The rank of sergeant is the first supervisory rank—sergeants may be responsible for a team of constables. A DS can investigate a crime scene and would typically supervise and coordinate the collection of evidence, interview suspects, communicate with other law enforcement agencies, and make important decisions about whether to charge a suspect.
    • DI: Detective Inspector (Insp: Inspector). The rank of inspector is the second supervisory rank.  An inspector would typically oversee a shift of constables and sergeants. A DI leads investigations, analyzes evidence, coordinates with other law enforcement agencies, and manages their teams of detectives. Their duties may also include executing search warrants, making arrests, and ensuring that cases progress through the courts.
    • DCI: Detective Chief Inspector (CI: Chief Inspector). A chief inspector is a high supervisory rank. A DCI leads and manages criminal investigations, supervises detective teams, and is responsible for overall case strategy and resource allocation for major incidents.
    • DSI/DSU: Detective Superintendent (Supt: Superintendent). A superintendent is a management role within the department. A DSI/DSU leads criminal investigations, manages complex operational responses to critical incidents, and oversees large teams and budgets. This role also involves contributing to force-wide policy and culture, managing budgets, and building relationships with partner agencies. 
    • DCS: Detective Chief Superintendent (Ch Supt: Chief Superintendent). A chief superintendent is a senior rank. A DCS is typically a career detective who has led several investigations.

    (If you catch an error, do let me know!)

  • Jimmy Perez Is Back, At Least In Print

    Last we saw DI Jimmy Perez in print, he was leaving Fair Isle for Orkney in Ann Cleeves’ novel, Wild Fire, the last of the Shetland books. But it turns out, Cleeves wasn’t finished with Perez just yet.

    Nearly twenty years ago, Cleeves introduced Perez in Raven Black (2006), her first Shetland novel. He would figure prominently in seven more books before being “retired” in the series.

    But as Cleeves explained in her newsletter, “I’d felt a longing to return north in my writing, a kind of homesickness for the islands. Wild Fire ended with a trip to Fair Isle, before the central characters flew on to their new home in Orkney. It occurred to me that I could move with them too. After all, I thought, why not?”

    Cleeves brought Perez back in her new novel, The Killing Stones. Here’s the summary, according to the publishers’ website:

    It’s been several years since Detective Jimmy Perez left Shetland. He has settled into his new home in Orkney, the group of islands, off the northern coast of Scotland, with his partner Willow Reeve and their growing family. One stormy winter night, his oldest and closest friend, Archie Stout, goes missing. Ever the detective, Perez catches a boat to the island of Westray, where Archie worked as a farmer and lived with his wife and children.

    But when he arrives he finds a shocking scene: Archie’s body, on an archaeological dig site and an ancient Westray story stone with precise spirals carved into it beside him, the clear murder weapon. The artifact, taken from a nearby museum, seems to suggest a premediated murder.

    But Perez is so close to the case that he struggles to maintain an objective distance from the potential suspects. He finds it difficult to question Archie’s wife, whom he’s known for years. Rumors swirl about the dead man’s relationship with a young woman new to the island, an artist. With each new lead, the case becomes more twisted and Perez wonders if he will ever find out what happened in his friend’s final days.

  • The Word Drop – Peerie


    There’s something special about small words (admit it, you love the word “wee”). In the Shetland and Orkney dialects of Scots, one such word is peerie.

    Peerie means small or tiny. You might hear someone in Shetland say:
    “A peerie lass ran by the shop,”
 meaning “A little girl ran by the shop.”

    Peerie is often used affectionately, not just to describe size, but also to express fondness. You can have a peerie bairn (small child), a peerie flower, or even a peerie cup o’ tea.

    Word Origin

    The origins of peerie trace back to Shetland Scots, which itself has strong influences from both Old Norse and Scots. Some scholars think peerie may come from Old Norse words like pírr (meaning “small” or “tiny”), while others suggest it might have evolved from mainland Scots words for smallness or youth.

    Today


    The word peerie remains largely the same today. It isn’t a factual sort of “small,” rather it’s more like wee, a word you’d use for something you’re fond of. A peerie dog might be a beloved little terrier—it’s as much about affection as it is about scale.

    You’ll still find the word peerie used today in local songs, poetry, and even business names, like Peerie Shop Café in Lerwick’s town centre.

  • The Word Drop – Croft

    If you’ve watched even a single episode of Shetland, you’ve probably heard the word croft — and maybe pictured a little stone cottage perched against a backdrop of sea and sky. You wouldn’t be far off.

    A croft is a small agricultural holding—usually a modest house on a patch of land—found mainly in the Scottish Highlands and Islands. The person who lives and works there is a crofter. Crofts are often family-run, passed down through generations, and they carry a deep sense of rootedness and community.

    Word Origin

    There is a little bit of debate about the exact origin of the word. It either comes from Old English croft, meaning a small enclosed field or farm, or it’s derived from the Dutch kroft or krocht. Either way, it means enclosed field and the term has survived for centuries in Scots and northern English dialects. Today, it’s largely pronounced with a soft ‘O’ so that it rhymes with soft or loft.

    Historical Significance

    Long before the 1700s, life in the Scottish Highlands and Islands was built around community and shared land. Families lived in small townships, working the soil together and grazing their animals freely under the general idea that everyone had a right to the land of their ancestors.

    This changed dramatically after the Battle of Culloden (sometimes referred to as the Jacobite Rebellion) of 1745. Many clan chiefs became landlords, and their tenants were now expected to pay rent. That necessarily meant that landlords saw more profit in raising sheep or creating hunting estates than supporting small communities.

    This shift led to one of Scotland’s darkest chapters: the Highland Clearances. Between the mid-1700s and mid-1800s, thousands of families were evicted, with some forced to move to the coasts, where land was poor and fishing or kelp farming became their only means of survival. Some were deported overseas, including to the Americas. Entire villages were emptied.

    Many of those who remained became crofters, tenants of small plots of land with shared grazing rights. But life was still harsh, as poverty, hunger, and unfair rents plagued the Highlands. By the 1880s, frustration boiled over into protest. Crofters refused to pay rent, pulled down sheep fences, and demanded fair treatment. The Crofters’ War, as it was called, attracted national attention and eventually forced Parliament to act.

    In 1883, the Napier Commission (officially the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Condition of Crofters and Cottars in the Highlands and Islands) was formed to investigate. The report was made public—you can find out more here (I highly recommend the click-through, it’s fascinating.)

    The result was the Crofters’ Holdings Act of 1886, a landmark law that finally gave crofters security of tenure, fair rent, and legal protections. It was sometimes called the Magna Carta of the Gaels or the Magna Carta of the Highlands and Islands.

    Today

    Today, crofting remains a symbol of independence and heritage across the Highlands and Islands. It’s a reminder of how people fought not just for land, but for the right to belong to it.

    In Shetland, crofts are more than scenery. They’re symbols of connection — to land, to family, and to a slower rhythm of life that stands in quiet contrast to the darkness of the mysteries unfolding nearby.

    So next time Jimmy Perez drives up to a windswept house on the edge of nowhere, you’ll know: that’s not just a cottage. It’s a croft — a word that carries history, livelihood, and a distinctly Scottish soul.

  • The Word Drop

    There’s a uniqueness about British mystery series — from the brooding landscapes of Shetland to the sharp wit of Vera and the quiet tension of Broadchurch. But beyond the crimes and clues, these shows are full of wonderful words, turns of phrase, and bits of dialect that give them their distinct flavor.

    So, from time to time, we’ll be spotlighting The Word Drop — a look at a single word or expression that captures a little of that mystery-world magic. Think of it as a linguistic detective story: where language meets landscape, and every word tells its own tale.

    Stay tuned for our first installment — coming soon.

  • Welcome to Biscuits, Tea & Alibis!

    Pull up a chair, pour yourself a cuppa, and keep your eyes peeled—because here, every scone comes with a side of intrigue. Biscuits, Tea & Alibis is my little corner of the internet dedicated to the irresistible world of British mystery television.

    Why British mysteries? Because no one does it quite like the Brits. From foggy moors and sleepy villages (where murder rates are suspiciously high) to the bustling streets of London patrolled by detectives with sharp wits and sharper cheekbones, these shows blend charm and menace in a way that feels both timeless and endlessly bingeable.

    Here you’ll find:

    • Deep dives into classic series like Poirot, Miss Marple, and A Touch of Frost.
    • Spotlights on modern gems such as Vera, McDonald & Dodds, and Broadchurch.
    • Behind-the-kettle musings about tropes we love—eccentric sleuths, cryptic alibis, and of course, the inevitable village fête that ends in murder.
    • Viewing guides to help you choose the perfect mystery for a rainy afternoon (biscuits optional but encouraged).

    Think of this blog as your cozy armchair companion: part fan’s guide, part detective’s notebook, and entirely devoted to celebrating the quirks, thrills, and comforts of British crime drama.

    So brew the tea, dunk the biscuits, and join me as we uncover clues, chase suspects, and solve the ultimate mystery: why we can’t stop watching.

  • Happy Birthday, Dame Agatha: A Celebration of the Queen of Crime

    On September 15, 1890, in the seaside town of Torquay, England, Agatha Christie, the Queen of Crime, was born.

    Christie’s career spanned over five decades and produced a body of work so influential it continues to shape mystery fiction and television today. With 66 detective novels, 14 short story collections, and the world’s longest-running play (The Mousetrap), she holds the Guinness World Record as the best-selling fiction writer of all time. Her books have sold more than two billion copies—second only to the Bible and Shakespeare.

    But numbers don’t tell the whole story. What makes Christie enduring isn’t just her productivity, but her knack for weaving puzzles that are both diabolical and delightful. She mastered the art of the red herring, led us confidently down false trails, and then revealed endings that made us gasp, laugh, or mutter “of course!”—usually all at once.

    The Characters Who Captured Our Hearts

    Christie gave us some of the most iconic detectives in the mystery canon. Hercule Poirot, the fastidious Belgian with his egg-shaped head and impeccable mustache, insists that logic and the “little grey cells” can solve any crime. Then there’s Miss Marple, the unassuming village spinster whose sharp understanding of human nature allows her to outwit professional policemen.

    Both characters have made their way into countless television adaptations. For me, nothing feels more comforting than an evening with David Suchet’s Poirot, his every mannerism a love letter to Christie’s creation. Likewise, Joan Hickson’s Miss Marple (said to be Christie’s personal favorite) is a reminder that appearances can deceive—even the gentlest grandmotherly figure might see straight into the darkest corners of the human heart.

    Christie on Screen

    It’s no exaggeration to say that without Christie, there might be no BritBox mystery section at all. Her works have been adapted into dozens of films and television series, from classic Poirot and Miss Marple to star-studded reinterpretations like Murder on the Orient Express. Even today, her stories continue to inspire new productions—Murder Is Easy and Why Didn’t They Ask Evans? have recently been reimagined for modern audiences.

    Each adaptation offers something new: the glamour of period costumes, the charm of English country villages, and the timeless satisfaction of watching order restored after chaos.

    Why She Endures

    For me, Agatha Christie is more than just a writer I admire—she’s the one who made me fall in love with the genre. I’ll never forget reading And Then There Were None late into the night, or sipping tea while streaming The Murder of Roger Ackroyd and realizing I’d been gloriously duped again. Christie reminds us that mysteries aren’t just about death—they’re about life, community, and the messy web of secrets people hide behind polite smiles.

    Raise a Cup

    So today, let’s raise a teacup to Dame Agatha Christie: the woman who taught us that even the quietest village could hide a murderer, that the smallest clue could unlock the truth, and that no alibi is ever quite as airtight as it seems.

    Happy Birthday, Dame Agatha. May your puzzles continue to confound us for another hundred years.