The Broker's Man

Acorn Media continues their steady march through BBC's rich history with their latest offering - the first series of 1997's The Broker's Man. Although the program only lasted a couple of years, the work of actor Kevin Whately along with a few other cast members and guests who appear in current popular television has produced a continued interest in the show. The lack of special features is a continuing disappointment from Acorn, but The Broker's Man should keep viewers with a love for investigative dramas well entertained.

The Broker's Man follows the life of Jimmy Griffin (Kevin Whately, Inspector Lewis), an ex-cop currently working as an insurance investigator. Using his skills learned as an officer, Griffin is a hard-nosed individual capable of taking on any sort of cases involving insurance fraud. Unfortunately, Griffin's professional success hasn't exactly translated to personal happiness. Following an affair with colleague Gabby (Michelle Fairley, Game of Thrones), Griffin recently divorced Sally (Annette Ekblom, Holby City). As he attempts to rebuild his family, can Griffin juggle his dangerous work and his ever wandering eyes simultaneously?

With his vast experience in investigative dramas, Whately is superb as the intelligent private eye working for insurance companies. The program really pushes Griffin as a ladies man who will attempt to charm just about any woman he runs into. It starts to get comical at a certain point, but it’s no worse than countless other programs with the same cliché male character. Being that The Broker’s Man only lasted for two series, one might expect Acorn Media to release a complete collection with some special features looking back at the program. Unfortunately, they have instead decided to release both series individually without any features at all (The back of the case boasts of subtitles, but I’m not going to credit that as a bonus). Fans who love the typical British detective dramas will enjoy The Broker’s Man, but it’s hard to suggest purchasing a bare-bones release. My advice? Wait for the price to drop a bit before adding it to your collection.