A Touch of Frost Fun Times for Swingers (1992–2010) Online

A male escort is brutally murdered. He apparently was incredibly popular with his clients. Some of them actually saw him as a potential partner. A suicide takes place at the beginning, making this anything but victimless. Frost finds himself in the middle of a social setting which he can't quite fathom. To make matters worse, since the young man was free lancing, instead of paying off some criminals who had many young men and women in their stable, it put him in grave danger. This may well be the reason he has died. We are also introduced to women whose lives are miserable because their husbands have lost any of their romance in the relationship. It is a highly interesting episode. It also treats the idea that as people age, their needs continue, even if it is laughable to the younger folk.

'A Touch of Frost' is a personal favourite of mine, and one of my favourite shows from the detective/mystery genre. Do have a preference perhaps for the earlier-mid-show episodes over the later ones, but none of the episodes are less than watchable and none do anything to embarrass the show.

So much appeals about 'A Touch of Frost'. Love the mix of comedy (mostly through Frost's snide comments and quips) and dark grit, the tension between rebellious Jack Frost and by-the-book Mullet which has led to some humorous moments, how he interacts with the rest of the staff, the deft mix of one or two cases and Frost's personal life, how Frost solves the cases, the production values, music and of course David Jason in one of his best roles.

There may have been people initially sceptical about whether the show would work, and with Jason (a mainly comedic actor) in a departure from usual in the lead role. Scepticism very quickly evaporated, with the first season containing three consistently great episodes, even with the darker and grittier approach with less humour, that established the tone and characterisation so brilliantly so early on with no signs of finding-their-feet. The next two seasons and "Paying the Price" were more than up to their levels, with "Appropriate Adults" and "Paying the Price" being two of the show's best episodes. "Unknown Soldiers" was good if a slight disappointment, but "The Things We Do For Love" and "Fun Time for Swingers" are a couple of steps up while not quite classics. As can be gathered by the summarising of previous episodes, there was not a bad episode at this point in the show.

Visually, as always with 'A Touch of Frost', "Fun Time for Swingers" looks great. It matches the dark, gritty tone of the episode beautifully with atmospheric lighting and the stylish way it's shot. The music is haunting without being over-bearing while the theme tune is one of the most iconic in the detective genre (or at least to me it is).

The script is well written, with a few very amusing quips from Frost, and thought-provoking, while the direction is solid and has more clarity than in "Unknown Soldiers" for example. The story is absorbing with some very surprising twists and turns and plenty of suspects, even if there are episodes before and since that had slightly more consistent forward momentum. Loved how it addressed the idea of people still being in need getting older, not a new idea as such but done in a way that makes one relate. The final solution is comprehensible and pretty tense.

Frost is a remarkably well-established character for so early on, and one cannot help love his interaction with the rest of the officers and his chemistry with Bruce Alexander's stern and by-the-book Mullet, who constantly despairs of Frost's unconventional approach.

Jason is brilliant, then again he always was as Frost, while Bruce Alexander, John Lyons and particularly Russell Hunter are just as good. Isla Blair, Martin and Jan Harvey (the last two can be seen together in the 'Inspector Morse' episode "Greeks Bearing Gifts", good to see them again) are solid support.

In conclusion, very well done and a fun time. 8/10 Bethany Cox

When a woman throws herself to her death and a man is later found viciously murdered in his apartment, could there be a connection? That's not the only problem for Jack Frost, when he's called to the case of break-ins and attacks at the local cricket club....Sport fans may notice a famous former football player in this episode!

Amusing moments abound when Jack has to work with Scottish sidekick, D.C. Prentice (brilliantly played by the late Russell Hunter), while Martin Jarvis and Jan Harvey equally make light of their roles as gigolos!

A possible relationship for the grumpy detective comes into the fray, when Jack begins to fall for the charming Rosalie Martin (played by Isla Blair, who actually appears in later episodes too). But is she hiding something?

Fun Times For Swingers is another satisfactory episode in the Frost franchise, and David Jason continues to portray his role in a suitably lavish manner. 7/10