The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (TV series)

Origins

The production was initially envisaged as a film rather than a television adaptation. British director, the late Anthony Minghella was a known fan of the books and after optioning the film rights he worked with the publishers to write a blurb for the paperback edition. Minghella was committed to directing the project himself but it was several years before his schedule allowed pre-production to commence. Producer Amy J. Moore was a catalyst in the decision for an on location production in Botswana. Minghella, having filmed The English Patient in Africa, was concerned with the realities of importing equipment and housing the cast and crew for the production. Moore had travelled extensively in Africa, including in Botswana, and had worked on promoting South African film and bringing African-produced plays to an Off-Broadway setting. A friend approached her with the novel in 2000 and she greatly enjoyed it. Once attached to the project, she convinced Minghella to visit Botswana with her in 2004 and took him camping in the Makgadikgadi Pans. The promise of funding from the country's government convinced Minghella to shoot on location. Minghella also approached The Weinstein Company for funding and Harvey Weinstein has commented that he thought it was important to fund the production because it would be impossible to sell to a network or studio solely as a concept.

Production on the pilot began on 2 July 2007. At this stage the producers were Sydney Pollack and Minghella of Mirage Productions and Weinstein. Weinstein has commented on the project saying that "like all fans of Alexander McCall Smith's magisterial books, I became enchanted with the wonders and charms of Botswana." Oscar-winning director Anthony Minghella helmed the pilot episode and co-wrote the teleplay with Oscar nominated writer Richard Curtis. Although McCall Smith declined to write the adaptation, he remained involved as an adviser and visited the set during production. While filming the pilot episode Minghella publicly expressed concerns about how the film might be received in cinemas because the story is far removed from crime genre conventions and has little action. Minghella raised the possibility of it appearing on television instead and he decided to offer the film as a feature-length pilot.

Once the pilot was completed, HBO and the BBC ordered a further six one-hour episodes. The collaboration marks the Weinstein Company's first foray into television. Harvey Weinstein commented that he was thrilled to be working with HBO on the project because he believed they were responsible for producing television that is often superior to films.

Crew

Anthony Minghella, Timothy Bricknell and Amy J. Moore produced the pilot episode, with Richard Curtis, Sydney Pollack and Harvey Weinstein as executive producers. Bricknell produced the series, with Curtis, Moore and Bob and Harvey Weinstein acting as executive producers. Minghella and Pollack also receive this credit, despite both passing away before the full series entered production. The project is filmed in Botswana and the majority of the crew are locals.

Cast and characters

Grammy Award-winning singer/actress Jill Scott stars as the titular detective Mma Ramotswe. Tony Award-winning actress Anika Noni Rose plays assistant detective Mma Grace Makutsi. London theatre actor Lucian Msamati plays car mechanic Mr. JLB Matekoni. Actor and comedian Desmond Dube plays BK, owner of the Last Chance Salon and friend to Mma Ramotswe.

British actors Colin Salmon, Idris Elba, and David Oyelowo also feature in the pilot. Elba plays Charlie Gotso, an adversary to Mma Ramotswe. Salmon plays Mma Ramotswe's abusive ex-husband and trumpet player Note Mokoti. Oyelowo plays cheating husband Kremlin Busang. Tony award winner John Kani also appears as 'dubious' Daddy Bapetsi. Nikki Amuka-Bird plays jealous wife Alice Busang. Oyelowo, Kani and Amuka Bird all receive star billing in the feature-length pilot but will not continue as series regulars.

British actor Paterson Joseph will join the cast in a recurring role as Cephas Buthulezi, a rival detective. Tau Maseremule and Thabo Malema play Rra Matekoni's young apprentices, Fanwell and Charlie. Vusi Kunene has a recurring role as Dr. Gulubane.

The Right Rev. Musonda Trevor Selwyn Mwamba the Bishop of Botswana makes a cameo appearance as himself in the series' third episode.

Casting

Casting the roles of Mma Makutsi and Mr. JLB Matekoni was completed early in the project. However, casting Mma Ramotswe proved to be more of a challenge. Producer Timothy Bricknell states that the character's build and age excludes most well known actresses and that they initially began looking for an actress in Botswana before expanding their search throughout Africa and eventually on to London and Los Angeles. Jill Scott was shortlisted for the role but the producers were uncertain because of her relative lack of acting experience. Minghella decided to cast her after viewing clips of her poetry readings and musical performance and noting her rare screen presence. The decision was made just two weeks before production began.

Locations

The pilot episode was shot on location in Botswana. It is the first major production to be filmed in Botswana and the government reportedly provided five million dollars of funding for the project. The producers signed a 10-year-lease in 2007 for the area at the bottom of Kgale Hill in Gaborone locally known as "Kgaleview" where the detective agency set is located.

Themes

Bricknell has stated that the production showcases a modern, relatively prosperous African nation before a large television audience. He said that "People have talked about the responsibility of doing justice to Alexander McCall Smith's novel, but with this production, we also felt a strong sense of responsibility as white people making the first motion picture filmed entirely in Botswana, and presenting modern Botswana to the rest of the world."

Moore has commented that the story struck her with the idea "That leading a good life is possible; that being a good person is possible; that being a good neighbor is possible; that truth can exist alongside beauty. I thought, this African book can teach the Western world a lot."

Minghella called the experience of filming in Botswana an "amazing adventure" and noted the beauty of the country's landscapes. He said "Particularly fascinating to me was working and filming in an African country where old and new are currently coexisting, where traditional values have not yet been eroded by the demands and efficiencies and neuroses of the modern. It was a privilege to be working on a film which celebrates what we can learn from Africa, and not what we think we can teach it."

Pilot (2008)

The pilot episode had a 109-minute run time.

Promotion

The BBC announced the pilot as the centrepiece of its 2008 winter schedule and broadcast the pilot in the prestigious Easter weekend slot at 21:00 on Easter Sunday on BBC One. The BBC promoted the series as a collaboration between acclaimed British filmmakers Anthony Minghella and Richard Curtis. The show has received 6.87 million viewers (27% share) in the UK, easily beating ITV1's He Kills Coppers.

Critical response

The series received generally positive reviews from most critics, based on an aggregate score of 71/100 from Metacritic. The List said that Jill Scott's performance "effortlessly captures the blend of wisdom, compassion and understated humour that has made Precious Ramotswe such a popular creation." Some mainstream press reviewers were less impressed. The Guardian's reviewer summed it up as "Heartbeat, basically, relocated to Botswana, a beautiful African country where smiley happy people, cardboard cut-out characters, go about their business with good humour, hard work, morality and diligence." The Times' reviewer said "The problem is that Precious Ramotswe does not really live in Africa but in a verbal universe that is McCall Smith's own. His dialogue, so natural on the page, turned out to be unutterable, at least by the actors assembled here, who struggled to attain end-of-term play standards." But in The Independent, the reviewer, remarking on the recent death of its director and co-adaptor, Anthony Minghella, said "its merits are distinctively Minghella's own, and that in adapting Alexander McCall Smith's hugely popular and arguably emollient stories for the screen, he and Richard Curtis have found a way to stiffen their representation of African life without losing the sweet moral clarity of the originals." It won a Peabody Award in 2009 "for offering us Africa, Africans and compelling narratives with great wit and charm."

Impact on Botswana

The funding provided for the production allowed the country the economic benefits of hosting a major film production. It also laid the foundations for future productions by training local cast and crew members that officials hope will generate a local film industry. Botswana also expects a tourism benefit from the film and is preserving the set, "Kgalewood", as part of a tour of Gaborone aimed at fans of the story.

Cancellation and future

In August 2010, Michael Lombardo, HBO's director of programming, indicated that the show was not being renewed for a second season; however, two feature-length films continuing the series were in consideration. In January 2011, HBO president Sue Naegle stated the television movies for the series are still in script phase but there are full intentions to make the films. At the 2011 Television Critics Association summer press tour, HBO announced that the show would continue as two or more standalone films, with network executives reviewing the first script. Despite these announcements, no further information was released, and in August 2012 it was announced that HBO had decided not to move forward with production. The show's producers are believed to be looking for a new network for the project, but at this stage it remains cancelled.