A new "Masterpiece Mystery" character is arriving, bringing mixed blessings. The "Zen" stories are mixed -- excellent on July 17, impenetrable a week later -- but the settings and characters are terrific. Here's the story I sent to papers.

By MIKE HUGHES

For most of its three decades,”Mystery”
was geographically limited.

Englishmen kept killing each other.
More English folks (with occasional exceptions) caught them.

Not all gifted actresses, it seems, get equal amounts of attention. I'm quite sure I've seen more about Sandra Bullock and Anjelina Jolie than I have about Keeley Hawes.

Still, let's be clear about this: Hawes -- who stars in the "Upstairs Downstairs" PBS miniseries that begins Sunday (April 10) -- is one of the best actresses around. Here's a story I sent to papers:

By MIKE HUGHES

PBS has an endless appetite for people
who play upper-class English folks.