Agatha Raisin & the Deadly Dance

***Agatha Raisin & the Deadly Dance*** is the second episode of the third season of *Agatha Raisin*. The episode was written by Chris Murray and directed by Roberto Bangura. It aired February 10, 2020 on Acorn TV.

The episode is based on the *Agatha Raisin* book of the same name.

## Synopsis

Agatha investigates a death threat to a young woman about to get married - however, the case takes an unexpected turn when the would-be assassin is found dead.

## Plot

Business has been booming ever since Agatha solved the mystery surrounding the haunting of Ivy Hall. However, she’s left in a foul mood when she discovers the newspaper article about her recent exploits has been sabotaged by Inspector Wilkes who claims she’s nothing more than an amateur who got lucky. Determined to prove him wrong, Agatha sets out in search of a juicy case that’ll set the record straight once and for all.

However, it turns out that Agatha’s not the only one who’s seen the article as the agency’s clients’ start frantically ringing up to cancel their cases. It’s only when Sir Charles barrels into the agency with his friend Tiggy Laggat-Brown promising he has brought a sensational case for Agatha to solve that she breathes a sigh of relief. Tiggy explains that she’s received a death threat warning that if her daughter, Cassandra, goes through with her engagement then she will be killed. Sensing her chance to prove the naysayers wrong, Agatha leaps at the opportunity.

Later that night, Agatha and the gang arrive at the engagement party dressed to the nines.
Determined to restore their reputation as the Cotswolds premier sleuths, they mingle with
the guests looking for any sign of trouble. As Agatha walks through the party she finds herself watching a passionate tango routine unfold. When the lead dancer almost breaks the routine after catching a glimpse of Agatha, she’s left perplexed as to what could have provoked such a strong reaction from him. Charles steps in to explain that the dancer is an old friend of his, and that Agatha is a dead ringer for his deceased wife. Before she can ask any further questions, Tiggy asks everyone to join her for the speeches to the happy couple. As they gather by the pool Tiggy is mortified when her speech is interrupted by the firework display going off prematurely. As everyone looks around in confusion, Agatha notices a red dot hovering over Tiggy. Worrying there may be a shooter, Agatha leaps into action she pushes Tiggy, Cassandra and Perry into the pool to get them out of harms’ way. Pandemonium erupts throughout the rest of the party as everyone runs for their lives.

Attempting to take stock of the aftermath, Agatha finds a hysterical Cassandra being
consoled by her best friend Felicity. Tiggy berates Agatha for ruining the party and accuses her of making the entire thing up. After Tiggy threatens to fire her on the spot, Agatha vows to find out who is responsible and prove that there was a shooter after all.

The next morning, Bill and Wilkes are assigned the case. As they search through the remnants of the party, Bill can’t help but feel Wilkes is more interested in helping himself to the leftover vol-au-vents than discovering what happened. When Wilkes accidentally stumbles across a bullet casing, he’s left frustrated at having just proven Agatha’s claims true. Feeling vindicated, Agatha and the gang continue their investigation with renewed confidence. However, things take an alarming turn when they find the would-be assassin’s dead body. Determined to crack the case, Agatha is forced to question who the real victim is and sets out to prove her detractors wrong once and for all.

## Cast

* Jamie Glover as James Lacey
* Mathew Horne as Roy Silver
* Jodie Tyack as Toni Gilmour
* Jason Merrells as Sir Charles Fraith
* Lucy Liemann as Sarah Bloxby
* Matt McCooey as DC Bill Wong
* Jason Barnett as DCI Wilkes
* Steve John Shepherd as Jeremy Laggat-Brown
* Adam Garcia as George Felliet
* Patsy Kensit as Emma Comfrey
* Abigail Carter-Simpson as Cassandra Laggat-Brown
* Angus Castle-Doughty as Perry Peterson
* Elle McAlpine as Felicity Felliet

## Gallery

* Episode stills
* Promotional shots

## Trivia

* The episode was filmed during May and June of 2019.
* In the original book, Emma Comfrey poisons Agatha's coffee with rat poison instead of lacing her cake with laxatives.

### Continuity

* Agatha's car, Marilyn, is still scratched from Florian Devere's attempt to scare her off her previous case. (The Haunted House)
* James gives a talk to Carsely's historical society about Sir Geoffrey Lamont and the English Civil War. (The Haunted House)
* Charles once again claims to be related to King Charles II of England. (The Haunted House)
* Charles mentions his manservant, Gustav. (The Walkers of Dembley)

### Cultural references

* Bill and Toni refer to themselves and Sherlock and Watson, respectively.

## International premieres

* Nordic region (Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark)
	+ February 25, 2020 (Part 1)
	+ March 3, 2020 (Part 2)
* Australia
	+ February 22, 2020 (Part 1)
	+ February 29, 2020 (Part 2)
* UK
	+ June 17, 2020 (Parts 1 & 2)
* Netherlands
	+ July 13, 2020 (Part 1)
	+ July 20, 2020 (Part 2)
* Germany
	+ August 14, 2020 (Parts 1 & 2)
* South Africa
	+ August 21, 2020 (Part 1)
	+ August 28, 2020 (Part 2)
* France
	+ June 13, 2021 (Parts 1 & 2)