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Guest stars
Rik Mayall, Francis Matthews, Hannah Gordon and Stuart Milligan.
Directed by Sandy Johnson
First transmitted 24th December 1998
Ratings 9.86 million
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The Puzzle:
Marella Carney, the 'Black Canary', was once the queen of magic. That was fifteen years ago, before her twin sister Beryl - the secret behind her incredible illusions - was killed in a horrific accident after rehearsals for a trick went wrong.
On the day her estranged daughter Hannah returns from Australia, Marella is seen by her husband remonstrating with a limping man in the snow outside her house, before committing suicide with a shotgun.
But why do the pathologists think Marella died five hours before the shooting, and why were there only one set of footprints in the snow? One man may have the answer - and it may not be Jonathan Creek... [Solution]
Quiz
Five quick questions to test your knowledge of the episode.
Alan Davies
"Rik Mayall did very well. He wasn't still fully recovered [after his quad bike accident] and it frustrated him, I think, because speed of thought and being supremely articulate were always his forte - and his brain was playing tricks on him.
"It's my favourite episode that we've ever done, not just because of Rick but also Kate Isett, who went on to be in Coupling, [plus] Murray Melvin and Francis Matthews, who are real old troupers. They have been around a long time and they were very, very nice and very funny together and individually on the set. They made the atmosphere really good."
Jonathan Geek:
In a potentially romantic moment, Jonathan tells Charlotte how long, to the minute, they have spent together that evening, with separate totals for dinner and travel.
No place like home:
According to the email sent by the Guildford forensics team to Pryke, the address of Jonathan's windmill is revealed to be Ripley Mill, Briar Hollow, West Sussex. Jonathan adds in The Eyes of Tiresius that Briar Hollow is 30 miles north of Worthing.
Kiss me, Kate:
Kate Isitt plays Charlotte, who Jonathan "desired more than oxygen". In the same year she also starred opposite Alan Davies in the comedy drama A Many Splintered Thing. He didn't desire her at all in that series - the drama revolved around the fact that he was cheating on her.
The Solution: (point your mouse over the space below)
Marella was actually Beryl. For reasons unknown Beryl had killed her sister and assumed her identity after the 'accident'. Daughter Charlotte has spotted this immediately upon meeting her 'mother'. Outraged at years of deception, manservant Lionel shot Beryl and created an alibi using a prop mirror once used by the illusionist. The mirror directed husband Jerry's gaze to an area of the grounds where Lional acted out the suicide, disguised by a large hooded cloak. Marella's body was obscured by the mirror, ready to be discovered by Jerry after the fatal shot was fired.
Jonathan spotted something was amiss when he discovered the limping man was seemingly favouring the wrong foot - because his image was reflected in the mirror. A further twist revealed that Beryl had already taken an overdose, shamed by Charlotte's discovery of the truth.
Smart-arse detective Gideon Pryke had guessed Lionel was the culprit all along, by the way.
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Trivia
Adam Klaus has been played by two actors - Stuart Milligan and Buffy star Anthony Head.
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