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The Best Episodes of The Singing Detective Season 1

Every episode of The Singing Detective Season 1 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of The Singing Detective Season 1!

Binge this in 7h 0m•Peaking at 8.0/10

Tormented and bedridden by a debilitating disease, a mystery writer relives his detective stories through his imagination and hallucinations.

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BBC One
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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
    The Singing Detective Season 1 Episode 1 - Skin
    8.0/10(201 votes)

    #1 - Skin

    S1:E1

    Pulp thriller writer Philip Marlow is in hospital with the skin complaint psoriasis, tormented by his past and threatened by his future. His memories, his 1930s-style gumshoe fiction and his disease weave him an altered reality.

    Director:Jon Amiel
    Writer:Dennis Potter

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  2. The Singing Detective Season 1 Episode 2 - Heat
    8.0/10(163 votes)

    #2 - Heat

    S1:E2

    Dennis Potter's drama about a patient struggling to keep his sanity, with the help of his alter ego, the singing private eye. Marlow faces a talking cure with a psychologist.

    Director:Jon Amiel
    Writer:Dennis Potter

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  3. The Singing Detective Season 1 Episode 3 - Lovely Days
    7.8/10(140 votes)

    #3 - Lovely Days

    S1:E3

    While in hospital with psoriasis, Marlow thinks back to the war when he was a little boy, and remembers seeing his mother having illicit sex in the Forest of Dean. His memories, his 30s style gumshoe fiction and his disease weave him an altered reality.

    Director:Jon Amiel
    Writer:Dennis Potter

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  4. The Singing Detective Season 1 Episode 4 - Clues
    7.8/10(123 votes)

    #4 - Clues

    S1:E4

    Marlow as a child visits London, but is not impressed. A film option on Marlow's novel thickens the plot. His memories, his 30s style gumshoe fiction and his disease weave him an altered reality.

    Director:Jon Amiel
    Writer:Dennis Potter

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  5. The Singing Detective Season 1 Episode 5 - Pitter Patter
    7.8/10(121 votes)

    #5 - Pitter Patter

    S1:E5

    Marlow is getting better and the different strands of his fiction and reality begin to occupy the same time and place.

    Director:Jon Amiel
    Writer:Dennis Potter

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  6. The Singing Detective Season 1 Episode 6 - Who Done It
    8.0/10(126 votes)

    #6 - Who Done It

    S1:E6

    The young Philip Marlow returns to the country railway station following his mother's death in London. Forty years on, Marlow the hospital patient still dreams about the homecoming and the frightening figure of the scarecrow that now erupts into the ward.

    Director:Jon Amiel
    Writer:Dennis Potter

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    The 20 BEST Episodes of The Singing Detective

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Season 1 Ratings Summary

"Skin" is the best rated episode of "The Singing Detective" season 1. It scored 8/10 based on 201 votes. Directed by Jon Amiel and written by Dennis Potter, it aired on 11/16/1986. This episode is rated 0.0 points higher than the second-best, "Heat".