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The Best Episodes of The Singing Detective

Every episode of The Singing Detective ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of The Singing Detective!

Tormented and bedridden by a debilitating disease, a mystery writer relives his detective stories through his imagination and hallucinations.
Genre:Drama
Network:BBC One

Best Episodes Summary

"Skin" is the best rated episode of "The Singing Detective". It scored 8/10 based on 166 votes. Directed by Jon Amiel and written by Dennis Potter, it aired on 11/16/1986. This episode scored 0.0 points higher than the second highest rated, "Heat".

  • Skin
    8.0/10166 votes
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    #1 - Skin

    Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 11/16/1986

    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

  • Heat
    8.0/10131 votes
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    #2 - Heat

    Season 1 Episode 2 - Aired 11/23/1986

    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

  • Who Done It
    8.0/1099 votes
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    #3 - Who Done It

    Season 1 Episode 6 - Aired 12/21/1986

    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

  • Pitter Patter
    7.9/1098 votes
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    #4 - Pitter Patter

    Season 1 Episode 5 - Aired 12/14/1986

    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

  • Lovely Days
    7.8/10113 votes
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    #5 - Lovely Days

    Season 1 Episode 3 - Aired 11/30/1986

    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

  • Clues
    7.8/10100 votes
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    #6 - Clues

    Season 1 Episode 4 - Aired 12/7/1986

    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