P.I.E

Sherlock Holmes and Watson, Inspector Morse and Louis, Hercule Poirot and, well, his moustache: these crime-fighting duos and stalwarts of British televisual entertainment have a lot in common. In this two-woman spoof a pair of female private investigators, Hatcher and Velvet, expose these similarities as they set out to solve mysteries in the manner of their forefathers – using infallible Holmesian deduction. Dressed in breeches, hats, and armed with matching umbrellas, the farcical duo send up the idiosyncrasies of Sherlock et al as they bumble from one mystery into another.

And while this parody drives the production's all-too-rare amusing moments, the necessary predictability of the action means it soon starts to drag. Without a witty script to buoy the cliched plot, the pair crash from scene to scene simply pointing out generic trends. After sitting through the inevitable red herring, car chase and kidnapping, I long for the duo to plunge into the vat of boiling oil that we're promised awaits them and be gnawed to death by crocodiles.

But despite the uninspiring writing this is a slick production, well staged and bursting with imagination. The voice-overs transmitting the characters' inner thoughts work well with the oft-mimed action, and the accompanying TV-series theme tunes – including that of Murder She Wrote – effectively illustrate the programme being ridiculed.

The production's two actors should also be commended for their efforts, particularly as they sometimes play three separate characters simultaneously. The energetic pair twist and turn from one role to another, creating well-crafted comic mannerisms that serve to differentiate between the characters.

While you won't win any prizes for guessing who dunnit, if you're a hardcore fan of fictional detectives you might just find this funny.