The Ruth Rendell Mysteries (1987)

Crime · Drama · Mystery

The Ruth Rendell mysteries is a British television series made by TVS and Meridian Television for ITV between 2 August 1987 and 11 October 2000.

IMDb rating: 6.9 (868 votes)
Episode average: 7.2 +0.3 vs IMDb
Seasons: 11
Language: EN
Type: TV series

Rating trend: this show's seasons do not settle into one shape. Rising Shows ranks whole shows by the shape of their rating trend rather than one average score, which is how you find a show that got better rather than a show that started well.

Browse shows by rating shape → Open in Rising Shows app → View on IMDb

Ratings refreshed Oct 3, 2026 · 11 seasons indexed

Cast

Seasons

Season 1 (1987)

7.10 avg 4 episodes 7.2 → 7.1 60 min avg

Season 1 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Wolf to the Slaughter: Part One	7.2	73
2	Wolf to the Slaughter: Part Two	7.1	43
3	Wolf to the Slaughter: Part Three	7.0	45
4	Wolf to the Slaughter: Part Four	7.1	43

Season 2 (1988)

7.70 avg 7 episodes 7.8 → 7.3 58 min avg

Season 2 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	A Guilty Thing Surprised: Part One	7.8	76
2	A Guilty Thing Surprised: Part Two	7.5	43
3	A Guilty Thing Surprised: Part Three	7.7	43
4	Shake Hands Forever: Part One	8.0	71
5	Shake Hands Forever: Part Two	7.7	37
6	Shake Hands Forever: Part Three	7.9	38
7	No Crying He Makes	7.3	58

Season 3 (1989)

7.24 avg 7 episodes 7.4 → 5.3 136 min avg

Season 3 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	No More Dying Then: Part One	7.4	58
2	No More Dying Then: Part Two	7.7	34
3	No More Dying Then: Part Three	7.8	31
4	A Sleeping Life: Part One	7.1	62
5	A Sleeping Life: Part Two	7.7	31
6	A Sleeping Life: Part Three	7.7	30
7	The Veiled One	5.3	72

Season 4 (1990)

7.42 avg 9 episodes 7.3 → 7.5 78 min avg

Season 4 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Some Lie and Some Die: Part One	7.3	70
2	Some Lie and Some Die: Part Two	7.2	30
3	Some Lie and Some Die: Part Three	7.1	30
4	The Best Man to Die: Part One	7.3	47
5	The Best Man to Die: Part Two	7.7	28
6	The Best Man to Die: Part Three	7.7	30
7	An Unkindness of Ravens: Part One	7.6	45
8	An Unkindness of Ravens: Part Two	7.4	26
9	Put on by Cunning	7.5	77

Season 5 (1991)

7.59 avg 11 episodes 7.5 → 7.4 76 min avg

Season 5 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	A New Lease of Death: Part One	7.5	55
2	A New Lease of Death: Part Two	7.4	32
3	A New Lease of Death: Part Three	7.7	32
4	Murder Being Once Done: Part One	7.9	54
5	Murder Being Once Done: Part Two	7.5	26
6	Murder Being Once Done: Part Three	7.4	25
7	From Doon with Death: Part One	7.2	59
8	From Doon with Death: Part Two	7.6	30
9	Means of Evil: Part One	7.8	69
10	Means of Evil: Part Two	8.1	30
11	Achilles Heel	7.4	48

Season 6 (1992)

7.48 avg 12 episodes 7.2 → 7.1 119 min avg

Mid-peak

Season 6 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	The Speaker of Mandarin: Part One	7.2	49
2	The Speaker of Mandarin Part Two	7.7	21
3	The Speaker of Mandarin Part Three	7.7	20
4	The Mouse in the Corner: Part One	7.1	47
5	The Mouse in the Corner: Part Two	6.8	22
6	An Unwanted Woman: Part One	7.9	34
7	An Unwanted Woman: Part Two	8.0	34
8	Kissing the Gunner's Daughter: Part One	7.6	75
9	Kissing the Gunner's Daughter: Part Two	7.4	24
10	Kissing the Gunner's Daughter Part Three	7.8	18
11	Kissing the Gunner's Daughter Part Four	7.5	17
12	Talking to Strange Men	7.1	32

Season 7 (1994)

6.67 avg 3 episodes 6.7 → 6.5 54 min avg

Season 7 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Master of the Moor: Part 1	6.7	368
2	Master of the Moor: Part 2	6.8	155
3	Master of the Moor: Part 3	6.5	151

Season 8 (1994)

6.64 avg 5 episodes 6.4 → 7.5 86 min avg

Season 8 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Vanity Dies Hard: Part 1	6.4	138
2	Vanity Dies Hard: Part 2	6.3	83
3	Vanity Dies Hard: Part 3	6.1	83
4	The Strawberry Tree: Part 1	6.9	41
5	The Strawberry Tree: Part 2	7.5	15

Season 9 (1996)

7.18 avg 9 episodes 7.2 → 7.0 71 min avg

Season 9 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Heartstones: Part One	7.2	45
2	Heartstones: Part Two	6.8	23
3	Simisola: Part One	7.2	145
4	Simisola: Part Two	7.6	73
5	Simisola: Part Three	7.7	69
6	The Secret House of Death: Part 1	6.9	122
7	The Secret House of Death: Part 2	7.2	87
8	A Case of Coincidence: Part One	7.0	115
9	A Case of Coincidence: Part Two	7.0	82

Season 10 (1997)

6.93 avg 8 episodes 5.3 → 6.9 65 min avg

Mid-peak

Season 10 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	The Double	5.3	107
2	Bribery & Corruption: Part One	7.2	90
3	Bribery & Corruption: Part Two	7.2	58
4	May and June: Part One	7.3	85
5	May and June: Part Two	7.7	62
6	Thornapple	7.4	33
7	Front Seat	6.4	86
8	A Dark Blue Perfume	6.9	114

Season 11 (1998)

6.68 avg 10 episodes 6.3 → 7.0 68 min avg

Season 11 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Going Wrong: Part 1	6.3	77
2	Going Wrong: Part 2	5.9	53
3	Going Wrong: Part 3	5.8	50
4	Road Rage: Part One	6.7	119
5	Road Rage: Part Two	6.6	58
6	You Can't Be Too Careful	7.2	79
7	The Orchard Walls	7.2	77
8	The Lake of Darkness: Part 1	6.9	93
9	The Lake of Darkness: Part 2	7.2	22
10	The Fallen Curtain	7.0	82