In the early series, stories were adapted from Burley's books and were in classic whodunit style, often with quirky characters and plot elements.

The setting in Cornwall is an important feature of the series, providing both picturesque landscapes and glimpses into the local way of life.

Some of the problems of the county, such as the struggling fishing industry, long-term unemployment, and prejudice against new age travellers, are shown in various episodes.

Wycliffe and his team are responsible for a large geographical area and often have to spend time away from home during an investigation.

This can cause problems for Wycliffe, who is shown as a contented family man married to a teacher (Lynn Farleigh) and with two teenage children.

There are frequent references to certain major towns, including Truro, Newquay, Camborne and Penzance (these places were also used as filming locations).

Other towns in the same area, such as Falmouth, St Austell or St Ives, figure less frequently, although Falmouth probably provided some of the backgrounds to scenes in "Time Out", the only episode for which a fictional Cornish town ("Carrick") was invented, complete with a red-light district, called Eastgate.

In the final episode, "Land's End", Wycliffe refers to Wadebridge, near Bodmin, as being on "the other side of the county".

[citation needed] All five series were released individually on DVD in Australia through Time Life, distributed by Shock Entertainment.