Continuity mistake: Dwayne answers to Humphrey about his splinter in a close-up. His hands are at a very much different distance than in the previous shot. (00:36:35)
Continuity mistake: While Florence is going through the humanitarian career choices of the victim with Humprey, Dwayne is having a phone conversation with the secretary of the solicitor (somehow not being disturbed by the others speaking loudly, and conveniently being heard only when he says bye). Next to him, there's a biro pen at the side of a notepad. Change of angle, and the pen is on top of the pad, and then again to the side of it. (00:24:45)
Continuity mistake: When Humphrey puts the ancient cigarette packet under Dwayne's nose, his hand is on the top, bottom, top corner. (00:20:55)
Continuity mistake: Dwayne passes Humphrey the bagged notepad with a UK phone number scribbled on it. In close-up he is holding it with one hand. In the next shot his lips are still moving and yet he is holding it with two hands. (00:17:10)
Continuity mistake: Florence hands to her boss the freshly printed picture of Elliot Taylor using opposite hands in the shot and its reverse. (00:15:30)
Deliberate mistake: Florence and Humphrey set up the scene using a printer that is nothing short of magical; the photos, in color, come out from the machine the instant that Florence displays the profile on screen. It is obviously done to speed up the scene - however, Florence could have printed the pictures beforehand and hand them to Humphrey one by one as she reviews on screen the profiles, there was no need to have them come out fresh from the printer with that kind of impossibly fast timing. (00:15:00)
Continuity mistake: At the end of the first interview with the suspects, Florence caps Humprey's thank you to the helpful staffers with a rather unsubtle eyeroll. She changes position lowering the pen, that is on the other side and higher in the following shot, last of the scene. (00:15:00)
Continuity mistake: DI Humphrey Goodman debriefed his team who just arrived on the island, and is about to head out to interview the staff. Elliot Taylor passes a glass to his wife, who picks it with her right hand and places it down on the armrest with the same hand, the other one holding a bottle of medicine. Next shot, and the hands swapped contents. (00:12:20)
Character mistake: The web listing for the Brompton cigarettes says that they went through a "rerevival." It's a typo, not a colourful way to say for instance "second revival". (00:24:10)
Continuity mistake: Humphrey tries to sneak away without waking Martha up, but being Humphrey he fails. In the shot when he stands back up after the hilarious bawl, the bed is sunlit, contradicting what is shown before and after. (00:10:10)
Continuity mistake: Linda Taylor brings to the inspector the keys as instructed. Goodman holds the keys and the packet of smokes at the same height, but when she is about to go away throwing a last look at the covered corpse, all of a sudden the key hand is much lower than the other. (00:09:50)
Continuity mistake: Humphrey shows the outside of the murder scene to his girlfriend; when he casts the torchlight on the balcony, before the cut you can spot his right arm holding the torch at the left of the frame. He is holding the torch with his left hand before and after. (00:07:25)
Continuity mistake: Martha and Humphrey are toasting. Watch out at the moment of the long scream; both Kris Marshall and Sally Bretton hold wine glasses but those keep changing position between shots. She puts hers down, it is up again a moment, and down at the next cut, while he puts down his, releases his fingers from it, and in the next shot the fingers are still squeezing it only to release the glass again in a repetition of the gesture later. (00:03:45)
Continuity mistake: DI Humprey Goodman and Martha Lloyd get on a boat at the beginning of the episode. Humph is to Martha's right when they begin, but midway through Martha is sitting to Humphrey's right, with her bag also switching place with Humphrey's accordingly. (00:00:35)
Answer: There's probably no particular reason. Sets and props on long-running TV shows often change as needed and for various reasons throughout a series run.
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