Hiding behind the petrol pumps, viewers could watch the astonishment of a mechanic as he discovered that the car Mr Routh had coasted into the garage contained no engine neither underthebonnet, nor underthe chassis, nor in the boot.
More seriously, on May 5th Bernard Bonnet, the island's prefect, the government's top representative, was likewise put under investigation and imprisoned on suspicion of having personally ordered the botched arson, a charge he denies.