Watched the whole thing right through recently...

The show went seriously downhill after Eric and Lady Jane left the show. Eric's replacement was not a good choice. I expect the BBC's brand of mind-numbing political correctness had a hand in choosing Eric's replacement. Any sexual tension between Lovejoy and Lady Jane never came to anything, not even after her husband left the show. Well why not? Was there a change of writers at this point, that explains the change of direction? The ending was a bit of a let down, in typical BBC style in shows like this - they (the BBC) either kill everyone off or move them to the four corners of the Earth never to meet up again. Good show all the same, saw Ian McShane in the flesh one time, great bloke.