Ah, good old Charles Paris. The eternally hopeful, perpetually failing actor, who somehow manages to find himself surrounded by corpses is back once again to try and survive a murderer.
In this series, he's busier than usual, playing both an unlucky lothario in a bedroom farce, while simultaneously narrating a Victorian erotic novel.
Obviously the main draw of this is Bill Nighy, with his distinctive voice, buckets of charm and ability to sound like a man at the end of his wits (and more than a little drunk.) However, he's obviously not alone, with Suzanne Burden, Jon Glover and Jan Raven filling out the cast of miscreants, none of whom are ever likely to get a note wrong.
The elements of farce that show through are funnier than they have any right to be, though I'm beginning to have the same problem with this as I do with Ed Reardon. It's perhaps getting a little too formulaic now. (Speaking of Ed Reardon, they even seem to have managed to sneak in their own Ping.) And the formula hasn't actually stopped me listening.
Consider it a comfortable, easy listen, rather than anything significantly challenging, and you won't go far wrong. That does seem to be somewhat Simon Brett's stock in trade, with shows such as No Commitments (family melodrama) and Smelling of Roses (event management - really rather good).
Still, it's an absolutely polished piece, and I've not yet missed a series. I will undoubtedly listen to all of this one.
(And if you miss the radio broadcasts, you can buy it here, which is bit unusual.)
Tagged: Radio Drama Cast Fiction Crime and punishment