Charles Paris: A Deadly Habit
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3.8 • 38 Ratings
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- £7.99
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- £7.99
Publisher Description
Actor and sleuth Charles Paris is back in this full-cast BBC radio dramatisation of Simon Brett's novel, starring Bill Nighy
Locked down with his semi-detached wife Frances, Charles has thrown himself into a new career as a handyman, becoming quite the DIY expert. He's developed muscles, stopped smoking and even cut back on the booze.
Then his agent, Maurice, offers him the chance to get back on stage - and in a West End play, no less. The star, Justin Grover, asked for him specifically: but Charles has reservations. Grover was cocky enough when they were both young hopefuls; now he's the star of a massive TV fantasy series, and the play - a verbatim piece set in a monastery - is dire.
So why has Justin signed up for it? He certainly doesn't need the money, unlike Charles. The cast is drearily male, and before long Charles is hitting the Scotch again. When he drunkenly stumbles over the corpse of a fellow actor, Charles panics, leaving the body to be discovered by someone else. But he soon regrets lying to the police, and driven by guilt and self-preservation, he resolves to find the murderer...
This sparkling adaptation by Jeremy Front stars Bill Nighy (Emma, Love Actually) as Charles Paris, with Suzanne Burden as Frances and Jon Glover as Maurice.
Credits
Written by Simon Brett
Adapted by Jeremy Front
Directed by Sally Avens
Cast
Charles Paris........................Bill Nighy
Frances........................Suzanne Burden
Maurice........................Jon Glover
Justin ........................Tony Turner
Lydia ........................Ria Marshall
Kit ........................Joseph Ayre
Brendan ........................Jonathan Kydd
Nina ........................Marilyn Nnadebe
D.S. Dalby ........................Stewart Campbell
Alice/Peaches ........................Elinor Coleman
Kelly/Dervla ........................Jane Slavin
Bethan ........................Christine Kavanagh
Neil ........................Simon Ludders
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 3-24 September 2021
© 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd
(p) 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd
Customer Reviews
Cosy murder mystery, professional production.
I used to listen to radio dramas regularly, but less so now. This is a full serialised production of a Simon Brett story featuring amateur sleuth Charles Paris. It’s basically a cosy murder mystery and the drama comes largely from the interaction between the characters.
It’s an excellent production; I listened to it in the car and it helped a journey pass in no time, without proving a distraction. There are moments of humour and it’s what I’d call a comfortable listen. There’s not a great deal to excite, but it’s an engaging story with character ‘types’ well portrayed. I enjoyed it and I’d listen to another.
My thanks to the publisher for a review copy via Netgalley.
Brilliant adaptation of the latest Charles Paris mystery
My thanks to Penguin Random House U.K. Audio - BBC Digital Audio for a review copy via NetGalley of ‘Charles Paris: A Deadly Habit’ by Simon Brett and adapted for radio by Jeremy Front in exchange for an honest review.
It was originally broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2021 as a 4-episode radio dramatisation starring Bill Nighy and a full cast. Its running time is 1 hour, 51 minutes.
What an absolute delight this was from start to finish. I adore Simon Brett’s writing though this was my first encounter with his series featuring actor and amateur sleuth, Charles Paris. It is very tongue-in-cheek and Bill Nighy was the perfect choice for Charles Paris.
‘A Deadly Habit’ is Book 20 in the series, published in September 2018. In it Charles’ agent, Maurice, offers him the chance to get back on stage - in a West End play. Score! However, when he learns that the star, Justin Grover, asked for him specifically Charles has reservations. When they were both young hopefuls, Grover had been quite a handful and now he’s the star of a massive TV fantasy series. In addition, the play - a verbatim piece set in a monastery - is dire. Still, Charles says yes.
Naturally being a mystery there is a murder at the theatre and Charles goes into sleuthing mode and resolves to discover the identity of the murderer.
This was so entertaining both in the story itself and Charles’ inner monologue packed full of witty asides. It pokes fun at various subjects including massive TV fantasy series. The production values, including brief incidental music interludes, were excellent.
It certainly inspires me to seek out more of this series of books as well as available radio dramatisations.
Highly recommended.