Charles Paris: A Third BBC Radio Collection

The Cinderella Killer, Dead Room Farce, Star Trap, A Doubtful Death & A Deadly Habit

By: Jeremy Front, Simon Brett

Narrated by: Bill Nighy, Suzanne Burden, Jon Glover, full cast

Bill Nighy stars as the irrepressible Charles Paris in these five BBC Radio dramatisations

Actor, alcoholic and amateur sleuth Charles Paris returns in another quintet of humorous theatrical thrillers. All Charles asks for is a nice juicy part in a successful play - but wherever he appears on the bill, murder and mystery always play a starring role...

The Cinderella Killer - Panto seems the perfect way to spend the Christmas season for Charles, but when the show's star is found dead, the slapstick must make way for a murder investigation.

Dead Room Farce - Charles is appearing in a revival of a 1970s farce. But when two cast members die in suspicious circumstances, he suspects foul play is afoot.

Star Trap - When a series of accidents befalls the cast of a West End musical, Charles steps in to investigate. Who is trying to sabotage the show - and why?

A Doubtful Death - Charles has landed a role in an immersive theatre production of Hamlet. But when an actress goes missing, he must decide if it is to be or not to be a murder case... Also included with this story is an exclusive afterword with scriptwriter Jeremy Front, who adapted it from an unproduced screenplay by Simon Brett. He reveals what it's like behind the scenes of Charles Paris, and explains the mechanics of recording for radio.

A Deadly Habit - Offered a job in a verbatim theatre piece set in a monastery, Charles has reservations. Then disaster strikes the production - and he smells criminality...

Written by Jeremy Front

Based on the novels and screenplay by Simon Brett

Produced and directed by Sally Avens

Starring Bill Nighy as Charles Paris, Suzanne Burden as Frances and Jon Glover as Maurice

Text copyright © Simon Brett 1977 (Star Trap), 1998 (Dead Room Farce), 2014 (The Cinderella Killer), 2018 (A Deadly Habit), 2020 (A Doubtful Death)

©2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Bill Nighy’s performance is addictive

Can’t get enough of Bill Nighy’s performance as Charles Paris. Delivery is spot on every time. Witty, charming, hilarious!

Wonderful stories you can listen to over and over...

Third time through these amazing productions. Kudos to BBC Radio. Am I the only one who thinks we just don't have this level of audio production and stellar writing in the States? Not to mention the impeccable timing and delivery of the actors! Bill Night, Suzanne Burden and Jon Glover are THE thespian triumvirate!
Jeremy Front, Simon Brett, et al, please bring more of Charles Paris's delightful adventures across the pond!

Great series

This is a great radio series. I wish they had made more. Bill Nighy was great with also a great cast.

IMHO, The Books Are Better

Despite excellent performances, high production values, and (sometimes painfully) witty dialogue, I didn't enjoy these radio plays nearly as much as I enjoyed the books they were based on. As Jeremy Front acknowledges in an interview included in this package, the books and the radio series are really two different things. He explains why he updated the stories with current cultural references and equipped the characters with modern technology, and I don't take issue with that. However, in an attempt to make Charles more ... lovable? ... the character's rather edgy personality has been sanded down and a good deal of his complexity has been lost. And while expanding the roles of Frances and Maurice makes sense in Frost's conception of the series as essentially an ensemble comedy built around a detective story, this results in Charles's relationship with Frances becoming much less fraught and Maurice getting saddled with a level of schtick that I found more irritating than amusing. The longer I listened, the more nostalgic I grew for the original sharp, darkly humorous material, however dated it may be.