Charles Paris: Corporate Bodies

By: Jeremy Front, Simon Brett

Narrated by: Bill Nighy, Suzanne Burden, full cast

Length: 1 hr and 49 mins

Publisher's Summary

A BBC Radio 4 full-cast adaptation of Simon Brett's comic murder mystery, starring Bill Nighy as the irrepressible Charles Paris. 

Charles Paris (unsuccessful actor, bad husband, dipsomaniac) is currently appearing as a fork lift operator in a corporate video. It's not prime-time television or a major film, but it seems like easy money - until the fork lift is used to commit a murder. 

When Charles himself comes under suspicion, he decides to find out for himself who the murderer is. Meanwhile, as ever with Charles, life on the domestic front is not plain sailing. After inflicting damage upon his ex-wife's house, he finds himself offering her a berth on the houseboat he’s currently sitting for a friend. However, life on the water proves as tricky as life at work....

Suzanne Burden, Tim McInnery, and Jon Glover are also among the cast in this dramatisation by Jeremy Front.

 Written by Jeremy Front, based on the novel by Simon Brett.

©2014 BBC Worldwide Ltd (P)2014 BBC Worldwide Ltd

A stronger entry in Charles Paris series

If you could sum up Charles Paris in three words, what would they be?

Irresponsible. Actor. Sleuth.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

The plot is enjoyable but this is a cosy mystery so there isn't much tension here. I really enjoyed spending time with our sleuth, Charles, and hearing him interact with this cast of characters.

Which character – as performed by the narrators – was your favorite?

Obviously Charles Paris as performed by Bill Night is the main draw here but my favorite character is his longsuffering, semi-detached wife Frances. This story gives them some fun interactions.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The light and comical elements in this story work well, in large part thanks to the performances of the cast.

Any additional comments?

As with all of these adaptations, there are some changes made to bring the stories into the modern age and a general softening of Charles' character. Compared to the other adaptations however this felt pretty close to the original novel in tone and plot.

This is a good thing as the original novel was one of the stronger entries in the series. This story pushes Charles into a world that is less familiar to him and has great fun mocking corporate culture. The mystery is entertaining and it manages to lay enough hints that the ending makes sense without being obvious from the start.

I would suggest though to start with an earlier release before tackling this. While you will be able to follow the plot thanks to plenty of introductions and recaps, the character relationships are more rewarding when you have spent more time with them.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

another winner!

Charles is hopelessly flawed, a border-line alcoholic, and catty, at times, all of which makes him a fun character to get to know better. i have bought all of the audio books and have not been disappointed.

Another excellent Charles Paris mystery

Love all the books in the series, cannot picture Charles as anyone else apart from Bill Night.

Loved it

Very entertaining, great story, wonderful performances and throughly entertaining. Well done and thank you very much.

A gentle comedic murder mystery

This was a well-made, full cast, radio production of a gentle comedic murder mystery. The script and plot were well crafted, within its genre, and the cast were good. If I had listened to it on the radio while driving, or gardening, or just doing some other activity then I think I would have enjoyed it more. However, I listened to it in bed, with no other distractions, and I found it a little slow, clichéd and predictable. Nevertheless, I would probably listen to it again and I would buy a similar product from the same series if one is available. For one and a half hours of entertainment it is expensive, when compared to much better and longer audio-books that are available from here for the same 'one credit'.

Brilliant all round

Big fan of Charles Paris. Highly recommend! One two three four five six seven eight

Not as good as the usual Charles Paris stories

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

We've loved the previous Bill Nighy Charles Paris stories. But this one didn't match up - the story was good as usual, but just not as funny as the rest. Maybe the series has run out of steam?

as always flawless

What did you like best about this story?

Charles Paris as portrayed by Bill Nighy is a gem of a character, hopelessly flawed, utterly louche and as sharp as a button

Any additional comments?

All that is wanted is MORE