Inspector Steine
Encyclopedia
Inspector Steine is a radio comedy drama series written by Lynne Truss
and produced by Sweet Talk for BBC Radio 4
. The producer is Karen Rose and music is by Anthony May.
Set in a police station in Brighton
in the 1950s, it tells the story of Inspector Steine (Michael Fenton Stevens
) and his colleagues Sergeant Brunswick (John Ramm
) and Constable Twitten (Matt Green
), plus the station charlady Mrs Groynes (Jan Ravens
in Series 1 and Samantha Spiro
from Series 2 onwards).
Guest stars have included Janet Ellis
, Mark Heap
, Allan Corduner
and Carla Mendonca
.
The programme was inspired by the opening rolling caption about crime in Brighton at the beginning of the film Brighton Rock, which claimed that Brighton was now (in the 1950s) free of crime. Lynne Truss has written that: "This highly unrealistic reassurance prefacing Brighton Rock was the inspiration for the comedy series Inspector Steine...I wanted to write about a celebrity police inspector in the 1950s who innocently (and touchingly) believed precisely what he had been told at the movies"
Series 2 was released by BBC Audiobooks on 12 February 2009.
Series 3 was released by BBC Audiobooks on 8 April 2010.
Lynne Truss
Lynne Truss is an English writer and journalist, best known for her popular book Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation.-Early life:...
and produced by Sweet Talk for BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
. The producer is Karen Rose and music is by Anthony May.
Set in a police station in Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
in the 1950s, it tells the story of Inspector Steine (Michael Fenton Stevens
Michael Fenton Stevens
Michael Fenton Stevens , sometimes credited as Michael Fenton-Stevens, is a UK actor and comedian, a founder member of The Hee Bee Gee Bees and the voice behind the Spitting Image 1986 number 1 hit "The Chicken Song"...
) and his colleagues Sergeant Brunswick (John Ramm
John Ramm
John Ramm is a British comedian and actor. He plays Raymond Box in the National Theatre of Brent, and has also appeared on film and television in Robin Hood , The Palace, Foyle's War and as Makepeace's neighbour in Shakespeare in Love.On stage, he has appeared with the Royal Shakespeare Company...
) and Constable Twitten (Matt Green
Matt Green (actor)
Matt Green is an English actor and comedian. He was the President of the Cambridge Footlights from 1999-2000. Since graduating in 2000 he has worked as an actor and comedian based in London.- Stand-up comedy :Matt started performing stand up comedy in 2003...
), plus the station charlady Mrs Groynes (Jan Ravens
Jan Ravens
Janet "Jan" Ravens is an English actress and impressionist, famous for her voices on Spitting Image and Dead Ringers.-Early life:...
in Series 1 and Samantha Spiro
Samantha Spiro
Samantha Spiro is an Olivier Award-winning English actress. She is known for portraying Barbara Windsor in the stage play Cleo, Camping, Emmanuelle and Dick and the television film Cor, Blimey!, and DI Vivien Friend in M.I.T.: Murder Investigation Team.-Background:Born in Mill Hill, Spiro grew up...
from Series 2 onwards).
Guest stars have included Janet Ellis
Janet Ellis
Janet Ellis is a British television presenter and actress, who appeared on BBC children's television in the 1980s, including a four year period as a presenter on Blue Peter, a role she won after hosting the award-winning children's programme Jigsaw.- Early life :Ellis's father was a soldier,...
, Mark Heap
Mark Heap
Mark Heap is an English actor. He began his acting career in the 1980s as a member of the Medieval Players, a touring company performing medieval and early modern theatre, and featuring stilt-walking, juggling and puppetry...
, Allan Corduner
Allan Corduner
Allan Corduner is an English actor.-Early life:Corduner grew up in a secular Jewish home in North London with his mother, father and a younger brother. His mother had escaped to England from Nazi Germany with her family in 1938...
and Carla Mendonca
Carla Mendonça
Carla Mendonça is an English actress. She has a degree in Theatre Studies and Dramatic Art from the University of Warwick...
.
The programme was inspired by the opening rolling caption about crime in Brighton at the beginning of the film Brighton Rock, which claimed that Brighton was now (in the 1950s) free of crime. Lynne Truss has written that: "This highly unrealistic reassurance prefacing Brighton Rock was the inspiration for the comedy series Inspector Steine...I wanted to write about a celebrity police inspector in the 1950s who innocently (and touchingly) believed precisely what he had been told at the movies"
Series 1
| No. | Episode No. | Title |
|---|
Series 2, The Casebook of Inspector Steine
| No. | Episode No. | Title |
|---|
Series 3, The Adventures of Inspector Steine
| No. | Episode No. | Title |
|---|
Series 4, The Return of Inspector Steine
| No. | Episode No. | Title |
|---|
Audiobooks
Series 1 was released by BBC Audiobooks on 3 March 2008.Series 2 was released by BBC Audiobooks on 12 February 2009.
Series 3 was released by BBC Audiobooks on 8 April 2010.
External links
- Inspector Steine at bbc.co.uk/programmes
- The Casebook of Inspector Steine at bbc.co.uk/programmes
- The Adventures of Inspector Steine at bbc.co.uk/programmes
- Article on Inspector Steine on Lynne Truss' website
- Website of Lynne Truss's agent David Higham
- Website of actor Matt Green