The Inspector Alleyn Mysteries
Encyclopedia
The Inspector Alleyn Mysteries is a British detective
television series adapted from nine of the Roderick Alleyn
novels by Ngaio Marsh
. It originally aired between 1990 and 1994.
In the pilot episode Detective Inspector Alleyn was played by Simon Williams
. William Simons
played Alleyn's righthand man and "Watson
" figure, Detective Sergeant Fox, and Belinda Lang
starred as the painter Agatha Troy, Alleyn's love interest and, later, wife.
Williams was unavailable when the first series was made, so whilst Simons and Lang reprised their original roles, the lead character was henceforth played by Patrick Malahide
.
The BBC
made nine episodes in all, each based on a separate novel. The eight episodes featuring Malahide are available on DVD
.
Detective
A detective is an investigator, either a member of a police agency or a private person. The latter may be known as private investigators or "private eyes"...
television series adapted from nine of the Roderick Alleyn
Roderick Alleyn
Roderick Alleyn is a fictional character who first appeared in 1934. He is the policeman hero of the 32 detective novels of Ngaio Marsh. Marsh and her gentleman detective belong firmly in the Golden Age of Detective Fiction, although the last Alleyn novel, Light Thickens, was published as late as...
novels by Ngaio Marsh
Ngaio Marsh
Dame Ngaio Marsh DBE , born Edith Ngaio Marsh, was a New Zealand crime writer and theatre director. There is some uncertainty over her birth date as her father neglected to register her birth until 1900...
. It originally aired between 1990 and 1994.
In the pilot episode Detective Inspector Alleyn was played by Simon Williams
Simon Williams (actor)
Simon Williams is an English actor known for playing James Bellamy in the period drama Upstairs, Downstairs. Frequently playing upper-class roles, he is also known for playing Dr...
. William Simons
William Simons
William Simons is a Welsh actor, born in Swansea on 17 November 1940.He started acting as a child. But, he is best known for his role as Yorkshireman PC Alf Ventress in Heartbeat, a part he played for its entire 18-year run....
played Alleyn's righthand man and "Watson
John Watson (Sherlock Holmes)
John H. Watson, M.D. , known as Dr. Watson, is a character in the Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Watson is Sherlock Holmes's friend, assistant and sometime flatmate, and is the first person narrator of all but four stories in the Sherlock Holmes canon.-Name:Doctor Watson's first...
" figure, Detective Sergeant Fox, and Belinda Lang
Belinda Lang
Belinda Lang is an English actress, best known in the United Kingdom for her role as Bill Porter in the long running BBC sitcom 2point4 children .-Television:...
starred as the painter Agatha Troy, Alleyn's love interest and, later, wife.
Williams was unavailable when the first series was made, so whilst Simons and Lang reprised their original roles, the lead character was henceforth played by Patrick Malahide
Patrick Malahide
Patrick Malahide is a British actor, who has played many major film and television roles.-Personal life:Malahide, real name Patrick Gerald Duggan, was born in Reading, Berkshire, the son of Irish immigrants, a cook mother and a school secretary father...
.
The BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
made nine episodes in all, each based on a separate novel. The eight episodes featuring Malahide are available on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
.
Episodes
The figures in parentheses indicate the original publication year of each novel and the date on which each adaptation was first aired. Only the first two Malahide episodes are in order of publication.- Artists in CrimeArtists in CrimeArtists in Crime is a detective novel by Ngaio Marsh; it is the sixth novel to feature Roderick Alleyn, and was first published in 1938. The plot concerns the murder of an artists' model; Agatha Troy is introduced for the first time....
(1938 - 23 December 1990) - Series One
- A Man Lay DeadA Man Lay DeadA Man Lay Dead is a detective novel by Ngaio Marsh; it is the first novel to feature Roderick Alleyn, and was first published in 1934. The plot concerns a murder committed during a detective game of murder at a weekend party in a country house...
(1934 - 18 April 1993) - The Nursing Home MurderThe Nursing Home MurderThe Nursing Home Murder is a work of detective fiction by New Zealand author Ngaio Marsh.-Synopsis:The British Home Secretary, Sir Derek O'Callaghan MP, has received several death threats from anarchists affiliated with Stalinist Communism - and a pleading letter threatening suicide from Jane...
(1935 - 25 April 1993) - Final CurtainFinal CurtainFinal Curtain is a 1947 novel by Ngaio Marsh, which was adapted for television in 1993 as part of the Inspector Alleyn Mysteries.-Plot:Agatha Troy Alleyn is waiting for the return of her husband Roderick Alleyn after a long separation during World War II...
(1947 - 2 May 1993) - Death at the BarDeath at the BarDeath at the Bar is a 1940 novel by Ngaio Marsh which was adapted for television in 1993 as part of the Inspector Alleyn Mysteries. The episode was directed by Michael Winterbottom and starred Patrick Malahide as Chief Inspector Roderick Alleyn. The title is a pun on the legal term the bar, and...
(1939 - 9 May 1993) - Death in a White TieDeath in a White TieDeath in a White Tie is a detective novel by Ngaio Marsh; it is the seventh novel to feature Roderick Alleyn, and was first published in 1938. The plot concerns the murder of a British lord after a party....
(1938 - 16 May 1993) - Series Two
- Hand in GloveHand in Glove (novel)Hand in Glove is a detective novel by Ngaio Marsh; it is the twenty-second novel to feature Roderick Alleyn, and was first published in 1962. This story finds its way into an upper society party gone astray into the path of precarious murder....
(1962 - 10 January 1994) - Dead WaterDead Water (novel)Dead Water is a detective novel by Ngaio Marsh; it is the twenty-third novel to feature Roderick Alleyn, and was first published in 1964.The plot concerns a murder in a small coastal village, where a local spring believed to have miraculous healing properties is enriching many of the local...
(1964 - 1 April 1994) - Scales of JusticeScales of JusticeScales of Justice can refer to:* Justice* Scales held by Lady Justice symbolizing the measure of a case's support and opposition* Scales of Justice , a 1983 Australian television drama* Scales of Justice , a 1990 American series...
(1958 - 29 August 1994)
| Episode # | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|---|---|