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Lord Peter Wimsey - The Nine Tailors
Background Information: The Nine Tailors The Nine Tailors is a 1934 novel by Dorothy L Sayers, her ninth featuring Lord Peter Wimsey. In it, Lord Peter not only rings one of eight church bells in a record-setting series of sound-patterns called changes but also uses his knowledge of bell-ringing to solve a 20-year-old mystery, located in the Fens, of a stolen emerald necklace. The title refers to the nine times a church bell was rung to signal the death of a man in the parish; for a woman it was six times. The Nine Tailors was adapted for television in 1973 as part of a series starring Ian Carmichael as Lord Peter. Based on the series of novels written by Dorothy L Sayers in the 1920s & 30s, Lord Peter Wimsey was dramatised for TV by the BBC between 1972-5. Ian Carmichael, veteran of British film comedy, played the genial, aristocratic sleuth; Glyn Houston was his manservant Bunter. The pair are similar to PG Wodehouses Jeeves & Bertie Wooster though here the duo are equal in intelligence, breezing about the country together in Wimseys Bentley & stumbling with morbid regularity upon baffling murder mysteries to test their wits. Those for whom this series forms hazy memories of childhood might be surprised at its somewhat stagy, lingering interior shots, the spartan paucity of music, the miserly attitude towards locations, especially foreign ones, & the rather genteel, leisurely pace of these programmes, besides which Inspector Morse seems like Quentin Tarantino in comparison. It seems that initially the BBC was reluctant to commission the series & ventured on production with a wary eye on the budget. The Britain depicted by Sayers is, by & large, populated by either the upper classes or heavily accented, rum-do-and-no-mistake lower orders, which some might find consoling. However, the acting is generally excellent & the murder mysteries are sophisticated parlour games, the televisual equivalent of a good, absorbing jigsaw puzzle. There were five feature-length adaptations in all. The Nine Tailors weaves an especially elaborate tale, involving jewel theft, campanology & dual identity. Glyn Houston, is an actor best known for his television work. He is the brother of the late film actor Donald Houston. Perhaps Glyn Houstons most notable role was as Duncan Thomas, literary agent, in the 1980s British sitcom Keep it in the Family. Other credits included My Good Woman, Inspector Morse, It Aint Half Hot Mum & Doomwatch, as well as the recurring character Det Supt Jones in Softly, Softly. He has also appeared twice as different characters in Doctor Who — as Professor Owen Watson in The Hand of Fear & as Colonel Ben Wolsey in The Awakening. In all he has over a hundred television & film credits, dating back as early as 1950.
Editors Choice: A Horseman Riding By, The Nine Tailors, View DVDology
Biography: Ian Carmichael Ian Carmichael is a British film & television actor. Born in Hull, Yorkshire he made his name playing mild-mannered upper-class twits in comedy films such as Brothers in Law, Im All Right, Jack & School for Scoundrels. During the 1960s & 1970s, he enjoyed success in television, including the sitcom, Bachelor Father, based on the story of a real-life bachelor who took on several foster children. Bertie Wooster in several series of The World of Wooster, based on the works of P G Wodehouse. Lord Peter Wimsey in several drama series based on the mystery novels by Dorothy L Sayers. He continues to appear on television, notably in the ITV series, The Royal. Ian Carmichaels second wife is the novelist, Kate Fenton.
Editors Choice: The Nine Tailors, Murder Must Advertise, The Unpleasantness At The Bellona Club, Im All Right Jack, Lucky Jim, View DVDology
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