Bill Nighy stars as the suave thespian sleuth in this BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation

Life is good for Charles Paris. He's moved back in with his estranged wife, and has landed a plum stage role as Sir Toby Belch in Twelfth Night. But it can't last. First his attempts to woo Frances fall flat, then the play's director is taken ill with gastric trouble. His replacement, Romanian wunderkind Alex Radelescu, is determined to take the play in a radical new direction - with or without Charles.

When a second member of the company falls sick, Charles begins to suspect a poisoner is on the loose - and the next victim could be him. Can he unmask the culprit before this comedy turns into a tragedy?

Adapted by Jeremy Front, this engaging dramatisation stars Bill Nighy as Charles Paris, with Suzanne Burden as Frances, Jon Glover as Maurice and Julian Rhind-Tutt as Alex Radelescu.

'Always a treat' Gillian Reynolds, Sunday Times

Production credits
Written by Simon Brett
Adapted by Jeremy Front
Produced and directed by Sally Avens
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 30 August-20 September 2006

Cast
Charles Paris - Bill Nighy
Frances - Suzanne Burden
Maurice - Jon Glover
Ken Carter - Peter Wight
Alex Radelescu - Julian Rhind-Tutt
Vivienne Marlin - Elizabeth Bell
Gavin Scholes - Thomas Wheatley
Jack Bradley - John Cummins
Sally Luther - Tracy Wiles
Ben Ritson - Tom Lawrence
Vasile Bogdan/Scott - Ryan McCluskey
Talya Northcott - Alex Tregear
Inspector Dewar - Kim Wall

© 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. ? 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Read by: Bill Nighy, Suzanne Burden, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Full Cast, Jon Glover