Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
What we're reading

Find your new favourite book or recommend one on our Book forum.

Original poster

Dorothy Sayers' Whimsey novels - do you know the (1980s) TV adaptations?

366 replies

JeanneDeMontbaston · 10/01/2015 11:33

I wasn't sure where to put this thread, but it feels as if it'd be more at home here that the TV threads. I love Dorothy Sayers. MN introduced me to her. I wish they'd do another adaptation, but the 1980s ones are surprisingly good.

The wonderful sconerhymeswithgone showed me the existence of these on youtube. (The link is to Gaudy Night, because that's what I'm watching, but there are lots of earlier ones).

What do you think? I liked the casting, but I have quibbles. And the ending to Gaudy Night is a travesty, right?

OP posts:
YonicScrewdriver · 21/01/2015 12:56

Sad I bought mine via audible but it was a while ago.

Lindy2 · 21/01/2015 12:56

Something I know that I find quite interesting is that there is a Dorothy L Sayers society and Edward Petherbridge (and his wife) and Harriet Walter are still regularly involved with the group.

Hakluyt · 21/01/2015 12:50

Still can't find the audiobook Sad

YonicScrewdriver · 21/01/2015 12:44

Yy

claraschu · 21/01/2015 12:43

Hi Annie, I'm glad you liked it. I loved reading about the filming of GN, as I loved the EP and HW films and got a bit obsessed with them (though of course nothing is going to be as wonderful as the books).

Have any other of you diehard fanatics read the blog I linked to?

ArcheryAnnie · 21/01/2015 12:33

claraschu that's a pretty adorable blog. EP seems to do social media very well.

EP was doing themed London walks at one time. I couldn't afford to go, which I shall forever regret.

YonicScrewdriver · 20/01/2015 23:31

Ah, sorry!

tobee · 20/01/2015 21:29

Of course it wouldn't have been Ian Carmichael's decision! I'm using it for shorthand for those interpretations!

claraschu · 20/01/2015 21:26

Have all of you already read this? EP's account of filming the proposal-vulpeslibris.wordpress.com/2008/09/23/not-as-dorothy-would-have-liked-it/

YonicScrewdriver · 20/01/2015 20:54

Thanks Rusty, will pm
You back!

YonicScrewdriver · 20/01/2015 20:53

Was IC in that?

Anyway, I doubt it was IC's dramatic decision!

tobee · 20/01/2015 20:51

I've nothing against Ian Carmichael in other things it's just a while ago I read people on amazon saying that the dramatisation of Busman's Honeymoon ends with P & H laughing which is the definition of travesty!

Also, my mil wouldn't watch EP on principle because of Ian Carmichael and prided herself on the old days were best attitude which really used to get my goat. However, I'll probably be the same with regards to EP and any subsequent remake so I'm probably just as stubborn as she was. Which cheeses me off even more!

IrenetheQuaint · 20/01/2015 20:43

As I recall the Wimsey Papers are mostly DLS whinging about the government rather than anything very Wimsey-ish.

IrenetheQuaint · 20/01/2015 20:40

Er, mean

IrenetheQuaint · 20/01/2015 20:39

Yes, I thought Jerry got shot down over France or something like that. Saddling Peter with the Dukedom always felt a bit meam.

RustyBear · 20/01/2015 20:34

Found it ! Have pm'd you Yonic.

YonicScrewdriver · 20/01/2015 19:19

I'd love it if you find it!

RustyBear · 20/01/2015 18:24

I have been trying over the last few days to find my copy of The Wimsey Papers - I'm sure I have a printed copy on A4 sheets somewhere, but I can't remember where it is or where I got it from - it might have been from my brother who is also a Wimsey fan. If I do find it, I will scan it and am happy to email to anyone who wants it, but I have to find it first, and all the places it might be are too bloody cold to venture into at the moment...

It is available online, but I can't find it in a very accessible form -you can find scanned pages here:
web.archive.org/web/20030711112319/www.pemberley.com/images/wimsey/wimsey.html

and the Spectator archives here: -
archive.spectator.co.uk/issues

They were published in weekly instalments, starting on 16th November 1939 and finishing in January 1940, and they are the basis for a lot of A Presumption Of Death.

I remember reading somewhere that Sayers 'is said to' have said that Peter and Harriet would eventually have 5 children, and that she thought that Jerry would not survive the war - but there are a lot of things that DLS is 'said to' have said/done, including inventing the phrase 'It pays to advertise', which she certainly didn't...

Hakluyt · 20/01/2015 16:11

I must be being particularly dim. I'll go and have another look!

YonicScrewdriver · 20/01/2015 16:06

Yup- both are there, Hak.

Hakluyt · 20/01/2015 16:04

Sorry, I meant an audio book of Gaudy Night, not of T,D.

PetulaGordino · 20/01/2015 16:00

I don't mind IC in audio, it's on screen where he just looks all wrong

YonicScrewdriver · 20/01/2015 15:56

I like the characterisation of T,D but I hate the comments about the victim. They seem far from the Peter of Gaudy Night, tbh.

YonicScrewdriver · 20/01/2015 15:54

Yes, it's read by Ian Carmichael. Available on iTunes or audible