Alan Grant, Adam Dalgliesh, Lord Peter or Roderick Alleyn.....

[CurlewKate]

You can only pick one. Which is it to be?

Ah, Josephine Tey - that makes a lot more sense! TBH I have virtually no memory of him, vaguely remember Daughter of Time because of the subject but I suspect I also have it slightly mixed up with the final Inspector Morse episode.

Lord Peter. There’s more richness and complexity in the novels. I’m not getting into which actor, as were talking about books.

Inspector Alleyn, he's very level headed, very smart and pro women's rights. Also his side kick Brer Fox is lovely. I was veering towards Lord Peter but I'd forgotten about the PTSD.

Dalgliesh is such a cold fish (not unlike every single other PD James character). At least Lord Peter you could have a laugh with. And Alan Grant would take you out for a pint.

Alleyn, definitely

You know the TV versions of the Harriet trilogy are all available on YouTube?

I don't think I could keep up with Lord Peter on an intellectual level.
I think you'd be hard pushed to find a man of his generation who had seen action who didn't come with some degree of PTSD, but his combination of intellect, sensitivity and conscience increases it.

I've never read any Dalgliesh, just seen some of the tv adaptations, but agree I wouldn't want to take on that kind of baggage.

Of the other two, I think I'd take Alan Grant. (Yes, I know we're talking about Josephine Tey's Alan Grant.) You'd still get the theatre tickets, via Marta Hallard.

Anyone who hasn't come across them, I recommend E.C.R. Lorac's Robert Macdonald series. He's of the same generation as the others, and a bit like Grant, a Scotland Yard detective with Scottish origins.

Albert Campion.

Do you mean the Morse episode The Wench is Dead? Same device is used ie detective in hospital investigating historical murder. It’s not the final Morse though.

I think it’s Grant for me. Although Lord Peter for a good weekend.

Those of you who haven't met Alan Grant will probably like him. There are 6 (I think, there are a couple without him) books with him in-all quite short. My favorite is The Singing Sands. Very much of the time and absolutely no attempt at all to hide the class prejudice!

Lord Peter! I've always wanted to live in his London flat - it sounds delightful

Lord Peter, despite the poor rep of more recent alumni of Eton and Balliol. Just reread Murder Must Advertise and although he's quite ridiculous, he's so kind to the junior office boy who dreams of being a detective. And (of course) he's a wonderful batsman.

Yeah definitely Lord Peter for me.

Probably because Edward Petherbridge was so beautiful playing him. And Harriet Walter as HV fabulous and made me want to be her.

I thought Gaudy Night was the least good of those TV adaptations. I saw them originally and then read the books several times quite a bit later. And then found the TV series on video and was disappointed that GN was so short. Although that's probably because they entirely missed out Viscount St George who was a fun character and gave Lord Peter further dimensions.

Rory Alleyn and Adam Dalgleish are a bit too stiff for me. I dislike all the other characters in AD stories; but that's by the by.

Alan Grant I only really know from Franchise Affair.

@pangolinfan "And (of course) he's a wonderful batsman."
Yes-I find that essential. "A late cut that was exceedingly characteristic"
I was going to say that Alan Grant probably was too-but I suspect he might actually have been a very sneaky bowler.

When I wasn't wanting to be Harriet Walter Harriet Vane as a kid I wanted to be Cordelia Gray ☺️

But she did play Harriet Vane in Gaudy Night series. There was Strong Poison, Have His Carcass and Gaudy Night.
Wishes they'd done Bus man's Honeymoon though

I’ve just discovered Dorothy L Sayers - I’m thoroughly enjoying Have his Carcass. I agree that Lord Peter would make for a more interesting and fun companion than Dalgleish.

@MousePolice I can't tell you how jealous I am of you that you haven't read Strong Poison and Gaudy Night yet!

Yes, it would be good to have a longer series of Gaudy Night, more faithful to the book.

I’m glad they switched to Edward Petherbridge for the Harriet adaptations though, I never liked Ian Carmichael’s Wimsey (he looked ridiculous as the harlequin in Murder Must Advertise) and I think he’d have been thoroughly unconvincing.

I’m going to try to write the next bit without spoilers.

I read somewhere that, originally, the director of Gaudy Night changed the ending completely, taking out the most important bit & changing it to a brief conversation earlier on in the book. Walter & Petherbridge weren’t having it. They rewrote the ending & insisted on doing it that way. It’s nowhere near as good as in the book, but much better than it might have been.

Those are both great, but Murder Must Advertise will always be my favourite. I've got a weakness for office novels, and Sayers is clearly looking back on her own time in an office with such insight and good humour. (The actual mystery is pretty laughable in places but you can't have it all)

I'm with @Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g on Albert Campion. If pushed, Lord Peter as I'd love the conversation, but he is a bit needy for me

More to the point, I'd take Tommy Beresford over all those nobs any day!

(nobs as in nobility, not nobs as in knobs)

This, but Dinosaur Alan as a close second if he's still on offer.

Sorry, meant to quote @MimsyBorogrove69 , loved Edward Petherbridge as LPW.

Joan Hickson - Miss Marple