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

[JeanneDeMontbaston]

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?

Oh, no, I don't think it came across as if he didn't hear it (which would, as you say, make sense as it was cryptic). I think they were trying to get it translated for the audience and used that as the method, and I think it was clumsy.

Yes I was annoyed by that too. It made Wimsey look weirdly ignorant.

Yes, I thought so!

In fact, though I like that one, the whole thing makes him more passive/dull than he is in the books - he doesn't understand French, and he can't ride or drive well!

Ooh I hadn't realised there were to adaptations. I will be watching... Am addicted to the audiobooks with Ian Carmichael

Just wonderin' what everyone thinks of Busman's Honeymoon and the short stories with Harriet and Peter married? I always think books after "and they lived happily ever after" a let down but I couldnt resist with Wimsey.

In Busman's Honeymoon I found the phonetic representations of the yokels pretty embarrassing and just skip through the mystery stuff to read the sexy stuff like some teenager, to get my rocks off!

The short stories are quite cute though.

By the way, I downloaded The Attenbury Emeralds just because Petherbridge reads it the only Wimsey one sadly, as far as I can see, although there are other books he's narrated.

Tobee, I imagine the phonetics are because it was a play first?

I think the happily ever after only began at the end of BH when they started to properly trust each other.

Two good points.

Definitely the hardest scene in BH is the scene where Harriet waits to see if Peter will call for her after the execution, in terms of succeeding dramatically as the climax of the Wimsey/Vane novels and their relationship and I think that is pulled off with no disappointment .

Ps They didn't do BH on TV because I believe they couldn't get the rights at the time but Petherbridge and his real life wife Emily Richard took it to the stage at the time.

I think the stage version is on YouTube,

Are you "toby" or "two bee" phonetically, tobee?

I saw this Facebook post from Watts and Co (the Church furnishers) and thought of this thread!

Loved the HW eye roll when the mechanic apologised for swearing in front of a lady.

Plus ca change...

Oh, yes.

But that's one of the things I love - Sayers herself writes in a very 'modern' way. It's depressing in that little has changed, but encouraging that she explodes the myth that no-one noticed these things getting on for a century ago.

Have you read HHC, LRD?

I have.

Ok! Then I can say I thought the TV ending was better than the book!

Yes, on the whole, I liked it all better than the book, which I didn't find terribly memorable really.

I also loved the detail of Harriet sitting in the driving seat of the car, and just staring Peter down when he comes back to it expecting to drive. I don't think that's in the book!

Yes, that was a good edit.

I wonder if it's so good because it was spread across 4 episodes and cut that dull code scene right down

Oh, god, yes, the code scene!

I think it also worked because in the book, I didn't really get why Harriet and Peter were arguing, if you know what I mean? I could see she was trying to convey how Harriet feels, and how they miscommunicate, but it didn't quite come across.

I understood HHC the book better after having read Gaudy Night, where Harriet recalls the whole episode with both insight and embarrassment.

Agree the code scene is deadly, and also the characters apart from Harriet and Peter are not very engaging. DLS is oddly uneven, as a writer - sometimes she really pulls off the wider setting and characters of her crime novels (Nine Tailors, Murder Must Advertise, Gaudy Night) and sometimes it just doesn't work (e.g. Five Red Herrings and Busman's Honeymoon).

I think you're right about conveying the feelings.

Didn't she set out deliberately with 5RH to write a "jigsaw puzzle sort of mystery"?

I really want to get hold of a BH script someday and see the difference. I like the vicar in BH.

Yes, me too - I feel as if Gaudy Night is where she wanted to get to, writing it, and HHC was the necessary one in the way.

It's odd, because in lots of ways it's very well written, but the romance doesn't work.

Agree with you about settings/characters.

I wonder how much she was juggling deadlines and committments? Maybe that would explain it.

Yes, I've read that too re 5RH - but it's such a long way from her strengths. I've read a few train timetable type inter war crime novels and they're all pretty dull.

Of course DLS had rather a complicated and painful private life, so that may have affected her novels too. Wimsey is such a wish fulfilment, really.