Murder Must Advertise

Ian Carmichael made the character of Lord Peter Wimsey his own with this BBC TV series.

It is necessary for the overall story to be so long, simply because it is very detailed.

Peter Bowles - a fine actor in his own right - is brilliant as one of the villains.

The usual poor production values don't hamper my enjoyment and neither should they anyone else's.

Lord Peter goes undercover at Pym's, an advertising agency, his mission, to discover who caused the death of employee Victor Dean, who plunged to his death down a spiral staircase.

Such a great watch, I've always thought it a real shame that we only have five stories with Carmichael's wonderful Wimsey, the aristocratic investigator would appear annually for five years, next up The Nine Tailors.

This really is a great watch, it's a fantastic story, tremendously adapted from a great book, it is very deep, highly absorbing and deliciously intriguing.

What starts off as a simple whodunnit, soon turns into something a whole lot more engaging.

Awesome production values as you will have come to expect on the show, great costumes, lavish sets, true quality associated with The BBC at the time.

Phenomenal acting, Carmichael as I've mentioned at his best, he plays the two roles with real vigour, but we also see the best of Paul Darrow, and some great acting from Fiona Walker and Peter Bowles.

My advice, get through part one, it is a little slow, and feels a little studio bound, once you're past that it really does open up into a cracking watch.

Excellent, 9/10.

It took only a quarter century to catch up with Lord Peter Wimsey: Murder Must Advertise and I am eternally grateful to Acorn Media for making it available, along with "Clouds of Witness" and "The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club." Yes, "Five Red Herrings" and "The Nine Tailors" are due soon.

Having read the book several times, I can say that the dramatization is not only faithful to the plot but also to the comic tone of the original. Sayers herself did work in an advertising agency and she perfectly catches the chaos, the frustrations, and the high spirits that pervade such an establishment.

Even more on video than in the novel is each character fully realized. When Wimsey (working under an alias) first enters the secretaries' room, the more flamboyant of the women (played by Fiona Walker) is found coffee cup high in the air and sheet of advertising copy low in hand, thereby establishing her character perfectly. She can also quote Latin tags and Shakespeare with colloquial ease. The stuffy head of the firm, Mr. Pym, is played by Peter Pratt, well known to Gilbert & Sullivan buffs as the comic lead at the D'Oyly Carte several generations ago.

The ubiquitous Peter Bowles plays the villainous Major Milligan as a dope dealer to the "bright young things" who still knows when to apologize for rudeness. Mark Eden continues his role as Chief Inspector Parker, now Wimsey's brother-in-law since marrying into the family after the "Clouds of Witness" case. If I cannot warm up to Lady Mary (Rachel Herbert), it is perhaps because of her smugness that tries to be charming but (for me) just misses.

Possibly the best realized character is Bridget Armstrong's Dian de Momerie, the fading sexpot who knows she is doomed by her associates, her drug taking, and the ravages of time. Armstrong turns what could have been an utterly cliched role into a sympathetic and believable one.

And of course, Ian Carmichael is the same bubbling amateur sleuth of the first two mysteries, always ready to apologize for forgetting he has advantages over most of the others.

The plot combines a simple whodunit with a complex howsitdun; and if you pay close attention to the most seemingly inconsequential lines in the first episodes, you will appreciate all the more the solution in the last one. I will reveal none of the plot here, except to say it is a lot of fun.

The production budget is below that of the Poirot series, but the period feel is just as good. By the way, when Wimsey (in disguise) is compared with Bertie Wooster, the script writer might be indulging in an inside joke: Ian Carmichael did play Wooster in a series on British TV and that association nearly cost him getting Wimsey after he himself suggested it to the powers that be!

Victor Dean (Robert Hamilton) writes "Something is going on in the organization that is very undesirable and might lead to serious consequences,"

Shortly after that Victor Dean spirals to his death. An accident?

It may be a coincidence but to be on the safe side Mr. Pym (Peter Pratt) of Pym's Advertising Agency heirs a private detective "Death Breen" to secretly find the answer. Mr. Breen poses as a beginning copywriter and gets to know the staff. We notice that Mr. Breen is too well dressed for the part and looking closer we recognize him as...

Lord Peter (Ian Carmichael) used the address of the empty apartment owned by his brother-in-law Chief Inspector Parker (Mark Eden) and sister Lady Mary (Rachel Herbert)

While Lord Peter is doing his investigation of the mysterious doings at Pym's, Chief Inspector Parker is investigating dope smuggling. Their paths cross frequently.

Is there a link?

And was Victor Dean just a victim of an accident?

Watch and find out.

You may notice that Ian Carmichael is showing his age in this film and is just a tad old for the part.

They took the time to put just about everything relevant from the book into this production. There were a few exceptions but not worth bothering about. The production is complete enough that you do not have to read the book.

Dorothy L. Sayers writes many non-fiction books however among her best fiction is the Lord Peter Wimsey series.

I came to this series sort of through the back door. My first taste was the BBC productions with Petherbridge as Lord Peter, which can now be found on DVD and as a set of Lord Peter stories.

So, I read all of Dorothy's books containing the relationship of Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane.

Now it is time to go through the whole series. I am still working on reading it all. In the mean time this presentation is TV television serial adaptations of five Lord Peter Wimsey novels by Dorothy L. Sayers starring Ian Carmichael broadcast on BBC One between 1972 and 1975,

This item is worth purchasing as you will want to replay it often.