1. Bill Nighy So Much Blood Book
2. Bill Nighy So Much Blood Song
3. Bill Nighy So Much Blood Movie

Simon Anthony Lee BrettOBEFRSL (born 28 October 1945 in Worcester Park, Surrey, England) is a British writer of detective fiction and a radio producer.

Personal life[edit]

Charles of the books is much less cuddly than his Radio 4 avatar as played by Bill Nighy, less witty and more promiscuous, but of course of a previous generation - he'd be 87 by now, assuming his inexplicable taste for a certain nasty blended cooking whisky - wiser drinkers only touch GOOD malts - hadn't destroyed liver, brain and libido. All episodes of Charles Paris: So Much Blood. 5 / 6 The thespian sleuth suspects a student of the murder of Willy, but another is acting oddly.

The son of chartered surveyor John Brett and Margaret (née Lee), a teacher,^[1][2] he was educated at Dulwich College and Wadham College, Oxford, where he gained a first-class honours degree in English. He is married with three children and lives in Arundel, West Sussex, England.

Brett was the president of the Detection Club from 2000 to 2015. He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2016 New Year Honours for services to literature.^[3]

Radio and television career[edit]

After his graduation from Oxford University, Brett joined the BBC as a trainee and worked for BBC Radio and London Weekend Television. While with the BBC, Brett produced the pilot episode of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, as well as many episodes of the comedy series The Burkiss Way, as well as the comedy panel games I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue and Just a Minute and radio adaptations of Lord Peter Wimsey. In the mid-1990s, Brett wrote and hosted Foul Play, a radio panel game in which well-known writers of detective fiction were challenged to solve a dramatised mystery. When he moved into television, Brett was responsible for producing End of Part One (1979–80) and the television revival of The Glums (1979), both for LWT.

Brett wrote several sitcoms, including BBC Radio 4's After Henry, No Commitments, Semi Circles and Smelling of Roses. After Henry was later produced on television for ITV. He has written episodes of the BBC radio detective drama Baldi (2000).

In 1987, the Nigel Molesworth character created by Geoffrey Willans was reprised for a four-part BBC Radio 4 series Molesworth. Written by Simon Brett, the series portrayed Molesworth in middle age, still surrounded by many of the characters from his youth. Molesworth was played by Willie Rushton, with Penelope Nice as his wife Louise, and Clive Swift as the now aged ex-headmaster Grimes.

Mystery fiction[edit]

Brett has written four series of detective novels (Charles Paris, Mrs Pargeter, Fethering, and Blotto & Twinks). Most of these novels are in the 'Golden Age' tradition of detective fiction, entertaining the reader through humour, eccentric characters and intricate plot twists. He has also written several mystery plays and some non-series novels, of which A Shock to the System (1984) is probably best known because the filmed version starred Michael Caine as the business executive who takes revenge after being passed over for promotion.

Charles Paris[edit]

To date Brett has written 20 books about Charles Paris, an unhappily separated (but not divorced, more than 30 years on), moderately successful character^[4] actor with a slight drinking problem who gets entangled in various crimes, and finds himself unwillingly in the role of amateur detective.

1. Cast, In Order of Disappearance (1975)
2. So Much Blood (1976)
3. Star Trap (1977)
4. An Amateur Corpse (1978)
5. A Comedian Dies (1979)
6. The Dead Side of the Mic (1980)
7. Situation Tragedy (1981)
8. Murder Unprompted (1982)
9. Murder in the Title (1983)
10. Not Dead, Only Resting (1984)
11. Dead Giveaway (1985)
12. What Bloody Man Is That? (1987)
13. A Series of Murders (1989)
14. Corporate Bodies (1991)
15. A Reconstructed Corpse (1993)
16. Sicken and So Die (1995)
17. Dead Room Farce (1998)
18. A Decent Interval (2013)
19. The Cinderella Killer (2014)
20. A Deadly Habit (2018)

Cast, In Order of Disappearance and So Much Blood were both adapted as serials for BBC Radio 2 with Francis Matthews in the lead role in the 1980s.

Bill Nighy So Much Blood Book

Bill Nighy has played Paris in a series of BBC Radio productions. The first, an adaptation of So Much Blood for The Saturday Play in 1999, was recorded on location at its Edinburgh Fringe setting. A Series of Murders followed as another Saturday Play in 2004, leading into a number of half-hour serials which began with Sicken and So Die (2006) and continued with Murder Unprompted (2007) and The Dead Side of the Mike (2008), with So Much Blood apparently happening between the last two serials. These serials have all been updated from the novels, and adapted to deal with continuity problems caused by the adaptations being made out of order in relation to the books, with later adaptations featuring more far-reaching changes to the central mysteries.

Cast, In Order of Disappearance, again starring Nighy as Paris, began airing on Friday 29 January 2010 on BBC Radio 4. From 26 February, its slot was taken for three weeks by an original series from Brett. A three-hour I Did It My Way programme featuring Brett's work was rebroadcast by BBC Radio 7 on Saturday 20 February 2010, including a repeat of A Series of Murders.

This was followed by Murder in the Title (2010) which aired weekly from 22 November to 13 December 2010. Nighy returned to the role in A Reconstructed Corpse (2012). Other recurring cast members include Jon Glover as Charles's agent Maurice, and Suzanne Burden as his estranged wife Frances. On 5 December 2012 a 4-part adaptation of An Amateur Corpse began on Radio 4; Nighy and Burden again played Charles and Frances. A tenth story starring Bill Nighy as Charles began broadcast on 25 June 2014; this 4-part adaptation of Corporate Bodies also stars Suzanne Burden as Frances.

List of radio adaptations with Bill Nighy as Charles:

Saturday plays

• So Much Blood (recorded on location at Edinburgh Fringe), 1999
• A Series of Murders, 2004

Half-hour 4-part serials

• Sicken and So Die, 2006
• Murder Unprompted, 2007
• The Dead Side of the Mic (So Much Blood set between last 2 serials), 2008
• Cast In Order of Disappearance, began 29 January 2010
• Murder in the Title, began 22 November 2010
• A Reconstructed Corpse, 2012
• An Amateur Corpse, began 5 December 2012
• Corporate Bodies, began 25 June 2014
• A Decent Interval, 9–30 March 2016
• The Cinderella Killer, began 2 December 2016
• Dead Room Farce, 23 February to 16 March 2018
• Star Trap, 6 March 2019
• A Doubtful Death, 22 May to 12 June 2020

Mrs Pargeter[edit]

Mrs Pargeter is a widow with a shadowy past who, with a little help from her dead husband's friends, is able to solve uncanny mysteries. The Mrs Pargeter novels include:

1. A Nice Class of Corpse (1986)
2. Mrs, Presumed Dead (1988)
3. Mrs Pargeter's Package (1990)
4. Mrs Pargeter's Pound of Flesh (1992)
5. Mrs Pargeter's Plot (1996)
6. Mrs Pargeter's Point of Honour (1999)
7. Mrs Pargeter's Principle (2015)
8. Mrs Pargeter's Public Relations (2017)

Fethering[edit]

Fethering is a fictitious village on England's south coast (adjacent to Tarring). It is the place of residence of amateur sleuths Carole Seddon, a retired civil servant, and her neighbour, Jude Nichols, whose origins are obscure. Twenty Fethering mysteries have been published so far:

1. The Body on the Beach (2000)
2. Death on the Downs (2001)
3. The Torso in the Town (2002)
4. Murder in the Museum (2003)
5. The Hanging in the Hotel (2004)
6. The Witness at the Wedding (2005)
7. The Stabbing in the Stables (2006)
8. Death Under the Dryer (2007)
9. Blood at the Bookies (2008)
10. Poisoning at the Pub (2009)
11. The Shooting in the Shop (2010)
12. Bones Under the Beach Hut (2011)
13. Guns in the Gallery (2011)
14. Corpse on the Court (2012)
15. Strangling on the Stage (2013)
16. The Tomb in Turkey (2014)
17. The Killing In The Cafe (2015)
18. The Liar In The Library (2017)
19. The Killer In The Choir (2019)
20. Guilt at the Garage (2020)

Since 2011, Brett's Fethering series has been published by Severn House.

Blotto and Twinks[edit]

Farcical whodunnits set just after the First World War and featuring the handsome and dim 'Blotto' and his beautiful and clever sister 'Twinks', both from a ducal family.

1. Blotto, Twinks and the Ex-King's Daughter (2009)
2. Blotto, Twinks and the Dead Dowager Duchess (2010)
3. Blotto, Twinks and the Rodents of the Riviera (2011)
4. Blotto, Twinks and the Bootlegger's Moll (2012)
5. Blotto, Twinks and the Riddle of the Sphinx (July 2013)
6. Blotto, Twinks and the Heir to the Tsar (July 2015)
7. Blotto, Twinks and the Stars of the Silver Screen (2017)
8. Blotto, Twinks and the Intimate Revue (2018)
9. Blotto, Twinks and the Great Road Race (2019)
10. Blotto, Twinks and the Maharajah's Jewel (2021)

Plays[edit]

• Murder in Play (1994)
• Mr Quigley's Revenge (1995)
• Silhouette (1998)
• The Tale of Little Red Riding Hood (1998)
• Sleeping Beauty (1999)
• Putting the Kettle on (2002)
• A Bad Dream (2005)
• Quirks (2009)
• Murder with Ghosts (2015)^[5][6]

References[edit]

1. ^Twelve Englishmen of Mystery, ed. Earl F. Bargainnier, Bowling Green University Popular Press, 1984, p. 303
2. ^Contemporary Authors, New Revision Series no. 63, ed. Daniel Jones, Cengage Gale, 1998, p. 47
3. ^'No. 61450'. The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 2015. p. N11.
4. ^In Not Dead, Only Resting it is established that Charles Paris is in the character section of the Spotlights Directory (now defunct).
5. ^Walberton Players stage Murder with Ghosts
6. ^Murder with Ghosts - show report - NODA

External links[edit]

• Samuel French - London, publishers of plays^{[permanent dead link]}

Bill Nighy So Much Blood Song

Publication Order of Charles Paris Books

A British radio producer, the novelist Simon Brett has been writing and creating his unique brand of detective ficition for some time now, as he’s been able to craft a mystery that’s in-depth yet accessible at the same time, alongside his characters that are easy to relate to on a more personal and intimate level. Born in Worcester park his detective stories are very much of their time and their period, falling into the genre whilst simultaneously standing on their own two feet, they are excellent examples of both the art and the form, as they keep the reader constantly guessing throughout. Over time he has written a number of series as well, with franchises such as ‘Fethering’, ‘Blotto and Twinks’, ‘Mrs Pargeter’ along with a handful of plays as well. All of this has added up to a highly successful and well developed writing career with an impressive backlog of work, but one series that he’s particularly well known for is that of his ongoing ‘Charles Paris’ series of novels. Following the career of the supposedly down-and-out alcoholic actor Charles Paris, it sees him applying himself to a variety of real-life roles, something which helps him as he undertakes the role of amateur sleuth and detective. With charm and eloquence he is able to deduce all the clues in his own inimitable style, as he gets to the bottom of the case and solve the crime, along with being able to get into the minds of different characters including that of the criminals.

Running for over nineteen titles so far and counting this is a series that has been going for quite some time now, as there’s been plenty of adventures and cases for him to solve. With a variety of radio plays being broadcast on the BBC the character has enjoyed a successful run of various adaptions as well, with actors such as Francis Matthews taking the role in the 1980s and Bill Nighy taking it up in 1999. With a variety of series on the radio along with a variety of novels depicting the character, it’s easy to see why this particular protagonist has become so iconic, a status which he’ll enjoy for many years to come.

Cast, In Order of Disappearance

Originally published in 1975, this was to be the first title in the ongoing ‘Charles Paris’ series of novels, as it set-up the series overall, establishing many of the themes and ideas in the process. It also manages to create the characters that inhabit it, along with allowing them to introduce the main protagonist and setting up his story too. Not only that, but it also provides a mystery for them all to solve and get involved in, a factor which also allows the story and the narrative to develop.

Setting up many of the themes and ideas, it manages to create a style and tension that is not without wit or humor, as there are plenty of smart lines from the author himself. The world is also resolutely British too, as it works at building itself within a very distinctively British environment, something which is reflected through many of the characters. With Charles Paris himself he is a leading character with a strong charismatic presence, despite his many vices and failings which he succumbs to over the course of the novel.

Bill Nighy So Much Blood Movie

Marius Steen the tyrannical tycoon and Bill Sweet have been killed, one in an affair with his young mistress Jacqui to whom he would leave the contents of his will to, the other Bill Sweet a blackmailer with photographs. Stepping onto the scene is one Charles Paris, an actor who likes to drink and likes the ladies, as he assumes a number of different roles, including a Scotland Yard Detective. Finding himself in the bed of the blackmailer’s wife, he soon finds that he may be in over his head, and he may need to solve the case himself before it’s too late. Will he find the real killer? Can he save himself in the process? What will become of the cast, in order of disappearance?

So Much Blood

First published in 1976, this was brought out just one year after the first book, as it carried on directly from where the last left off, providing another adventure in the process. Providing another case file for the amateur sleuth Charles Paris to solve, it manages to take the franchise in new directions, giving it a greater sense of weight in the process. It also works as a stand-alone novel in its own right too, as it manages to be accessible to new readers as well, allowing them to dive right in as a casual read if they want to.

Heading to the Edinburgh Fringe this time Charles Paris is all set to perform there at a show, but things don’t entirely go according to plan as a set of events transpire. All set to take part in a mixed-media version of ‘A Midsummer Nights Dream’ there’s a whole host of different events to get involved in, but he soon finds himself dealing with a murder. Not only that, but there’s also been a suicide too, along with a bomb scare taking place, as well as a series of other events transpiring there too. Will Charles Paris get to the bottom of what’s going on? Can he find the real killer behind all of this? Why is there so much blood?

The Charles Paris Series

A highly iconic character not just in print, but on the radio as well, Simon Brett has enjoyed a lot of success with down-and-out actor come amateur sleuth over the years. Creating a strong and vivid portrait of the character it’s a role that many have enjoyed throughout the years, largely due to it being so well drawn by Brett himself. The world that he’s set within as well is also extremely well defined, with a clear set of rules building a sense of familiarity with its formula that its many loyal readers have come to enjoy over the years. With more room to expand upon the series it doesn’t look like it’ll be stopping anytime soon either, as it will continue on into the foreseeable future for some time to follow.