Almost all of Colin Watson’s novels are based in the fictional town of Flaxborough, the location of which is always left vague. If forced to guess its position, from the evidence in the books, I would have said Norfolk, but Watson apparently worked in Lincolnshire. In any event, he chose to be imprecise; the explanation, I feel sure, is that much of what he wrote about was based on his experiences as a small-town newspaperman.
Watson usually has the same cast of policemen: Inspector Purbright, Sergeant Love, and of course, the Chief Constable, Mr Chubb. Some of the villains appear more than once, too -- Miss Lucilla Teatime, for instance. But Miss Teatime almost counts as an honorary police person: she is utterly criminal in both intent and action, but she nevertheless sometimes sees it in her interests to provide the Inspector with a little assistance. (Mr Pratchett, you will recall, also has a character called Teatime -- a young man from the Assassins Guild. Though in his case the name is pronounced Tay-atty-may; he is from the Italian branch of the family no doubt.) These 4 stories are of the adventures of Inspector Purbright
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What in the world is going on in the quiet little village of Flaxborough? Rumour had it that Mr. Hatch, proprietor of the somewhat shady Floradora Country Club, was about to involve two nuns from Philadelphia and four from Dallas in his most unholy business. Then Miss Hilda Cannon, aged fifty-one, personally witnessed (accidentally, of course), some simply shocking behavior going on behind the curtains of Hatch's stately home. And now an anonymous note warned that an American hit man planned to gun down a prominent Flaxborough citizen. But who was the target... and how could Detective Inspector Purbright keep the deadly threat from coming true?
Dramatised in six parts by Christopher Denys from "The Naked Nuns", the eighth of the Flaxborough novels of Colin Watson first published in 1975.
Directed by Tony Cliff in Manchester
Part 1 It is 1974 in the quiet little village of Flaxborough. Detective Inspector Walter Purbright is visited by Miss Gladys Ryland, the local spinster who is doing temporary work at the somewhat shady Floradora Country Club. She brings him information on what she believes is white slave traffic: A telegram had arrived one afternoon addressed to Floradora, Flaxborough, England, and with the proprietor, Mr. Hatch, being away, she decided to open it in case it was important. The telegram pertained to two naked nuns from Philadelphia with four more from Dallas being brought over to Flaxborough. Inspector Purbright is at first unperturbed by the telegram but then...
With John Rowe [Detective Inspector Walter Purbright], Paul Downing [Detective Sergeant Sidney Love], ? [Miss Gladys Ryland, spinster and temporary telephonist of the Floradora Country Club], ? [American Police Officer Joe], ? [American Police Captain], Anne Rye [Miss Lucilla Edith Cavell Teatime], Finetime Fontaine [Councillor Harry Crispin, proprietor of Happyland, Brocklestone-on-Sea, chief shareholder in a north of England juke box company, and substantial owner of two medium-sized hotels on the coast], Harry Kirkham [Arnold Hatch], Daniel Cull [Edmund Amis, Mr. Hatch's private secretary], Judith Davies [Mrs. Millicent Spain], Patricia Wilcock [Mrs. Sophie Hatch], Geoffrey Banks [Chief Constable Harcourt Chubb], Peter Rylands [Mr. Baxter], and David Fleeshman [Joseph Fortescue Tudor, olive oil importer]
Part 2 While Inspector Purbright tries to find who is the intended victim of the American hit man, Mr. Hatch finds that his electric bedroom curtains, those that close when it goes dark and opens when it is light outside, have a down side as his arch enemy, Councillor Crispin, will prove...
With John Rowe [Detective Inspector Walter Purbright], Paul Downing [Detective Sergeant Sidney Love], Geoffrey Banks [Chief Constable Harcourt Chubb], Anne Rye [Miss Lucilla Edith Cavell Teatime], David Fleeshman [Joseph Fortescue Tudor, olive oil importer], Harry Kirkham [Arnold Hatch], Daniel Cull [Edmund Amis, Mr. Hatch's private secretary], and Peter Rylands [Mr. Baxter]
Part 3 Inspector Purbright puts Police Constable Pouke to follow the potential hit-man suspect, Joseph Tudor, from New York. One of the first places Tudor visits is Miss Lucilla Teatime. Meanwhile, the vendetta between Councillor Crispin and Mr. Hatch moves onto the water...
With John Rowe [Detective Inspector Walter Purbright], Paul Downing [Detective Sergeant Sidney Love], Harry Kirkham [Arnold Hatch], Daniel Cull [Edmund Amis, Mr. Hatch's private secretary], Robin Polley [Joxy, gardener at the Floradora Country Club], Finetime Fontaine [Councillor Harry Crispin, proprietor of Happyland, Brocklestone-on-Sea, chief shareholder in a north of England juke box company, and substantial owner of two medium-sized hotels on the coast], Judith Davies [Mrs. Millicent Spain], David Fleeshman [Joseph Fortescue Tudor, olive oil importer], Anne Rye [Miss Lucilla Edith Cavell Teatime], Michael Dugan [Julian], Joseph Olessi [Bernard], and Patricia Wilcock [Mrs. Sophie Hatch]
Part 4 Someone with powerful headlamps causes Arnie Hatch's automatic bedroom curtains to open when he is cavorting with a young lady while Councillor Crispin's yacht sinks as he is having a race with Arnie Hatch. Was the driver with the powerful headlights who not only made the curtains open but played a fanfare on his horn and stayed on to illuminate Arnie's escapade Councillor Crispin? Was Arnie Hatch behind the sinking of Crispin's boat? Also, somebody has hired an American assassin to murder a prominent Flaxborough citizen. Is the issue of the contract Arnie Hatch or Councillor Crispin? Is the target of the contract Arnie Hatch or Councillor Crispin? Events at the Floradora take a turn for the worse...
With John Rowe [Detective Inspector Walter Purbright], Paul Downing [Detective Sergeant Sidney Love], Anne Rye [Miss Lucilla Edith Cavell Teatime], David Fleeshman [Joseph Fortescue Tudor, olive oil importer, aka Giuseppe Fortunino Turidu], Geoffrey Banks [Chief Constable Harcourt Chubb], Harry Kirkham [Arnold Hatch], Daniel Cull [Edmund Amis, Mr. Hatch's private secretary], Kathryn Hunt [Peg], Sally Whittaker [Beryl], Robin Polley [Joxy, gardener at the Floradora Country Club], Michael Dugan [Julian], and Joseph Olessi [Bernard].
Part 5 During the Medieval Banquet Night, one of their more popular attractions, the Floradora country club was invaded by a bunch of hooligans dressed up as vikings. The guests thought this was all part of the act but it was during this time that Mr. Hatch was shot in the face by a shotgun. Purbright begins his investigation by questioning the staff of the Floradora country club.
With John Rowe [Detective Inspector Walter Purbright], Paul Downing [Detective Sergeant Sidney Love], Daniel Cull [Edmund Amis, Mr. Hatch's private secretary], ? [Mr. Warlock], Kathryn Hunt [Hyacinthe], Sally Whittaker [Daisy aka Janice Wilkinson], Robin Polley [Joxy, gardener at the Floradora Country Club], David Fleeshman [Joseph Fortescue Tudor, olive oil importer, aka Giuseppe Fortunino Turidu], Geoffrey Banks [Chief Constable Harcourt Chubb], and Patricia Wilcock [Mrs. Sophie Hatch]
Part 6 'It's A Question of Postage' in the final part of Colin Watson's serial about vice and violence in a peaceful market town as the inept Police Constable Pouke comes up with the key information to solve the crime.
With John Rowe [Detective Inspector Walter Purbright], Paul Downing [Detective Sergeant Sidney Love], Daniel Cull [Edmund Amis, Mr. Hatch's private secretary], Anne Rye [Miss Lucilla Edith Cavell Teatime], Geoffrey Banks [Chief Constable Harcourt Chubb], David Fleeshman [Joseph Fortescue Tudor, olive oil importer, aka Giuseppe Fortunino Turidu], Peter Rylands [Police Constable Pouke], and Joseph Olessi [Bernard]
Lonelyheart 4122 Colin Watson (adaptation by Christopher Denys) 1990
with John Rowe as Insp. Purbright and Paul Downing as Sgt.Love
Mrs Lillian Bannister was the second lady to vanish without a trace. Both missing ladies were about the same age, both rather retiring and both without husbands. The only clue seemed to lead to the Handclasp House marriage bureau.
Inspector Purbright and Sergeant Love commence investigations, as yet unaware of the arrival in Flaxborough of the irrepressible Miss Lucilla Teatime, one the most amusing characters to be found in detective fiction
"Inspector Purbright took his problem to the Chief Constable. "I'm afraid, sir," he began, "that another lady has disappeared." Last seen nearly a month ago. Mrs Lillian Bannister was the second to vanish without a trace. Both missing ladies were about the same age, both rather retiring and both without husbands. The only clue seemed to lead to the Handclasp House marriage bureau.
Inspector Purbright and Sergeant Love commence investigations, as yet unaware of the arrival in Flaxborough of the irrepressible Miss Lucilla Teatime, one the most amusing characters to be found in detective fiction.
160/44 stereo The Old Boy Network in a small waterfront community spawns more than a few drinks and cards at the club. A doctor, lawyer, publisher, ship's broker and undertaker are suspects in this old-fashioned British mystery.
- - - Colin Watson's Flaxborough novels are one of those discoveries that readers should treasure. The vein of serious mysteries intertwined with humour had been richly mined by the likes of John Dickson Carr and Edmund Crispin already when 'Coffin, Scarcely Used' appeared on the scene in 1958. Over the next twenty-odd years, readers would be treated to eleven more outings in the Norfolk town of Flaxborough, each of them slightly more odd than the previous one.
Crime in Flaxborough is met by the resolute Inspector Purbright. In 'Coffin, Scarcly Used', Purbright must determine how the naked body of an electrocuted citizen arrived in a most undignified position on a local electrical pylon. His investigations among the eccentric and somewhat perverse inhabitants of Flax will reveal that if an accidental death looks somewhat too bizarre to be believed, then it may very likely be murder after all. Watson's talent for creating unusual names and situations for odd characters with shadowy motives, paired with what must have been a most distinctly English sense of humour, set this novel well ahead of most contemporary offerings - forty years ago, and today.
Replies
Rick,
Thanks for this.
Robert
Cheers for these, Rick. The quality being posted is outstanding. Regards, Dave
Thank You Bob. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rick
Merry Christmas!
And a Merry Christmas to you. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Rick
The Naked Nuns
Colin Watson
1993
What in the world is going on in the quiet little village of Flaxborough? Rumour had it that Mr. Hatch, proprietor of the somewhat shady Floradora Country Club, was about to involve two nuns from Philadelphia and four from Dallas in his most unholy business. Then Miss Hilda Cannon, aged fifty-one, personally witnessed (accidentally, of course), some simply shocking behavior going on behind the curtains of Hatch's stately home. And now an anonymous note warned that an American hit man planned to gun down a prominent Flaxborough citizen. But who was the target... and how could Detective Inspector Purbright
keep the deadly threat from coming true?
Dramatised in six parts by Christopher Denys from "The Naked Nuns", the eighth of the Flaxborough novels of Colin Watson first published in 1975.
Directed by Tony Cliff in Manchester
Part 1
It is 1974 in the quiet little village of Flaxborough. Detective Inspector Walter Purbright is visited by Miss Gladys Ryland, the local spinster who is doing temporary work at the somewhat shady Floradora Country Club. She brings him information on what she believes is white slave traffic: A telegram had arrived one afternoon addressed to Floradora, Flaxborough, England, and with the proprietor, Mr. Hatch, being away, she decided to open it in case it was important. The telegram pertained to two naked nuns from Philadelphia with four more from Dallas being brought over to Flaxborough. Inspector Purbright is at first unperturbed
by the telegram but then...
With John Rowe [Detective Inspector Walter Purbright], Paul Downing [Detective Sergeant Sidney Love], ? [Miss Gladys Ryland, spinster and temporary telephonist of the Floradora Country Club], ? [American Police Officer Joe], ? [American Police Captain], Anne Rye [Miss Lucilla Edith Cavell Teatime], Finetime Fontaine [Councillor Harry Crispin, proprietor of Happyland, Brocklestone-on-Sea, chief shareholder in a north of England juke box company, and substantial owner of two medium-sized hotels on the coast], Harry Kirkham [Arnold Hatch], Daniel Cull [Edmund Amis, Mr. Hatch's private secretary], Judith Davies [Mrs. Millicent Spain], Patricia Wilcock [Mrs. Sophie Hatch], Geoffrey Banks [Chief Constable Harcourt Chubb], Peter Rylands [Mr. Baxter], and David Fleeshman [Joseph Fortescue Tudor, olive oil importer]
Part 2
While Inspector Purbright tries to find who is the intended victim of the American hit man, Mr. Hatch finds that his electric bedroom curtains, those that close when it goes dark and opens when it is light outside, have a down side as his arch enemy, Councillor Crispin, will prove...
With John Rowe [Detective Inspector Walter Purbright], Paul Downing [Detective Sergeant Sidney Love], Geoffrey Banks [Chief Constable Harcourt Chubb], Anne Rye [Miss Lucilla Edith Cavell Teatime], David Fleeshman [Joseph Fortescue Tudor, olive oil importer], Harry Kirkham [Arnold Hatch], Daniel Cull [Edmund Amis, Mr. Hatch's private secretary], and Peter Rylands [Mr. Baxter]
Part 3
Inspector Purbright puts Police Constable Pouke to follow the potential hit-man suspect, Joseph Tudor, from New York. One of the first places Tudor visits is Miss Lucilla Teatime. Meanwhile, the vendetta between Councillor Crispin and Mr. Hatch moves onto the water...
With John Rowe [Detective Inspector Walter Purbright], Paul Downing [Detective Sergeant Sidney Love], Harry Kirkham [Arnold Hatch], Daniel Cull [Edmund Amis, Mr. Hatch's private secretary], Robin Polley [Joxy, gardener at the Floradora Country Club], Finetime Fontaine [Councillor Harry Crispin, proprietor of Happyland, Brocklestone-on-Sea, chief shareholder in a north of England juke box company, and substantial owner of two medium-sized hotels on the coast], Judith Davies [Mrs. Millicent Spain], David Fleeshman [Joseph Fortescue Tudor, olive oil importer], Anne Rye [Miss Lucilla Edith Cavell Teatime], Michael Dugan [Julian], Joseph Olessi [Bernard], and Patricia Wilcock [Mrs. Sophie Hatch]
Part 4
Someone with powerful headlamps causes Arnie Hatch's automatic bedroom curtains to open when he is cavorting with a young lady while Councillor Crispin's yacht sinks as he is having a race with Arnie Hatch. Was the driver with the powerful headlights who not only made the curtains open but played a fanfare on his horn and stayed on to illuminate Arnie's escapade Councillor Crispin? Was Arnie Hatch behind the sinking of Crispin's boat? Also, somebody has hired an American assassin to murder a prominent Flaxborough citizen. Is the issue of the contract Arnie Hatch or Councillor Crispin? Is the target of the contract Arnie Hatch or Councillor Crispin? Events at the Floradora take a turn for the worse...
With John Rowe [Detective Inspector Walter Purbright], Paul Downing [Detective Sergeant Sidney Love], Anne Rye [Miss Lucilla Edith Cavell Teatime], David Fleeshman [Joseph Fortescue Tudor, olive oil importer, aka Giuseppe Fortunino Turidu], Geoffrey Banks [Chief Constable Harcourt Chubb], Harry Kirkham [Arnold Hatch], Daniel Cull [Edmund Amis, Mr. Hatch's private secretary], Kathryn Hunt [Peg], Sally Whittaker [Beryl], Robin Polley [Joxy, gardener at the Floradora Country Club], Michael Dugan [Julian], and Joseph Olessi [Bernard].
Part 5
During the Medieval Banquet Night, one of their more popular attractions, the Floradora country club was invaded by a bunch of hooligans dressed up as vikings. The guests thought this was all part of the act but it was during this time that Mr. Hatch was shot in the face by a shotgun. Purbright begins his investigation by questioning the staff of the Floradora country club.
With John Rowe [Detective Inspector Walter Purbright], Paul Downing [Detective Sergeant Sidney Love], Daniel Cull [Edmund Amis, Mr. Hatch's private secretary], ? [Mr. Warlock], Kathryn Hunt [Hyacinthe], Sally Whittaker [Daisy aka Janice Wilkinson], Robin Polley [Joxy, gardener at the Floradora Country Club], David Fleeshman [Joseph Fortescue Tudor, olive oil importer, aka Giuseppe Fortunino Turidu], Geoffrey Banks [Chief Constable Harcourt Chubb], and Patricia Wilcock [Mrs. Sophie Hatch]
Part 6
'It's A Question of Postage' in the final part of Colin Watson's serial about vice and violence in a peaceful market town as the inept Police Constable Pouke comes up with the key information to solve the crime.
With John Rowe [Detective Inspector Walter Purbright], Paul Downing [Detective Sergeant Sidney Love], Daniel Cull [Edmund Amis, Mr. Hatch's private secretary], Anne Rye [Miss Lucilla Edith Cavell Teatime], Geoffrey Banks [Chief Constable Harcourt Chubb], David Fleeshman [Joseph Fortescue Tudor, olive oil importer, aka Giuseppe Fortunino Turidu], Peter Rylands [Police Constable Pouke], and Joseph Olessi [Bernard]
Lonelyheart 4122
Colin Watson (adaptation by Christopher Denys)
1990
with John Rowe as Insp. Purbright and Paul Downing as Sgt.Love
Mrs Lillian Bannister was the second lady to vanish without a trace. Both missing ladies were about the same age, both rather retiring and both without husbands. The only clue seemed to lead to the Handclasp House marriage bureau.
Inspector Purbright and Sergeant Love commence investigations, as yet unaware of the arrival in Flaxborough of the irrepressible Miss Lucilla Teatime, one the most amusing characters to be found in detective fiction
"Inspector Purbright took his problem to the Chief Constable. "I'm afraid, sir," he began, "that another lady has disappeared." Last seen nearly a month ago. Mrs Lillian Bannister was the second to vanish without a trace. Both missing ladies were about the same age, both rather retiring and both without husbands. The only clue seemed to lead to the Handclasp House marriage bureau.
Inspector Purbright and Sergeant Love commence investigations, as yet unaware of the arrival in Flaxborough of the irrepressible Miss Lucilla Teatime, one the most amusing characters to be found in detective fiction.
Coffin, Scarcely Used
Colin Watson
1983
160/44 stereo
The Old Boy Network in a small waterfront community spawns more than a few drinks and cards at the club. A doctor, lawyer, publisher, ship's broker and undertaker are suspects in this old-fashioned British mystery.
- - -
Colin Watson's Flaxborough novels are one of those discoveries that readers should treasure. The vein of serious mysteries intertwined with humour had been richly mined by the likes of John Dickson Carr and Edmund Crispin already when 'Coffin, Scarcely Used' appeared on the scene in 1958. Over the next twenty-odd years, readers would be treated to eleven more outings in the Norfolk town of Flaxborough, each of them slightly more odd than the previous one.
Crime in Flaxborough is met by the resolute Inspector Purbright. In 'Coffin, Scarcly Used', Purbright must determine how the naked body of an electrocuted citizen arrived in a most undignified position on a local electrical pylon. His investigations among the eccentric and somewhat perverse inhabitants of Flax will reveal that if an accidental death looks somewhat too bizarre to be believed, then it may very likely be murder after all. Watson's talent for creating unusual names and situations for odd characters with shadowy motives, paired with what must have been a most distinctly English sense of humour, set this novel well ahead of most contemporary offerings - forty years ago, and today.
Thanks Rick,
Bob
Perhaps it's time for some upgrades ....
Charity Ends at Home
Colin Watson
1992
192/44 stereo
01 Inspector Purbright investigates dark deeds and anonymous letters in the quiet and respectable market town of Flaxborough.
02 Private detective Mortimer Hythe hits the town... and the brandy bottle. Mortimer Hive begins a new career and reflects on his old one.
03 Mrs Palgrove ends up getting too close to her beloved goldfish for comfort. Body number two turns up, head down in a wishing well.
04 The investigation into Mrs Palgrove's death makes life uncomfortable for Mr Palgrove...
05 The plot thickens as Palgrove changes his story, Hythe upsets his client and the Inspector has to dig in his pocket
06 The final act finds the Inspector unravelling the wicked web and Mrs Palgrove's murderer and Hythe taking a dip.
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