Review – Whose Body?

Posted March 12, 2015 by in Reviews / 5 Comments

Cover of Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers, audio editionWhose Body?, Dorothy L. Sayers
Featuring Ian Carmichael as Lord Peter Wimsey, Peter Jones as Bunter, and Gabriel Woolf as Inspector Parker

I think the casting for the BBC radioplay adaptations of Dorothy L. Sayers was nigh on perfect. Ian Carmichael might’ve been too old to play Peter, but it doesn’t show in his voice, and he perfectly conveys the warmth and humour, the silliness, and the underlying strength. I can never get used to the new voice actor for Parker in the later episodes, either: Gabriel Woolf sounds just perfect as Inspector Parker.

It might not be a high octane crime novel (rather more toward the cosy side), but I still found the adaptation to be a good one, bringing across moments of confusion, embarrassment, discovery and conflict. It does a pretty good job with narration (weaving some of it into Peter’s character) and in choosing which scenes to represent, and how. One thing I do miss is the Dowager Duchess’ rambles. There’s more sense in them than you’d think at first blush, but of course it would cause anyone to tune right out in audio form.

These are all now available on Audible, which is certainly more convenient than having all the CDs, and definitely worth trading a credit a month for. Needless to say, given my affection for both Sayers and these radioplays, I’ve sped that process up rather and have (I think) all of them.

Rating: 5/5

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5 responses to “Review – Whose Body?

  1. I’ve heard them all once, a few years ago, but I’m looking forward to revisiting! I keep meaning to reread Murder Must Advertise now I’m writing slogans and stuff myself…

  2. bunwat

    I’m sorry to hear that the Dowager’s rambles got omitted, I love her rambles. I still often say I couldn’t disagree more if I tried with both hands for a fortnight.

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