BODIES FROM THE LIBRARY
Contributed by Barry Pike
A handout at the Bodies from the Library day in June featured modern crime writers listing their own particular favourite writers and titles. Two eminent writers included Margery Allingham in their choices. P. D. James listed The Moonstone, The Nine Tailors and The Tiger in the Smoke and went on to characterise Margery’s work.
She felt that her ‘power as a detective novelist hangs on her ability to create highly eccentric, sometimes bizarre, but believable characters’. They ‘play out their tragicomedy against a brilliantly realised setting’, perhaps a seedy London square or somewhere in East Anglia. She believed that Tiger ‘refutes the common belief that the detective story is not capable of dealing with those great absolutes, good and evil.’
Jonathan Gash chose an eclectic mix including Edmund Crispin at one extreme and James Hadley Chase at the other. Heading his list is Margery Allingham, whom he evaluates lovingly. ‘I recommend the Albert Campion books to anyone who likes a story.’ He dislikes the ‘English cosies, where glucose rules and realism misses out’ and insists that Allingham is not of this ilk: ‘Nothing could be more mistaken.’
He uses a memorable phrase to characterise Margery, calling her ‘this wondrous quiet classy lady’ and recognising her power: ‘Even in her most innocent tales there are seriously disturbing elements, the kind that concern the reader long after the book is put down.’ He ends with a pithy exhortation: ‘Read her.’
Jonathan Gash will be remembered by long-term Society members for his heartfelt talk as our guest at a Birthday Lunch some years ago. He’s very much on Margery’s side.
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BRIEF CHRONOLOGY OF THE CAREER OF STANISLAUS OATES’
Contributed by Robert McGregor
1887: birth
1905: police career begins, Dorset
1907: police constable in London, Holborn beat
1909: police sergeant, Thames Court Station
1924: first encounter with Albert Campion; Detective Inspector by then
1926: last cooperation with Campion until 1930
1930: promoted to Superintendent, C.I.D., becoming one of the “Big Five”
1940: Deputy Commissioner, C.I.D.
1944: Chief, C.ID.
PETER DAVISON REMEMBERS CAMPION
Contributed by Chris Seymour
In July BBC4 had a short programme where Peter Davison remembered his performance as Albertt Campion on BBC in the 1980s.
He recalled being in an episode of Tales of the Unexpected when the director said he would make a good Campion so he read some of the books ‘just on the off chance.’ Then he was doing a Very Peculiar Practice and the director of that offered him the role.
He had played Doctor Who and there was something about Campion – he was mysterious, no one knew where he came from – that was the attraction. The first episode was written by Alan Plater, a brilliant writer, and a wonderful script. Peter said one problem was he was described in the books as totally bland in the books, how did he convey that; he had to make him noticeable yet totally unnoticeable.
He dived into the role, had the glasses, he was given nice suits and always looked smart; he loved the fact the character had an amazing social life; he mixed as well with aristocracy and criminal elements.
Peter said the casting of Brian Glover as Lugg was inspirational, he was such a charming man and they got on very well. He was the life and soul of the party.
Campion was one of the last shows where the BBC took a very relaxed view of it; before the ‘time and motion’ people arrived and filming series became more time pressured.
‘We seemed to go around the country at these wonderful estates’. They actually bought the red Aston Martin he drove in the series. Peter enjoyed driving the car and arriving ‘bang on the mark’ for the required camera shot.
It was a disappointment to Peter that they didn’t do more; he noted the stories are complex and full of minutiae unlike Agatha Christie stories. He rated Margery as the better writer. But two episodes per story meant that people could forget what happened the week before; a two hour special would have been better.
Peter looked at some of the episodes recently and was pleasantly surprised, it rates very high in his career, he has the fondest memories of making the series.
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Geoff Bradley has sent us a crossword clue which ought not to give you much trouble. Its source was originally in The Independent on 19 June 2020 as Crossword 10,510 and was revived for i online on 14 May this year. The setter is PHI.
Mystery writer completely exhausted regular appearances of Gothic axemen (9 letters).
Good luck in solving!
margeryallingham.org.uk 