D.U.D.S. On the Fringe

Synopsis

Six-part mystery serial, written and adapted for broadcasting by Simon Brett and featuring the character of Charles Paris (Francis Matthews), actor and unwilling amateur detective. In this second episode Paris is presenting a one-man show on Thomas Hood at the Edinburgh Festival when a pop star (Hugh Laurie) is murdered during rehearsals for another play. Paris investigates, flitting between a re-visualised A Midsummer Night’s Dream, a mixed-media satire, and a late-night revue. References to Shakespeare range from Richard II to Macbeth.

Series

So Much Blood

Language

English

Country

Great Britain

Medium

Radio

Transmission details

26 Aug 1985 at 10:00 (Channel: BBC Radio 3)

Duration

30 mins

Availability

Unknown

Credits

Producer

Martin Fisher

Writer

Simon Brett

Adaptor for Radio

Simon Brett

Cast

Frances Low	Jean Mariello
Francis Matthews	Charles Paris
Hugh Laurie	Brian Cassells
Kim Thomson	Anna Ducan
Mark Wing Davey	Michael Vanderzee
Michael Maloney	Martin Warburton
Sarah Corper	Pam Northcliffe

Additional Details

Production type

Television and Radio Drama

Plays

Macbeth; Midsummer Night’s Dream, A; Richard II

Keywords

Shakespeare, William (1564-1616); Mystery

Notes

Textual information

So Much Blood (Gollancz, 1976)

Reviews

Michael P. Jensen discusses the Shakespeare references of this episode in his ‘Entries Play by Play’, in Richard Burt (ed)., Shakespeares After Shakespeares: An Encyclopedia of the Bard in Mass Media and Popular Culture. Vol. 2. (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2006), entry 2659, p. 582.

Source: Radio Times, The Times

Production Company

Name

BBC

Notes

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)