Charles Paris: A Reconstructed Corpse cover art

Charles Paris: A Reconstructed Corpse

A BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation

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Charles Paris: A Reconstructed Corpse

By: Simon Brett, Jeremy Front
Narrated by: Bill Nighy, Suzanne Burden, full cast
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About this listen

Bill Nighy returns as Charles Paris: unsuccessful actor, bad husband, and dipsomaniac. Desperately in need of work, having been kicked out of his marital home, Charles jumps at playing a missing property developer in a crime-reconstruction program. But the missing person case soon turns to murder when severed body parts begin to appear.

Television ratings soar as the public tune in to discover every gory detail of the case. The raging egos and jealous maneuverings of the producers, presenters, and the police provide a long list of suspects for Charles as he pieces together a macabre jigsaw puzzle of murder.

Bill Nighy, Suzanne Burden, and Jon Glover are among the star cast in this enjoyable mystery, dramatised by Jeremy Front.

Written by Jeremy Front, based on the novel by Simon Brett.

©2012 AudioGO Ltd (P)2012 AudioGO Ltd Crime Thrillers Entertainment & Performing Arts Mystery Thriller & Suspense Funny Witty

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All stars
Most relevant
The high quality banter of Charles, Maurice and Francis make these recordings a first class listening experience. The usual clever storylines make for quality entertainment, but finish all too soon. Bill Nighy is superb.

The misadventures of Charles Paris

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I am a big fan of this series, and am very happy to say that this title maintains the high standards of previous episodes.

Charles has some TV work, in which he will be playing a missing person on behalf of a true crime re-enactment show. The show is being filmed in Brighton, and Charles will be staying in a posh hotel provided by the TV production company.

So far, so good; but of course this is Charles Paris, and no sooner has he completed his initial filming duties when a severed limb is found, and the tone of the show changes from missing person to potential murder hunt. Consequently, Charles needs to stay in Brighton for additional filming, and so he invites his long-suffering and semi-detached wife, Frances, to join him so that they can celebrate 35 years of ‘divorce avoidance’.

Of course, being Charles, he can’t resist poking his nose into the circumstances surrounding the discovery of the severed limb, and certain loose ends lead him to decide that further investigation is called for. This would be standard fare for regular readers, but in this case Charles is joined during his investigation by Frances, and their banter (always a highlight of the series) had me laughing out loud.

Script is, as ever, crisp and precise, with the usual excellent performances throughout.

If you are a fan of radio comedy, or simply have a car journey coming up, you are going to love this…

Another winner from the Charles Paris Radio Series

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What did you like most about A Reconstructed Corpse (BBC Radio Crimes)?

The BBC dramatisation though brings the story forward to today, and with wonderful down to earth dialogue - you're in the heart of the crime, the play, the tangled personal relationships and their history before you know it.

Any additional comments?

Bill Nighy is fabulous as the dissolute actor cum detective.

Great as always.

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Thoroughly enjoyed this, witty and entertaining throughout, Bill Nigh & fellow actors spectacular, loved it!

Brilliant production!

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The combined talents of Simon Brett, Jeremy Front and Bill Nighy make this an engaging, often hilarious listen. The script is clever and witty and Nighy is perfect as Paris. I absolutely love Brett's Fethering mysteries but have only just discovered Charles Paris and have now whizzed through all of them. More to come hopefully! If you haven't yet discovered these dramatisations start now!

Perfect Paris

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