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Josephine Tey: The Daughter of Time & Other Mysteries: A BBC Radio Crime Collection
Dramatisations and readings of five of Josephine Tey's classic mystery novels.
Scottish novelist and playwright Josephine Tey was one of the greatest Golden-Age crime writers and the author of eight mysteries, including six featuring Scotland Yard inspector Alan Grant. The most famous of these, The Daughter of Time, was acclaimed the greatest crime novel of all time by the Crime Writers' Association. A full-cast dramatisation of this iconic story is included here, along with adaptations of four of her other much-loved mystery novels.
A Shilling for Candles: an independent-minded chief constable's daughter meets a suspected killer in this re-imagining of Josephine Tey's 1936 comedy thriller featuring Inspector Grant, starring Giles Fagan and Tilly Gaunt.
Miss Pym Disposes: invited by her friend Henrietta to lecture at a physical education college, expert psychologist Miss Lucy Pym little suspects that among the healthy young women is someone with a mind sick enough to commit murder.... Julia Foster stars as Miss Pym, with Joan Sims as Henrietta.
The Franchise Affair: a 15-year-old schoolgirl accuses Marion Sharpe and her mother of kidnapping and beating her. Can solicitor Robert Blair prove the women's innocence? An abridged reading by Edward Petherbridge.
The Daughter of Time: in hospital with a broken leg, Inspector Grant is bored. To pass the time, he decides to try and solve one of history's most famous puzzles: did Richard II really kill the Princes in the Tower? Peter Gilmore stars as Alan Grant.
The Singing Sands: travelling to the Highlands by train, Inspector Grant ends up investigating the mysterious death of the man in compartment B7. An abridged reading by Paul Young of Tey's final novel, published posthumously in 1952.
Also included is a Woman's Hour discussion of the life of Josephine Tey, with Andrew Taylor and fellow author Nicola Upson, whose best-selling crime novels feature Tey as the detective heroine.
A Shilling for Candles
Tisdall - Giles Fagan, Erica - Tilly Gaunt, Pottinger - Steve Hodson, Bergoine - Stephen Thorne, Grant - Ben Crowe, Albert Clay - Harry Myers, Hopgood - Geoffrey Whitehead, Martha - Frances Jeater. Dramatised by John Fletcher. Directed by Tabitha Potts. First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 5th December 1998.
Miss Pym Disposes
Lucy Pym - Julia Foster, Henrietta Hodge - Joan Sims, Teresa Desterro - Julia Swift, Miss Lux - Polly James, Miss Wragg - Zelah Clarke, Madame Lefevre - Margaret Robertson, Fröken Gustavson - Diana Olsson, Miss Meek - Eva Stuart, Miss Nash - Deborah Makepeace, Miss Innes - Moir Leslie, Miss Rouse - Susan Sheridan, Miss O'Donnell - Felicity Hayes-McCoy, Miss Dakers - Denica Fairman, Miss Gage - Caroline Gruber, Mr Nash - Michael Deacon, Mrs Nash - Eva Stuart, Rick - Paul Sirr. Dramatised by Elizabeth Proud. Directed by Glyn Dearman. First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 30th December 1987.
The Franchise Affair
Read by Edward Petherbridge. Abridged by Pat McLoughlin. Editor: Sally Feldman. Music: Bush's Music for Orchestra. First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 7th - 23rd May 1991.
The Daughter of Time
Alan Grant - Peter Gilmore, Nurse Ingham - Frances Jeater, Nurse Darroll - Jill Lidstone, Marta Hallard - Rosalind Shanks, Brent Carradine - Simon Hewitt, Richard - Steve Hodson, Tyrrel - Nigel Lambert, Brackenbury - Lewis Stringer, Lady Paston - Miranda Forbes, Edward - Graham Faulkner, Matron - Katherine Parr, Williams - Stuart Organ, Morton - Peter Tuddenham, Buckingham - Alex Jennings, Stillington - James Thomason, Sir John - Alaric Cotter. Dramatised by Neville Teller. Directed by Graham Gauld. First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 30th August 1982.
The Singing Sands: Read by Paul Young. Produced by Eilidh McCreadie. First broadcast BBC Radio 7, 17th - 20th March 2008.
Woman's Hour discussion: Presented by Jane Garvey. With Nicola Upson and Andrew Taylor. First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 29th February 2008.
Scottish novelist and playwright Josephine Tey was one of the greatest Golden-Age crime writers and the author of eight mysteries, including six featuring Scotland Yard inspector Alan Grant. The most famous of these, The Daughter of Time, was acclaimed the greatest crime novel of all time by the Crime Writers' Association. A full-cast dramatisation of this iconic story is included here, along with adaptations of four of her other much-loved mystery novels.
A Shilling for Candles: an independent-minded chief constable's daughter meets a suspected killer in this re-imagining of Josephine Tey's 1936 comedy thriller featuring Inspector Grant, starring Giles Fagan and Tilly Gaunt.
Miss Pym Disposes: invited by her friend Henrietta to lecture at a physical education college, expert psychologist Miss Lucy Pym little suspects that among the healthy young women is someone with a mind sick enough to commit murder.... Julia Foster stars as Miss Pym, with Joan Sims as Henrietta.
The Franchise Affair: a 15-year-old schoolgirl accuses Marion Sharpe and her mother of kidnapping and beating her. Can solicitor Robert Blair prove the women's innocence? An abridged reading by Edward Petherbridge.
The Daughter of Time: in hospital with a broken leg, Inspector Grant is bored. To pass the time, he decides to try and solve one of history's most famous puzzles: did Richard II really kill the Princes in the Tower? Peter Gilmore stars as Alan Grant.
The Singing Sands: travelling to the Highlands by train, Inspector Grant ends up investigating the mysterious death of the man in compartment B7. An abridged reading by Paul Young of Tey's final novel, published posthumously in 1952.
Also included is a Woman's Hour discussion of the life of Josephine Tey, with Andrew Taylor and fellow author Nicola Upson, whose best-selling crime novels feature Tey as the detective heroine.
A Shilling for Candles
Tisdall - Giles Fagan, Erica - Tilly Gaunt, Pottinger - Steve Hodson, Bergoine - Stephen Thorne, Grant - Ben Crowe, Albert Clay - Harry Myers, Hopgood - Geoffrey Whitehead, Martha - Frances Jeater. Dramatised by John Fletcher. Directed by Tabitha Potts. First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 5th December 1998.
Miss Pym Disposes
Lucy Pym - Julia Foster, Henrietta Hodge - Joan Sims, Teresa Desterro - Julia Swift, Miss Lux - Polly James, Miss Wragg - Zelah Clarke, Madame Lefevre - Margaret Robertson, Fröken Gustavson - Diana Olsson, Miss Meek - Eva Stuart, Miss Nash - Deborah Makepeace, Miss Innes - Moir Leslie, Miss Rouse - Susan Sheridan, Miss O'Donnell - Felicity Hayes-McCoy, Miss Dakers - Denica Fairman, Miss Gage - Caroline Gruber, Mr Nash - Michael Deacon, Mrs Nash - Eva Stuart, Rick - Paul Sirr. Dramatised by Elizabeth Proud. Directed by Glyn Dearman. First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 30th December 1987.
The Franchise Affair
Read by Edward Petherbridge. Abridged by Pat McLoughlin. Editor: Sally Feldman. Music: Bush's Music for Orchestra. First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 7th - 23rd May 1991.
The Daughter of Time
Alan Grant - Peter Gilmore, Nurse Ingham - Frances Jeater, Nurse Darroll - Jill Lidstone, Marta Hallard - Rosalind Shanks, Brent Carradine - Simon Hewitt, Richard - Steve Hodson, Tyrrel - Nigel Lambert, Brackenbury - Lewis Stringer, Lady Paston - Miranda Forbes, Edward - Graham Faulkner, Matron - Katherine Parr, Williams - Stuart Organ, Morton - Peter Tuddenham, Buckingham - Alex Jennings, Stillington - James Thomason, Sir John - Alaric Cotter. Dramatised by Neville Teller. Directed by Graham Gauld. First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 30th August 1982.
The Singing Sands: Read by Paul Young. Produced by Eilidh McCreadie. First broadcast BBC Radio 7, 17th - 20th March 2008.
Woman's Hour discussion: Presented by Jane Garvey. With Nicola Upson and Andrew Taylor. First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 29th February 2008.
Audible Audio
Published March 25, 2021
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About the author
Josephine Tey
132 books848 followersJosephine Tey was a pseudonym of Elizabeth Mackintosh. Josephine was her mother's first name and Tey the surname of an English Grandmother. As Josephine Tey, she wrote six mystery novels featuring Scotland Yard's Inspector Alan Grant.
The first of these, The Man in the Queue (1929) was published under the pseudonym of Gordon Daviot , whose name also appears on the title page of another of her 1929 novels, Kif; An Unvarnished History. She also used the Daviot by-line for a biography of the 17th century cavalry leader John Graham, which was entitled Claverhouse (1937).
Mackintosh also wrote plays (both one act and full length), some of which were produced during her lifetime, under the pseudonym Gordon Daviot. The district of Daviot, near her home of Inverness in Scotland, was a location her family had vacationed. The name Gordon does not appear in either her family or her history.
Elizabeth Mackintosh came of age during World War I, attending Anstey Physical Training College in Birmingham, England during the years 1915 - 1918. Upon graduation, she became a physical training instructor for eight years. In 1926, her mother died and she returned home to Inverness to care for her invalid father. Busy with household duties, she turned to writing as a diversion, and was successful in creating a second career.
Alfred Hitchcock filmed one of her novels, A Shilling for Candles (1936) as Young and Innocent in 1937 and two other of her novels have been made into films, The Franchise Affair (1948), filmed in 1950, and 'Brat Farrar' (1949), filmed as Paranoiac in 1963. In addition, a number of her works have been dramatised for radio.
Her novel The Daughter of Time (1951) was voted the greatest mystery novel of all time by the Crime Writers' Association in 1990.
Miss Mackintosh never married, and died at the age of 55, in London. A shy woman, she is reported to have been somewhat of a mystery even to her intimate friends. While her death seems to have been a surprise, there is some indication she may have known she was fatally ill for some time prior to her passing.
The first of these, The Man in the Queue (1929) was published under the pseudonym of Gordon Daviot , whose name also appears on the title page of another of her 1929 novels, Kif; An Unvarnished History. She also used the Daviot by-line for a biography of the 17th century cavalry leader John Graham, which was entitled Claverhouse (1937).
Mackintosh also wrote plays (both one act and full length), some of which were produced during her lifetime, under the pseudonym Gordon Daviot. The district of Daviot, near her home of Inverness in Scotland, was a location her family had vacationed. The name Gordon does not appear in either her family or her history.
Elizabeth Mackintosh came of age during World War I, attending Anstey Physical Training College in Birmingham, England during the years 1915 - 1918. Upon graduation, she became a physical training instructor for eight years. In 1926, her mother died and she returned home to Inverness to care for her invalid father. Busy with household duties, she turned to writing as a diversion, and was successful in creating a second career.
Alfred Hitchcock filmed one of her novels, A Shilling for Candles (1936) as Young and Innocent in 1937 and two other of her novels have been made into films, The Franchise Affair (1948), filmed in 1950, and 'Brat Farrar' (1949), filmed as Paranoiac in 1963. In addition, a number of her works have been dramatised for radio.
Her novel The Daughter of Time (1951) was voted the greatest mystery novel of all time by the Crime Writers' Association in 1990.
Miss Mackintosh never married, and died at the age of 55, in London. A shy woman, she is reported to have been somewhat of a mystery even to her intimate friends. While her death seems to have been a surprise, there is some indication she may have known she was fatally ill for some time prior to her passing.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
July 20, 2021
I really enjoyed these stories! All of them were well put together and engaging.
I almost skipped the interview at the end, but am glad I didn't. I liked learning a little about Tey and how her mysteries were her annual "knitting" project. I thought that metaphor was kind of perfect!
I almost skipped the interview at the end, but am glad I didn't. I liked learning a little about Tey and how her mysteries were her annual "knitting" project. I thought that metaphor was kind of perfect!
September 21, 2022
Okay mysteries. Light and fun.
September 10, 2022
A collection of excellent adaptations of several of Tey's mystery novels.
I appear to have read "A Shilling for Candles" before - or at least, there is a read copy of it from many years ago sitting on my Kindle. I managed to completely forget it in the intervening time, and sadly I didn't record any impressions of my read-through that I can find. Listening to this adaptation, I very much enjoy the independent, opinionated, and capable heroine of the story, and completely fail to be convinced of her attraction to the male protagonist, who is frankly irritating. I can only assume that at least once in the course of history a woman has responded positively to being told that she's cute when she's angry, because writers keep having characters do it. Feh.
"Miss Pym Disposes" is delightful. It reads very much to me like a homage to Gladys Mitchell's Mrs. Bradley stories, with its amateur detective who is an "expert" in psychology, and its setting in a girls' school. Mitchell and Tey seem to have been aware of each other's work, but I haven't come across anything directly acknowledging an influence here.
"The Franchise Affair" is a delightfully ingenious plot, although if you're mainlining your way through these stories as I am, this is where Tey's peculiar trope of having characters deduce deep psychological meaning from details of facial appearance really starts to grate. Honestly, I wonder what terrible thing someone with slate blue eyes ever did to Tey. But if you can set that aside, it has an ingenious plot and interesting characters.
I've read "Daughter of Time" before, and I think I reviewed it on Goodreads. This adaptation is delightful.
"The Singing Sands" is another example of Tey managing to sell a rather preposterously complicated crime and motive with complete conviction. I think that's Tey's real strength - her stories are always very convincing to me in the moment, even if looking back afterwards, I think, "That wouldn't actually work, would it?"
I appear to have read "A Shilling for Candles" before - or at least, there is a read copy of it from many years ago sitting on my Kindle. I managed to completely forget it in the intervening time, and sadly I didn't record any impressions of my read-through that I can find. Listening to this adaptation, I very much enjoy the independent, opinionated, and capable heroine of the story, and completely fail to be convinced of her attraction to the male protagonist, who is frankly irritating. I can only assume that at least once in the course of history a woman has responded positively to being told that she's cute when she's angry, because writers keep having characters do it. Feh.
"Miss Pym Disposes" is delightful. It reads very much to me like a homage to Gladys Mitchell's Mrs. Bradley stories, with its amateur detective who is an "expert" in psychology, and its setting in a girls' school. Mitchell and Tey seem to have been aware of each other's work, but I haven't come across anything directly acknowledging an influence here.
"The Franchise Affair" is a delightfully ingenious plot, although if you're mainlining your way through these stories as I am, this is where Tey's peculiar trope of having characters deduce deep psychological meaning from details of facial appearance really starts to grate. Honestly, I wonder what terrible thing someone with slate blue eyes ever did to Tey. But if you can set that aside, it has an ingenious plot and interesting characters.
I've read "Daughter of Time" before, and I think I reviewed it on Goodreads. This adaptation is delightful.
"The Singing Sands" is another example of Tey managing to sell a rather preposterously complicated crime and motive with complete conviction. I think that's Tey's real strength - her stories are always very convincing to me in the moment, even if looking back afterwards, I think, "That wouldn't actually work, would it?"
September 30, 2024
( Format : Audiobook )
"Leave me alone. I'm fishing."
Sometimes it is really nice just to sit back and listen to a really good play adaptation of a favourite book on the radio. And by radio, I mean the BBC.
This wonderful collection of books by the wonderful Josephine The includes A Shilling for Candles, Miss Pym Disposes, The Franchise Affair (acknowledged as one of the top 100 thrillers), The Daughter of Time (voted the "greatest mystery novel of all time" by the Crime Writer's Association in 1990 and Tey's last published book whilst she still lived, and The Singing Sands, published posthumously.. All are performed by a Stella cast and a joy to hear even if the book is already known to the listener.
The audio is completed by a short interview first heard on BBC Woman's hour about the author, her constant fringe film of the detective genre - a true original ahead of her time.
"Leave me alone. I'm fishing."
Sometimes it is really nice just to sit back and listen to a really good play adaptation of a favourite book on the radio. And by radio, I mean the BBC.
This wonderful collection of books by the wonderful Josephine The includes A Shilling for Candles, Miss Pym Disposes, The Franchise Affair (acknowledged as one of the top 100 thrillers), The Daughter of Time (voted the "greatest mystery novel of all time" by the Crime Writer's Association in 1990 and Tey's last published book whilst she still lived, and The Singing Sands, published posthumously.. All are performed by a Stella cast and a joy to hear even if the book is already known to the listener.
The audio is completed by a short interview first heard on BBC Woman's hour about the author, her constant fringe film of the detective genre - a true original ahead of her time.
December 31, 2022
3.5 stars for the dramatised mysteries.
I found out I prefer the unabridged stories of each title dramatised in this collect: for me this was still an enjoyable Tey-ingesting option but as a second best one.
I found out I prefer the unabridged stories of each title dramatised in this collect: for me this was still an enjoyable Tey-ingesting option but as a second best one.
March 9, 2024
A clever book 1951 about Richard III and his memory in history books. Much maligned by Henry VII, history was rewritten by the Tudors to make him a villain. Recently his body was found in a Leicester car park and his reputation restored completely thanks largely to an amateur sleuth.
December 7, 2021
Easy-going
November 4, 2022
It's ok...
March 31, 2023
An enjoyable re-examination of the mystery surrounding the deaths of the princes in the Tower and the question about Richard III was responsible.
May 19, 2023
One would not get overexcited over these gentle mystery and crime stories.
September 7, 2023
I listened to these in the car. I don't think the BBC dramatizations gave me a good feel of Tey's writing style. It was fun to listen to.
April 18, 2024
My first Josephine Tey book, I found it well researched and an interesting way to learn about history
Read
September 28, 2023(Miss Pym Disposes & A Shilling for Candles)
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews