Fictional private detective
Nigel Strangeways is a fictional British private detective created by Cecil Day-Lewis, writing under the pen name of Nicholas Blake. He was one of the prominent detectives of the Golden Age of Detective Fiction, appearing in sixteen novels between 1935 and 1966. He also features in a couple of short stories.
Character overview.
A gentleman detective Strangeways is an Oxford-educated writer and nephew of an Assistant Commissioner at Scotland Yard. His surname is derived from the Strangeways Prison in Manchester. In the first novel "A Question of Proof" he is modelled on the poet W. H. Auden but this aspect became less marked as the series progressed. As well as being a private investigator he also works as a literary scholar, producing a study of the Caroline poets amongst other works. Slightly arch, he is given to using literary quotations during his investigations, which often pass over the heads of the other characters. His style of detection has been compared to that of John Dickson Carr's Gideon Fell.
During the course of the novels, Strangeways becomes involved in a number of cases reflecting the changing periods of the time. A variety of locations are used for the murder investigations he undertakes including a public school ("A Question of Proof", 1935), a brewery ("There's Trouble Brewing", 1937), a holiday camp ("Malice in Wonderland", 1940) a Whitehall ministry ("Minute for Murder", 1947), a publishing house ("End of Chapter", 1957) and a cruise ship ("The Widow's Cruise", 1959). "The Smiler with the Knife" (1939) features a Fascist organisation plotting to overthrow British democracy, while "The Sad Variety" (1964) focuses on an attempt by British Communists and their Soviet backers to kidnap a professor.
Adaptations.
Film.
The fourth novel in the series "The Beast Must Die" has been adapted several times for film and television. The film versions include a 1952 Argentine adaptation, and the 1969 French film "This Man Must Die".
Television.
"End of Chapter" and "The Beast Must Die" were separately adapted for the 1960s BBC anthology series "Detective". Strangeways was played by Glyn Houston and Bernard Horsfall, respectively.
In 2021, "The Beast Must Die" was yet again adapted as a television series for BritBox and AMC. Billy Howle starred as Strangeways, who was depicted as a police officer.
BBC Radio.
In 1960, "A Question of Proof" was adapted for the Saturday Night Theatre, with Nigel Stock as Strangeways, whilst in 1966, Richard Hurndall starred in "I Am Lucy Wragby", an adaptation of "The Sad Variety". Simon Cadell played the detective in a 1991 adaptation of "The Smiler with the Knife".
"A Question of Proof" and "The Beast Must Die" were adapted by Michael Bakewell in 2004. Both dramas starred Philip Franks as Strangeways.
References.
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