This was great fun. I was working in the yard and listening to the story with earbuds. I am sure my neighbors have decided I am quite insane as I periodically laugh out loud. Those names are priceless!
Oh Dearie, Dearie Me, dear Uncle Chesterton ! ... but THIS ..... is an 'Afternoon Theatre' production .....not our cherished 'Saturday Night Theatre'....and there's a world of difference between the two...but not to worry -- anyway....I'll be round on Wednesday afternoon for our pre-arranged Bridge tourney ....and I'll be ready for any of those balanced underhand crafty old undertricks of yours you ol' demon you .
So weird.....that they mentioned the Crystal palace. I just finished 'The Houses Inbetween' by Howard Spring. It centre's around the Crystal palace. What a strange coincidence!
I wasn't going to listen to this as the title was putting me off. I thought it might be a horror story or worse. But although it was a crime drama I found it very good and even funny with lots of false endings. Thanks for sharing.
Among the fanciful character names, the inspector introduces himself to Sir Lucifer Hipkin at the fencing academy as Mr. Cumberbatch. Lady Melisande's final speech was actually rather moving.
High Victorian melodrama. Inspector Millions investigates 2 mysterious deaths in the yet to open Crystal Palace. Nobody really spoke like the characters here.
@ATH-cam User methinks thou promulgates a calumny. In 1850 when this drama is set such rhetoric would only have been used in diplomatic circles. And my PhD in Victorian literature taught me so Your sources sir.
@ATH-cam User and you call me rude. My assumption is that only a man would engage in such a pissing contest. And you would assert that all levels of society were sufficiently educated to be able to use such flowery language. The influence of the writings of Charles Dickens on the contemporaneous language and modes of speech. I tried to show that no only serve as a social reformer but his influence extended as Shakespeare's had done.
@@christinethornhill I'm afraid Christine this is YT comments; YT is a place where I once watched a video on fitting draught excluders to old window frames, and it finished up with two people abusing each other in rather fruity language and qouting bible references.
As a Colonial I find the various accents and English language funny. (Just as Leo Mckern's language in the "Rumpole" series). Very enjoyable and eye-opening when rendered efficiently. As well, the snobbish classism of the English are also fun. But I thank heaven I am neither English nor a snob.😊
I must be on another planet! I confess to being totally unamused by all of this. Quite contrary, it would seem, to the view of other listeners. It was truly awful, in my opinion.
It IS humorous . For about 5 minutes. Before the cod Victorian dialogue and the " hilarious " character names become irritating. . I actually managed to endure10 minutes before hitting the Off switch.
Michael Robson was one of the BBC's regular radio dramatists in the 1980s. He DID write some excellent plays but , like several others of that period , he was over indulged by Producers at the Beeb . ie. Basically , anything he wrote was guaranteed a production. ! The end result was this sort of twaddle....!
This was great fun. I was working in the yard and listening to the story with earbuds. I am sure my neighbors have decided I am quite insane as I periodically laugh out loud.
Those names are priceless!
Agreed! My favourite was Edgar Jointschism😂
Oh ! My aching sides...! 😕
Oh Dearie, Dearie Me, dear Uncle Chesterton ! ... but THIS ..... is an 'Afternoon Theatre' production .....not our cherished 'Saturday Night Theatre'....and there's a world of difference between the two...but not to worry -- anyway....I'll be round on Wednesday afternoon for our pre-arranged Bridge tourney ....and I'll be ready for any of those balanced underhand crafty old undertricks of yours you ol' demon you .
This was the worst Sat. Night theater i have tried to listen too...its was awful..
So weird.....that they mentioned the Crystal palace. I just finished 'The Houses Inbetween' by Howard Spring. It centre's around the Crystal palace. What a strange coincidence!
I also read it recently. It was my late mother's favourite book. 📙
The moment I read the title I thought this would be great, and it was! Thank you for your efforts.
Hilarious! The actors must have been exhausted after this performance. LOL
The style reminds me of Cold Comfort Farm
Very much! I wish o could write witty like this!
This was highly enjoyable... I'll admit to listening to it twice before fully appreciating the story...
Nce to hear Nigel Stock hamming it up. I remember his as a great Dr Watson alongside Douglas Wilmer’s Holmes in the 1960s TV series.
I wasn't going to listen to this as the title was putting me off. I thought it might be a horror story or worse. But although it was a crime drama I found it very good and even funny with lots of false endings. Thanks for sharing.
OMG, the names are hysterical! What brilliant characters; thanks for your time taken to download this great story!
Superb byzantine plot and mid-Victorian pastiche comedy.
Among the fanciful character names, the inspector introduces himself to Sir Lucifer Hipkin at the fencing academy as Mr. Cumberbatch. Lady Melisande's final speech was actually rather moving.
High Victorian melodrama. Inspector Millions investigates 2 mysterious deaths in the yet to open Crystal Palace. Nobody really spoke like the characters here.
@ATH-cam User oh no they didn't
@ATH-cam User methinks thou promulgates a calumny. In 1850 when this drama is set such rhetoric would only have been used in diplomatic circles. And my PhD in Victorian literature taught me so
Your sources sir.
@ATH-cam User and you call me rude. My assumption is that only a man would engage in such a pissing contest.
And you would assert that all levels of society were sufficiently educated to be able to use such flowery language.
The influence of the writings of Charles Dickens on the contemporaneous language and modes of speech. I tried to show that no only serve as a social reformer but his influence extended as Shakespeare's had done.
Blimey Clive , you’ve started a bunch of controversy here, dear man 😳
@@christinethornhill
I'm afraid Christine this is YT comments; YT is a place where I once watched a video on fitting draught excluders to old window frames, and it finished up with two
people abusing each other in rather fruity language and qouting bible references.
Was that Porrit or Poirot?
I like Michael Robson's works, but I just couldn't get into this one. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood?
God I love his mindful humming it's cute.
As a Colonial I find the various accents and English language funny.
(Just as Leo Mckern's language in the "Rumpole" series).
Very enjoyable and eye-opening when rendered
efficiently.
As well, the snobbish classism of the English are also fun. But I thank heaven I am neither English nor a snob.😊
Could be worse, you could be a colonial.
As a colonial you should have known that Leo McKern was an Australian.
Of all snobs " Colonial Snobs " are the worst !
😊😊😊
Horrific. Lasted ten minutes
Hi, I think I was going to give after 2 minutes but I'll see can I make it to 10 lol the accents are very forced. Ps. I lasted until 5.06 mins lol
It's what they call " whimsical " humour.
In my experience " whimsical " usually means embarrassingly unfunny...!!
( This is a classic example .)
Didnt like the actors voices
I must be on another planet! I confess to being totally unamused by all of this. Quite contrary, it would seem, to the view of other listeners. It was truly awful, in my opinion.
It IS humorous . For about 5 minutes. Before the cod Victorian
dialogue and the " hilarious " character names become irritating. . I actually managed to endure10 minutes before hitting the Off switch.
Michael Robson was one of the BBC's
regular radio dramatists in the 1980s.
He DID write some excellent plays but , like
several others of that period , he was over indulged by Producers at the Beeb . ie. Basically , anything he wrote was guaranteed a production. ! The end result was this sort of twaddle....!
Awful.
Understatement. !