Charles Paris: A Deadly Habit

Actor and sleuth Charles Paris is back in this full-cast BBC radio dramatisation of Simon Brett’s novel, starring Bill NighyLocked down with his semi-detached wife Frances, Charles has thrown himself into a new career as a handyman, becoming quite the DIY expert. He’s developed muscles, stopped smoking and even cut back on the booze.Then his agent, Maurice, offers him the chance to get back on stage – and in a West End play, no less. The star, Justin Grover, asked for him specifically: but Charles has reservations. Grover was cocky enough when they were both young hopefuls – now he’s the star of a massive TV fantasy series, Charles suspects he’ll be insufferable.Sure enough, the production is a nightmare, with Justin micro-managing every detail and making impossible demands. Before long, Charles is hitting the Scotch again – and when he drunkenly stumbles over the corpse of a cast member, he panics, leaving the body to be discovered by someone else. But he soon regrets lying to the police, and driven by guilt and self-preservation, he resolves to find the murderer…This sparkling adaptation by Jeremy Front stars Bill Nighy (Emma, Love Actually) as Charles Paris, with Suzanne Burden as Frances and Jon Glover as Maurice.]]>