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A Guilty Thing Surprised


In 1988 I was asked to submit a piece for a new Ruth Rendell TV series. Script in hand I drove to my weekend retreat in Somerset and started to read and get the feel for the story, characters and Chief Inspector Wexford.

Brian Bennett

The owners of Myfleet Manor, Quentin Nightingale and his beautiful wife Elizabeth, appeared to be a golden couple with many friends and few enemies. But when Elizabeth is found dead in Cheriton Forest, Wexford and Burden uncover dark family secrets and discover the key to solving the crime within the life story of a great poet.

Credits

DCI Wexford
George Baker
DI Burden
Christopher Ravenscroft
Quentin Nightingale
Michael Jayston
Elizabeth Nightingale
Catherine Neilson
Denys Villiers
Nigel Terry 3
Georgina Villiers
Karen Meagher
Katje Doorn
Ellis van Maarseveen
Sean Lovell
Pádraig O’Loingsigh
Will Palmer
Matthew Scurfield
Lionel Marriot
David Swift 4
Mrs Catrip
Sandra Voe
Mrs Lovell
Kate David
Dr Len Crocker
John Burgess 5
Dora Wexford
Louie Ramsay
Jean Burden
Ann Penfold
John Burden
Noah Huntley
Pat Burden
Emma Smith
DS Martin
Ken Kitson
Alf Tawney
John Tams
DC Bryant
Jonathan Magnanti
Hypatia Hancock
Christina Greatrex
Production Manager
Clive Hedges
1st Assistant Director
Jon Older
2nd Assistant Director
Stephanie Sullivan
Stage Manager
Tiggi Trethowan
Production Secretary
Jill Partington
Music composed by
Brian Bennett
Script Executive
Corinne Cartier 6
Casting Director
Doreen Jones
Costume Designer
Rita Angell
Makeup
Marian Durnford
Graphic Designer
Freddie Triccas
Designer
Brian Ashbrooke-Motte
Production Buyer
Ray Warwick
Vision Engineer
Peter Mills
Sound Recordist
Peter Pardo 7
Dubbing Mixer
Tony Cunningham
Videotape Editor
Christopher Wentzell
Electrician
Reg Tanner
Camera Grip
Alan Imeson
Cameraman
Mike Hutton
Lighting Director
Brian Turner
Executive Producer
Graham Benson
Producer
Neil Zeiger

Soundtrack

Notes

Footnotes

  1. Clive Exton 1930-2007: Guardian obituary. ↩︎

  2. Television South, Wikipedia. ↩︎

  3. Nigel Terry 1945-2015: Guardian obituary. ↩︎

  4. David Swift 1931-2016: Guardian obituary. ↩︎

  5. John Burgess 1933-2010: obituary by Mike Leigh, The Guardian. ↩︎

  6. Corinne Cartier 1955-2015, NFTS. ↩︎

  7. Peter Pardo 1935-2011, IMDb. ↩︎

  8. The Ruth Rendell Mysteries. ↩︎

  9. Wexford and Me, ITV3 2008. ↩︎

Christopher Ravenscroft as Burden with George Baker as Wexford