Sergeant Cribb

Five full-cast adaptations by Geoffrey M. Matthews of Peter Lovesey’s novels featuring Victorian detective Sergeant Cribb, broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in the 1970s and 80s.Tough, shrewd and determined, Sergeant Cribb is a stalwart of Scotland Yard's newly formed Criminal Investigation Department. Aided and abetted by the loyal, stolid Constable Thackeray, he pounds the fog-shrouded streets of Victorian London, tracking down murderers and bringing them to justice.Waxwork - 1888. Sentenced to death for murder, Miriam Cromer awaits her fate in Newgate Prison. She has confessed that blackmail drove her to kill, but a photograph sent anonymously to the Home Office reveals new evidence and Sgt Cribb must investigate. Starring Brian Cox as Sergeant Cribb and John Cater as Thackeray.Swing, Swing Together - 1889, and Jerome K Jerome's bestselling novel Three Men in a Boat has sparked a craze for rowing on the River Thames. Out for a midnight swim, Harriet Shaw notices an unlikely boating threesome - and when a body is discovered, the trio become murder suspects, and Harriet the key witness... Barry Foster stars as Sergeant Cribb, with John Cater as Thackeray.A Case of Spirits - Spiritualism is all the rage among well-to-do Victorian Londoners, but when thefts follow two séances, Cribb is called in. He suspects the young medium, Peter Brand, but Brand's mysterious death means he must look further afield. Starring Barry Foster as Sergeant Cribb and John Cater as Thackeray.Wobble to Death - During a six-day speed-walking race, one of the pedestrian competitors is found dead, poisoned by strychnine. Enter Cribb and Thackeray, who discover murder is afoot. Timothy Bateson stars as Sergeant Cribb, with William Eedle as Thackeray.Abracadaver - Investigating a series of 'accidents' in the Victorian music-halls, the indomitable detective duo uncover the dark side of these popular entertainment palaces when a murder takes place. Starring Frank Windsor as Cribb and John Hollis as Thackeray.Due to the different ages of the recordings in this collection, the sound quality may vary.Text copyright Peter Lovesey 1970 (Wobble to Death), 1972 (Abracadaver), 1975 (A Case of Spirits), 1976 (Swing, Swing Together), 1978 (Waxwork)