When the English play continentals

… it’s not a given that they’ll be any good, let alone whether the writer and producer (radio play) can cover.

The English accepted Rupert Davies, partly for Lucas, but largely rejected Michael Gambon, also partly for Lucas …  Mr. Bean did not get past Square One.  In Bergerac, John Nettles got away with it, being English on Jersey, and so did the French acctresses in turn. Barry Foster and Van der Valk?  Jury’s still out.

Part of the reason the Gambon series was not accepted was that it was not in Paris. With a radio play, that’s not an impediment. Give this one a try … the voices are not too bad in the parts, are not forced, are in character. Plus it’s just over 43 minutes long.