''Baldi'' is a
murder mystery series first broadcast on the UK radio station
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...
. The central character is Paolo Baldi (played by
David Threlfall
David John Threlfall (born 12 October 1953) is an English stage, film and television actor and director. He is best known for playing Frank Gallagher in Channel 4's series '' Shameless''. He has also directed several episodes of the show. In A ...
), a
Franciscan
, image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg
, image_size = 200px
, caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans
, abbreviation = OFM
, predecessor =
, ...
priest on
sabbatical, lecturing on
semiotics
Semiotics (also called semiotic studies) is the systematic study of sign processes ( semiosis) and meaning making. Semiosis is any activity, conduct, or process that involves signs, where a sign is defined as anything that communicates something ...
at a university in contemporary
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...
. After helping the
police
The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and th ...
as a translator for an Italian witness, he turns sleuth. Created by
Barry Devlin
Barry Devlin (born 27 November 1946) is an Irish musician, screen writer and director.
Early life
Devlin is from Moortown in Ardboe, County Tyrone. He initially began to train as a Columban priest, but left to study English at University Col ...
, it was produced by
BBC Northern Ireland. Series 1 began broadcasting in 2000, while Series 5 concluded at the end of 2010.
Summary
Father Paolo Baldi (
David Threlfall
David John Threlfall (born 12 October 1953) is an English stage, film and television actor and director. He is best known for playing Frank Gallagher in Channel 4's series '' Shameless''. He has also directed several episodes of the show. In A ...
) is a priest torn between his interest in investigation and detective work, and the secluded life of a priest. On sabbatical from the
Franciscan Order, he takes up amateur
sleuth
Sleuth may refer to:
* Detective
*Sleuth, collective noun for a group of bears
Computing
* The Sleuth Kit, a collection of forensic analysis software
*SLEUTH assembler language for the UNIVAC 1107
Entertainment and media
*Cloo
Cloo (stylized ...
ing and befriends
DI Tina Mahon (
Tina Kellegher
Tina Kellegher (born 1967 in Cavan), is an Irish actress, best known for her work in film and television in the 1990s. She currently plays Ger Lynch in the RTÉ soap opera ''Fair City''.
Early career
Kellegher began in theatre, working in ...
for the first four series, then
Tara Flynn
Tara Flynn is an Irish actress and writer.
Career
Flynn has written three satirical books: ''You're Grand: The Irishwoman's Secret Guide to Life'', ''Giving Out Yards: The Art of Complaint, Irish Style'' and ''Rage-In: Trolls and Tribulations of ...
), a member of the
Gardaí. Both her superior,
DS Rynne (
Owen Roe), and Baldi's
spiritual director
Spiritual direction is the practice of being with people as they attempt to deepen their relationship with the divinity, divine, or to learn and grow in their personal spirituality. The person seeking direction shares stories of their encounters ...
, Father Troy (
T. P. McKenna), would prefer that he end his sabbatical and return to the Order. Father Baldi has an unfortunate knack of becoming involved in murder enquires, usually by his friendship with one of those involved. His gentle, reassuring behaviour and the
Seal of the Confessional encourages participants to open up to him.
Broadcasting
Five series have been broadcast, totalling twenty-eight episodes. These have all been first aired in the 45 minute Afternoon Play slot, with frequent repeats of the series on
BBC Radio 4 Extra. The regular cast included
David Threlfall
David John Threlfall (born 12 October 1953) is an English stage, film and television actor and director. He is best known for playing Frank Gallagher in Channel 4's series '' Shameless''. He has also directed several episodes of the show. In A ...
,
Tina Kellegher
Tina Kellegher (born 1967 in Cavan), is an Irish actress, best known for her work in film and television in the 1990s. She currently plays Ger Lynch in the RTÉ soap opera ''Fair City''.
Early career
Kellegher began in theatre, working in ...
, Owen Roe and
T. P. McKenna. Guest appearances have included some of Ireland and the UK 's leading actors, including
Gerard McSorley
Gerard McSorley (Irish: Gearóid Mac Somhairle; born 1 January 1950) is an Irish theatre, television and film actor.
Early life
He was born in the County Tyrone town of Omagh and, after attending a Christian Brothers school in his hometown, ...
,
Martin Clunes
Alexander Martin Clunes Order of the British Empire, OBE Deputy Lieutenant, DL (born 28 November 1961) is an English actor, comedian, director and television presenter. He is best known for portraying Martin Ellingham in the ITV (TV network), IT ...
,
Stephen Mangan
Stephen James Mangan (born 16 May 1968) is an English actor, comedian, presenter and writer. He has played Guy Secretan in ''Green Wing'', Dan Moody in ''I'm Alan Partridge'', Seán Lincoln in '' Episodes'', Bigwig in ''Watership Down'', Postm ...
,
Margaret D'Arcy
Margaret is a female first name, derived via French () and Latin () from grc, μαργαρίτης () meaning "pearl". The Greek is borrowed from Persian.
Margaret has been an English name since the 11th century, and remained popular through ...
,
Niall Buggy
Niall is a male given name of Irish origin. The original meaning of the name is unknown, but popular modern sources have suggested that it means "champion" (derived from the Old Irish word ''niadh''),. According to John Ryan, Professor of Early an ...
,
Adrian Dunbar
Adrian Dunbar (born 1 August 1958) is a Northern Irish actor, director and singer, known for his television and his theatre work. Dunbar co-wrote and starred in the 1991 film '' Hear My Song'', nominated for Best Original Screenplay at the BA ...
,
Michael Maloney,
Bill Nighy
William Francis Nighy (; born 12 December 1949) is an English actor. Nighy started his career with the Everyman Theatre, Liverpool and made his London debut with the Royal National Theatre starting with '' The Illuminatus!'' in 1977. There he ...
,
Sorcha Cusack
Sorcha Cusack (; born 9 April 1949) is an Irish television and stage actress. Her numerous television credits include playing the title role in ''Jane Eyre'' (1973), '' Casualty'' (1994–1997), ''Coronation Street'' (2008) and ''Father Brown'' ...
,
Geraldine James
Geraldine James, OBE (born 6 July 1950) is an English film and television actress.
Biography Early life and family
James was born in Maidenhead, Berkshire, to a cardiologist father and an alcoholic mother, who had been a nurse. She failed her ...
,
Niall Toibin,
Barry McGovern
Barry McGovern (born 1948) is an Irish stage, film and television actor. He was educated at Castleknock College, Dublin.
Background
McGovern is a former member of the RTÉ Players and the Abbey Theatre Company. He has worked in theatre, film, r ...
,
Nick Dunning
Nick Dunning (born 1957 in London) is an English actor.
He is a well known theatre actor who attended RADA (Dip Hons) 1977, where he won the Ronson Prize for Most Promising Young Actor. He has appeared on stage in the West End in London and a ...
,
David Kelly,
Stephen Moore,
Pauline McLynn
Pauline McLynn (born 11 July 1962) is an Irish character actress and author. She is best known for her roles as Mrs Doyle in the Channel 4 sitcom ''Father Ted'', Libby Croker in the Channel 4 comedy drama '' Shameless'', Tip Haddem in the BBC ...
,
Sara Kestelman
Sara Kestelman (born 12 May 1944) is an English actress. She is known for her role as Lady Frances Brandon, Lady Jane Grey's mother, in the 1986 film '' Lady Jane'', as well as for providing the voice of Kreia in '' Star Wars Knights of the Old ...
,
Robert Bathurst
Robert Guy Bathurst (born 22 February 1957) is an English actor. Bathurst was born in The Gold Coast (now Ghana) in 1957, where his father was working as a management consultant. In 1959 his family moved to Ballybrack, Dublin, Ireland and Bath ...
,
John Kavanagh,
Mark Lambert and
Victoria Smurfit
Victoria Smurfit (born 31 March 1974) is an Irish actress. She is known for playing Orla O'Connell in the BBC television series ''Ballykissangel'', Detective Chief Inspector Roisin Connor in the ITV police procedural '' Trial & Retribution'' a ...
.
The theme tune is by
Sting, and is called "Saint Agnes and the Burning Train".
BBC Baldi Forum – BBC Host Response to User Question
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Episodes
Technical crew
*Executive Producer – Sarah Lawson
*Producer/Director – Lawrence Jackson, also Mark Lambert for some episodes
*Writers have included:
**Simon Brett
Simon Anthony Lee Brett OBE FRSL (born 28 October 1945 in Worcester Park, Surrey, England) is a British author of detective fiction, a playwright, and a producer-writer for television and radio. As an author, he is best known for his mystery s ...
**Bill Murphy
**Andrew Martin
**Martin Meenan
**John Murphy
**Francis Turnly
External links
BBC.co.uk programme page
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baldi (Radio)
British radio dramas
BBC Radio 4 programmes
BBC Radio dramas
Detective radio shows