''Ngaio Marsh Theatre'' was a 1977
television miniseries
A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. " Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format ...
which
adapted
In biology, adaptation has three related meanings. Firstly, it is the dynamic evolutionary process of natural selection that fits organisms to their environment, enhancing their evolutionary fitness. Secondly, it is a state reached by the po ...
four of the
author
An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states:
"''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...
's Inspector
Roderick Alleyn detective novels for New Zealand television. The British actor
George Baker starred in the title role.
The series adapted three Alleyn novels that were set in New Zealand (''
Vintage Murder'', ''
Colour Scheme
In color theory, a color scheme is the choice of colors used in various artistic and design contexts. For example, the "Achromatic" use of a white background with black text is an example of a basic and commonly default color scheme in web de ...
'', and ''
Died in the Wool
''Died in the Wool'' is a detective novel by Ngaio Marsh; it is the thirteenth novel to feature Roderick Alleyn, and was first published in 1945. The novel concerns the murder of a New Zealand parliamentarian on a remote sheep farm on the Can ...
'') along with the London-set ''
Opening Night''. The last mentioned featured a major character from New Zealand coming to England to work in the theatre. The series was originally screened on
Television New Zealand
, type = Crown entity
, industry = Broadcast television
, num_locations = New Zealand
, location = Auckland, New Zealand
, area_served = Nationally (New Zealand) and some Pacific Island nations such as the Cook Islands, Fiji, and the Solo ...
. A later broadcast on
PBS
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...
in the United States was the first American screening of a New Zealand television drama.
Cast
*
George Baker as Roderick Alleyn
Local actors who appeared in the series included
Terence Cooper
Terence Cooper (5 July 1933 – 16 September 1997) was a British film actor, best known for his roles in Australian and New Zealand television and film.
Biography
Born in 1933 at Carnmoney, a district of the modern-day borough of Newtownabbey ...
,
Don Selwyn
Don Charles Selwyn (22 November 1935 – 13 April 2007) was a Māori actor and filmmaker from New Zealand. He was a founding member of the New Zealand Māori Theatre Trust and directed the 2002 film '' Te tangata whai rawa o Weneti (The Maori me ...
and
Ian Watkin
Ian Watkin (25 January 1940 – 18 May 2016) was a New Zealand actor known for the films ''Braindead'' and '' Sleeping Dogs''. Watkin grew up in Greymouth, and started his career in theatre and radio plays, and working as a magazine editor befor ...
.
References
New Zealand television miniseries
New Zealand drama television series
1977 New Zealand television series debuts
1970s New Zealand television series
TVNZ 1 original programming
1977 New Zealand television series endings
1977 in New Zealand television
1970s television miniseries
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