Maigret (1960 TV series)

Maigret is a British television series made by the BBC and which – following a pilot episode broadcast in 1959 – ran for 51 episodes from 1960 to 1963. [1]

Maigret
GenreCrime drama
Created byGeorges Simenon
Written byGiles Cooper (19 episodes) and 9 others
Starring
Theme music composerRon Grainer
Opening themeThe Maigret Theme
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons4
No. of episodes51,[1] (plus a pilot episode in 1959)
Production
Executive producerAndrew Osborn
Running time50 minutes [1]
Production companyBBC
Release
Original networkBBC TV
Picture format1.33 : 1 Black & white
First shown in1960
Original release1960 (1960) 
1963 (1963)

Based on the Maigret stories of Georges Simenon, the series starred Rupert Davies in the title role.

Cast

The series starred Rupert Davies as the Police Judiciaire detective Commissaire Jules Maigret, who took up the role in 1960 after Basil Sydney, who had played Maigret in the pilot episode, was unable to continue. [1]

The main cast were:-

Episodes included such well-known faces as Stratford Johns, Leon Cortez, Terence Alexander, Roger Delgado, William Franklyn, Michael Goodliffe, and Barry Foster, among others.[2]

Although staying largely true to the storyline of the books, the series featured only three of Maigret's team of detectives (the "faithful four",[3] omitting any casting for Janvier.

The choice of Davies to play Maigret was enthusiastically approved by Simenon himself. Remembering the role in a 1964 interview Davies said "When Andrew Osborn, the producer of the show, offered me the part on Good Friday in 1960, I knew very little about Maigret. I knew he was a famous French fictional detective, but that was all." Rather than read the books to get the feel for the character, Davies thought it would be better to meet Maigret's creator and hear from him how he saw the character. The BBC agreed and a meeting was arranged between Davies and Simenon in Lausanne.[4]

"The moment Simenon saw me he shouted: "C'est Maigret, c'est Maigret. You are the flesh and bones of Maigret!" Davies later remembered. "That was a wonderful beginning. Then he drove us to his lovely château in the village of Échandens, where I met his wife. Later he began to coach me in Maigret's idiosyncrasies."[4]

Simenon himself said of Davies "At last, I have found the perfect Maigret!"[5]

Production

The series was written by a set of ten writers, each contributing individual episodes; the most prolific being Giles Cooper, credited with nineteen episodes, and Roger East, with twelve.[2]

Directing was similarly shared by sixteen directors, with Gerard Glaister and Terence Williams responsible for eight each, Andrew Osborn seven, and Eric Tayler six.[2] Each episode was shot in black-and-white and lasted 50 minutes, and (as it was made for the BBC) was intended to be screened without commercial breaks. It was shot mainly in studio, though many of the exteriors were filmed on location in Paris.

Theme music and various incidental music was composed by Ron Grainer[6] for which he won an Ivor Novello award.[6] Apart from the pilot, all 52 episodes remain within the BBC's archives.[7]

Episodes

(with dates of first broadcast on BBC TV)

Pilot episode
Title First shown Based on Notes[8]
Maigret and the Lost Life12 April 1959Inspector Maigret and the Dead Girl
Maigret et la Jeune Morte
1954 novel: Starring Basil Sydney as Maigret
Series 1
Title First shown Based on Notes[9]
Murder in Montmartre31 October 1960Inspector Maigret and the Strangled Stripper
Maigret au « Picratt's »
1951 novel: Rupert Davies takes over as Maigret
Unscheduled Departure7 November 1960Maigret Has Scruples
Les Scrupules de Maigret
1958 novel
The Burglar's Wife14 November 1960Maigret and the Burglar's Wife
Maigret et le Grand Perche
1951 novel
The Revolver21 November 1960Maigret's Revolver
Le Revolver de Maigret
1952 novel
The Old Lady28 November 1960Maigret and the Old Lady
Maigret et la Vieille Dame
1950 novel
Liberty Bar5 December 1960Liberty Bar
Liberty Bar
1932 novel
A Man of Quality12 December 1960The Death of Monsieur Gallet
Monsieur Gallet, décédé
1931 novel
My Friend the Inspector19 December 1960My Friend Maigret
Mon ami Maigret
1949 novel
The Mistake26 December 1960Maigret's Mistake
Maigret se trompe
1953 novel
On Holiday2 January 1961A Summer Holiday
Les Vacances de Maigret
1948 novel
The Experts9 January 1961Inspector Maigret and the Killers
Maigret, Lognon, et les Gangsters
1952 novel
The Cactus16 January 1961Maigret Takes a Room
Maigret en meublé
1951 novel
The Children's Party23 January 1961The Crime of Inspector Maigret
Le Pendu de Saint-Pholien
1931 novel
Series 2
Title First shown Based on Notes[9]
Shadow Play23 October 1961The Shadow in the Courtyard
L'Ombre chinoise
1932 novel
The Simple Case30 October 1961Maigret and the Headless Corpse
Maigret et le Corps sans tête
1955 novel
Death of a Butcher6 November 1961Maigret's Failure
Un échec de Maigret
1956 novel
The Winning Ticket13 November 1961Maigret's Dead Man
Maigret et son mort
1948 novel
Inspector Lognon's Triumph20 November 1961Maigret and the Surly Inspector
Maigret et l'Inspecteur malgracieux
1946 short story
The Lost Sailor27 November 1961Death of a Harbour Master
Le Port des brumes
1932 novel
The Golden Fleece4 December 1961The Lock at Charenton
L'Écluse No 1
1933 novel
Raise Your Right Hand11 December 1961Maigret in Court
Maigret aux assises
1960 novel
The Liars18 December 1961Maigret Goes to School
Maigret à l'école
1954 novel
A Crime for Christmas25 December 1961Maigret's Christmas
Un Noël de Maigret
1950 short story
The Reluctant Witnesses1 January 1962Maigret and the Reluctant Witnesses
Maigret et le Témoins récalcitrants
1959 novel
The White Hat8 January 1962Madame Maigret's Own Case
L'Amie de madame Maigret
1950 novel
Murder on Monday15 January 1962Maigret and the Man on the Boulevard
Maigret et l'Homme du banc
1953 novel
Series 3
Title First shown Based on Notes[9]
Voices from the Past24 September 1962Maigret in Society
Maigret et les Vieillards
1960 novel
The Madman of Vervac1 October 1962The Madman of Bergerac
Le Fou de Bergerac
1932 novel
The Countess8 October 1962Maigret and the Countess
L'Affaire Saint-Fiacre
1932 novel
The Wedding Guest15 October 1962Guinguette by the Seine
Guingette à deux sous
1931 novel
High Politics22 October 1962Maigret and the Minister
Maigret chez le ministre
1954 novel
Love from Felicie29 October 1962Maigret and the Toy Village
Félicie est là
1944 novel
The Dirty House5 November 1962Maigret in Retirement
Maigret se fâche
1947 novel
The Crystal Ball12 November 1962To Any Lengths
Signé Picpus
1944 novel
The Crooked Castle19 November 1962Maigret at the Crossroads
La Nuit du carrefour
1931 novel
Death in Mind26 November 1962A Battle of Nerves
La Tête d'un homme
1931 novel
Seven Little Crosses3 December 1962Original teleplay
The Trap10 December 1962Maigret Sets a Trap
Maigret tend un piège
1955 novel
The Amateurs17 December 1962Maigret and the Lazy Burglar
Maigret et le Voleur paresseux
1961 novel
Series 4
Title First shown Based on Notes[9]
Poor Cecile!1 October 1963Maigret and the Spinster
Cécile est morte
1940 novel
The Fontonay Murders8 October 1963Maigret Afraid
Maigret a peur
1953 novel
The Lost Life15 October 1963Maigret and the Dead Girl
Maigret et la Jeune Morte
1954 novel: (remake of 1959 pilot)
The Cellars of the Majestic22 October 1963Maigret and the Hotel Majestic
Les Caves du Majestic
1939 novel
A Man Condemned29 October 1963Maigret has Doubts
Une confidence de Maigret
1959 novel
The Flemish Shop5 November 1963The Flemish Shop
Chez les Flamands
1932 novel
A Taste of Power12 November 1963Maigret's First Case
La Première Enquête de Maigret, 1913
1949 novel
The Log of the Cap Fagnet19 November 1963The Sailors' Rendezvous
Au rendez-vous des Terre-Neuvas
1931 novel
The Judge's House26 November 1963Maigret in Exile
La Maison du juge
1940 novel
Another World3 December 1963Maigret and the Millionaires
Maigret voyage
1957 novel
The Crime at Lock 1410 December 1963The Crime at Lock 14
Le Charretier de la Providence
1931 novel
Peter the Lett17 December 1963The Strange Case of Peter the Lett
Pietr-le-Letton
1931 novel
Maigret's Little Joke24 December 1963Maigret's Little Joke
Maigret s'amuse
1957 novel

References

  1. Pitts 2004.
  2. Maigret: full cast and crew at IMDb; retrieved 17 May 2016
  3. Maigret's faithful four at trussel.com; retrieved 17 May 2016
  4. Maigret (1960) on Television Heaven
  5. Winn 2009.
  6. "Ron Grainer". BBC. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
  7. "Maigret at lostshows.com".
  8. Basil Sydney at trussel.com; retrieved 15 May 2016
  9. Rupert Davies at trussel.com; retrieved 15 May 2016

Sources

  • Pitts, Michael R (2004). Famous Movie Detectives III. Scarecrow. p. 89. ISBN 978-0810836907.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Winn, Christopher (2009). I Never Knew That About Wales. Random House. p. 39. ISBN 978-1407028231.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)


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