The Chief Inspector Dover Mysteries

Six BBC Radio 4 Full-Cast Crime Dramas

By: Joyce Porter, Paul Mendelson

Narrated by: Kenneth Cranham, Stuart McQuarrie, full cast

Six entertaining thrillers featuring slovenly sleuth Chief Inspector Dover, Scotland Yard's most unwanted man.

Cantankerous and dishevelled, Chief Inspector Dover is no one's idea of a model detective - but he does have an uncanny knack for solving crimes. In these radio dramas, set in the 1960s and '70s, he and his long-suffering sergeant, Charlie McGregor, investigate sinister cases of kidnap and murder. The first four are adapted from Joyce Porter's novels, while the latter two are original stories based on her characters.

Dover Goes to Pott - the irascible chief inspector travels to the Yorkshire town of Pott Winckle to look into the murder of leading businessman Daniel Wibbley's daughter.

Dover and the Claret Tappers - when Dover is kidnapped, only to be released 36 hours later, he finds himself leading the hunt for a criminal gang. Can he catch them before they strike again?

Dover Beats the Band - a body is found at Didcaster dump, naked, burned and strangled. Dover follows the trail to Rankin's Holiday Ranch and an eccentric group of stamp collectors - but was the dead man really an innocent philatelist?

Dover and the Unkindest Cut of All - Dover's annual seaside break becomes a busman's holiday after his wife witnesses a policeman throwing himself off a cliff. Was it suicide, and is it linked to the recent murder of a local gangster?

Dover and the Sleeping Beauty - Isabel Slatcher has been in an irreversible coma for eight months after being shot outside her local church. Now she has been smothered to death. Are the shooter and the killer the same person, and if so, why did they wait till now to complete their evil deed?

Dover and the Smoking Gun - McGregor takes compassionate leave to return to Glasgow for an old flame's funeral. But was Fiona Gordon's death accidental or foul play? Dover heads north to find out....

Kenneth Cranham stars as Chief Inspector Dover and Stuart McQuarrie as Sergeant McGregor, with casts including Carolyn Pickles, Crawford Logan, Shaun Prendergast and Frances Grey.

Produced and directed by David Ian Neville

©2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Dover and Sergeant McGregor are real gems!

i loved listening to the Dover audio dramas and laughed out loud many times. I only wish that there were more than the six episodes.

Mildly entertaining

Recently, because I can't find books I have not read, I started to listen to BBC radio dramas. Some are good. I was thinking Slough house type comedy based on editors comments, but was disappointed. While the humor was crude, there were some good one liners. The stories, however, were mediocre. I do not feel I wasted a credit, in fairness this type of comedy needs to be a bit more sophisticated for me to enjoy.

Fun and funny

What good fun these stories are! Not much of a mystery to write home about, but the hilarious, titular character is a genuinely ghastly creature - loud, bossy, obtuse, inconsiderate and good heavens! those burps are positively scary - and I enjoyed every bit of his bulldozing, shambling and somehow, solving each mystery as though miraculously there was nothing to it all. The actors were fabulous - seriously good voice acting. Sometimes I like full-cast dramatizations even more than the books or characters they are based on and this production is one such excellent work. I am hoping I get to listen to more dramatizations of this quality.

Not Quite a Lovable Character

Dover is such a slob, it was hard to get past that image and truly appreciate the good stories that were being told.

More Please

These are great, fun mysteries and so well acted. I just hope there’s more to come.

Another Great Irreverent Police Procedural

Wasn't sure I was going to like this combination humor and police procedural but I did. I love Chief Inspector Dover's character and the way he was portrayed. It would make a great play or tv series but I understand why that's likely impossible due to how woke the market place has gotten.