Episodes
| Episode | Title | First Broadcast | Repeated | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Roseanna | 20121027 | 20140823 (R4) | Roseanna is the first in the Martin Beck series, written over ten years from 1965 - 1975 by the husband and wife writing team of Maj Sj怀wall and Per Wahl怀怀. Featuring the intriguing, dogged, intuitive complex figure of Detective Inspector Martin Beck and his colleagues in the National Police Homicide Department in Stockholm, the books set a gold standard for all subsequent Scandinavian crime fiction, and for much of the best crime fiction in Britain and America written since the 1960s. The books have been admired and imitated by crime writers and readers ever since their publication; now Radio 4 offers audiences the opportunity to discover just why the books have been so acclaimed by those in the know. The use of crime and police procedure to hold up a mirror to society and its most dysfunctional elements is commonplace now, but that's because Martin Beck paved the way for subsequent generations of European crime writers whose fallible heroes - Kurt Wallander, John Rebus etc. - make the best fist they can of their own lives whilst trying to tackle the violence around them. The books were written deliberately to give an unsentimental, realistic portrait of Sweden in the mid-sixties: not the liberal place it was thought to be, but a society suffering from a stifling bureaucracy and a creeping rottenness behind the surface sheen. Confronting the dark side of this society are stubborn, logical, anti-social Detective Inspector Martin Beck, his closest friend Detective Inspector Lennart Kollberg - overweight, hedonistic, opinionated; Detective Inspector Frederick Melander, with a memory like a card-index file and a noxious pipe clamped in his jaws, and their colleagues in the murder squad. In Roseanna, they are faced with the body of an unknown girl found in a canal dredger. The long investigation ends with a risky and frightening sting. Dramatised for radio by Jennifer Howarth Original music by Elizabeth Purnell Directed by Sara Davies. Inspector Beck investigates when the body of an unknown girl is found in a canal dredger. Thrillers, mysteries, love stories and detective fiction. Roseanna is the first in the Martin Beck series, written over ten years from 1965 - 1975 by the husband and wife writing team of Maj Sj怀wall and Per Wahl怀怀. Featuring the intriguing, dogged, intuitive complex figure of Detective Inspector Martin Beck and his colleagues in the National Police Homicide Department in Stockholm, the books set a gold standard for all subsequent Scandinavian crime fiction, and for much of the best crime fiction in Britain and America written since the 1960s. The books have been admired and imitated by crime writers and readers ever since their publication; now Radio 4 offers audiences the opportunity to discover just why the books have been so acclaimed by those in the know. The use of crime and police procedure to hold up a mirror to society and its most dysfunctional elements is commonplace now, but that's because Martin Beck paved the way for subsequent generations of European crime writers whose fallible heroes - Kurt Wallander, John Rebus etc. - make the best fist they can of their own lives whilst trying to tackle the violence around them. The books were written deliberately to give an unsentimental, realistic portrait of Sweden in the mid-sixties: not the liberal place it was thought to be, but a society suffering from a stifling bureaucracy and a creeping rottenness behind the surface sheen. Confronting the dark side of this society are stubborn, logical, anti-social Detective Inspector Martin Beck, his closest friend Detective Inspector Lennart Kollberg - overweight, hedonistic, opinionated; Detective Inspector Frederick Melander, with a memory like a card-index file and a noxious pipe clamped in his jaws, and their colleagues in the murder squad. In Roseanna, they are faced with the body of an unknown girl found in a canal dredger. The long investigation ends with a risky and frightening sting. Dramatised for radio by Jennifer Howarth Original music by Elizabeth Purnell Directed by Sara Davies. Inspector Beck investigates when the body of an unknown girl is found in a canal dredger. Thrillers, mysteries, love stories and detective fiction. |
| 02 | The Man Who Went Up In Smoke | 20121103 | 20140830 (R4) | by Maj Sj怀wall & Per Wahl怀怀 Dramatised for radio by Katie Hims. Having just arrived on a beautiful, remote island for his much-needed Summer break with his wife and young children, Detective Inspector Beck is summoned back to Stockholm, where he is sent on a seemingly pointless and unofficial mission to Budapest, in search of a missing journalist. It is only when Beck has pretty much given up on the case that the truth finally emerges. Original Music composed by Elizabeth Purnell Directed by Mary Peate. Detective Inspector Beck is sent to Budapest to search for a missing journalist. Thrillers, mysteries, love stories and detective fiction. by Maj Sj怀wall & Per Wahl怀怀 Dramatised for radio by Katie Hims. Having just arrived on a beautiful, remote island for his much-needed Summer break with his wife and young children, Detective Inspector Beck is summoned back to Stockholm, where he is sent on a seemingly pointless and unofficial mission to Budapest, in search of a missing journalist. It is only when Beck has pretty much given up on the case that the truth finally emerges. Original Music composed by Elizabeth Purnell Directed by Mary Peate. Detective Inspector Beck is sent to Budapest to search for a missing journalist. Thrillers, mysteries, love stories and detective fiction. |
| 03 | The Man On The Balcony | 20121110 | 20140906 (R4) | by Maj Sj怀wall & Per Wahl怀怀 translated by Alan Blair Dramatised by Katie Hims Someone is assaulting and killing young girls in the parks of Stockholm. With only a brutal mugger and a three year-old boy for witnesses, the investigation is stalling. It's only a tiny detail surfacing in Beck's mind that puts the murder squad on the trail of the killer, but will they get him before he strikes again? Original Music composed by Elizabeth Purnell Directed by Mary Peate. Who is killing young girls in the parks of Stockholm? Beck battles to catch the killer. Thrillers, mysteries, love stories and detective fiction. by Maj Sj怀wall & Per Wahl怀怀 translated by Alan Blair Dramatised by Katie Hims Someone is assaulting and killing young girls in the parks of Stockholm. With only a brutal mugger and a three year-old boy for witnesses, the investigation is stalling. It's only a tiny detail surfacing in Beck's mind that puts the murder squad on the trail of the killer, but will they get him before he strikes again? Original Music composed by Elizabeth Purnell Directed by Mary Peate. Who is killing young girls in the parks of Stockholm? Beck battles to catch the killer. Thrillers, mysteries, love stories and detective fiction. |
| 04 | The Laughing Policeman | 20121117 | 20140913 (R4) | In the fourth of the Martin Beck Killings, Beck is now a Detective Superintendant. But his promotion hasn't made him any more cheerful; if anything, it's only confirmed his gloomy belief that the best way to solve crimes is by hard slog, dogged persistence, a grimly realistic view of human nature - and the occasional flash of sheer intuition. His team of colleagues, headed by Lennart Kollberg and Frederick Melander, are used to his stubborn ways and his frequent colds. His wife Inga isn't as tolerant. The Laughing Policeman begins on the evening of a big demonstration in Stockholm against the Vietnam war; as the police are dealing with protesters outside the American embassy, a mass shooting on a bus in a suburb ends with nine dead, including one of Martin Beck's team. The trail to find the murderer leads Beck back to an unsolved case from the past that had puzzled the Swedish police for years. Dramatised for radio by Jennifer Howarth Original Music by Elizabeth Purnell Directed by Sara Davies. A mass shooting on a bus leaves nine dead, and Beck's trail leads him to an unsolved case. Thrillers, mysteries, love stories and detective fiction. In the fourth of the Martin Beck Killings, Beck is now a Detective Superintendant. But his promotion hasn't made him any more cheerful; if anything, it's only confirmed his gloomy belief that the best way to solve crimes is by hard slog, dogged persistence, a grimly realistic view of human nature - and the occasional flash of sheer intuition. His team of colleagues, headed by Lennart Kollberg and Frederick Melander, are used to his stubborn ways and his frequent colds. His wife Inga isn't as tolerant. The Laughing Policeman begins on the evening of a big demonstration in Stockholm against the Vietnam war; as the police are dealing with protesters outside the American embassy, a mass shooting on a bus in a suburb ends with nine dead, including one of Martin Beck's team. The trail to find the murderer leads Beck back to an unsolved case from the past that had puzzled the Swedish police for years. Dramatised for radio by Jennifer Howarth Original Music by Elizabeth Purnell Directed by Sara Davies. A mass shooting on a bus leaves nine dead, and Beck's trail leads him to an unsolved case. Thrillers, mysteries, love stories and detective fiction. |
| 05 | The Fire Engine That Disappeared | 20121124 | 20140920 (R4) | The Fire Engine That Disappeared by Maj Sj怀wall & Per Wahl怀怀 Translated by Joan Tate Dramatised by Katie Hims The apartment of a suspect being staked out by Gunvald Larsson explodes, killing three people. Arson and murder isn't at first suspected - much to Larsson's fury - but when it becomes clear that the fire was started on purpose, the case hinges on the needle-in-a-haystack chance of finding a man who fits an impossibly vague description who was somewhere in the area around the time of the fire. Original Music composed by Elizabeth Purnell Directed by Mary Peate. A case of arson hinges on finding a man who fits an impossibly vague description. Thrillers, mysteries, love stories and detective fiction. The Fire Engine That Disappeared by Maj Sj怀wall & Per Wahl怀怀 Translated by Joan Tate Dramatised by Katie Hims The apartment of a suspect being staked out by Gunvald Larsson explodes, killing three people. Arson and murder isn't at first suspected - much to Larsson's fury - but when it becomes clear that the fire was started on purpose, the case hinges on the needle-in-a-haystack chance of finding a man who fits an impossibly vague description who was somewhere in the area around the time of the fire. Original Music composed by Elizabeth Purnell Directed by Mary Peate. A case of arson hinges on finding a man who fits an impossibly vague description. Thrillers, mysteries, love stories and detective fiction. |
| 06 | Murder at The Savoy | 20130406 | 20130706 (R4) | The Martin Beck books were written over ten years from 1965-75 by the Swedish husband and wife team of Maj Sj怀wall & Per Wahl怀怀. They featured the dogged and complex figure of D.I. Martin Beck and his colleagues in the national Police Homicide Department in Stockholm, and were written to give a realistic, unsentimental portrait of Sweden at the time: a society suffering from stifling bureaucracy and the creeping corruption of a liberal society.
In Murder at the Savoy, Martin Beck and Lennart Kollberg are called to Malm怀 in Southern Sweden when an industrialist is shot whilst having dinner at the city's best hotel. There are people in high places who want the case cleared up quietly and quickly, but Beck refuses to give way to pressure.
Cast:
Original Music composed by Elizabeth Purnell
The 1960s Swedish detective series Martin Beck returns with Murder at the Savoy drama. Thrillers, mysteries, love stories and detective fiction. |
| 06 | Murder at The Savoy | 20130406 | 20200718 (R4) | The Martin Beck books were written over ten years from 1965-75 by the Swedish husband and wife team of Maj Sj怀wall & Per Wahl怀怀. They featured the dogged and complex figure of D.I. Martin Beck and his colleagues in the national Police Homicide Department in Stockholm, and were written to give a realistic, unsentimental portrait of Sweden at the time: a society suffering from stifling bureaucracy and the creeping corruption of a liberal society.
In Murder at the Savoy, Martin Beck and Lennart Kollberg are called to Malm怀 in Southern Sweden when an industrialist is shot whilst having dinner at the city's best hotel. There are people in high places who want the case cleared up quietly and quickly, but Beck refuses to give way to pressure.
Cast:
Original Music composed by Elizabeth Purnell
The 1960s Swedish detective series Martin Beck returns with Murder at the Savoy drama. Thrillers, mysteries, love stories and detective fiction. |
| 07 | The Abominable Man | 20130713 | 20200725 (R4) | The 1960s Swedish detective series that inspired a generation of crime writers. In The Abominable Man, Martin Beck is called in to work in the middle of the night to see the butchered body of a senior policeman. He begins to investigate, dogged by a sense that catastrophe is imminent and once again, his instinct is correct. Narrator 1 ... Lesley Sharp Narrator 2 ... Nicholas Gleaves Martin Beck ... Steven Mackintosh Lennart Kollberg ... Neil Pearson Gunvald Larsson ... Ralph Ineson Einar R怀nn ... Wayne Foskett Frederik Melander ... Adrian Scarborough Malm ... Nick Murchie Hult ... Sean Baker Mrs. Nyman ... Christine Absalom Stefan Nyman ... Matthew Watson Bodil ... Greta Dudgeon Mrs Eriksson ... Dinah Stabb Mr Eriksson ... John Rowe Kvant ... Sam Alexander Kristiansson ... Don Gilet The Rump ... Robert Blythe Doctor ... Michael Shelford Bohlin ... Rick Warden Man 1 ... Ben Crowe Man 2 ... David Seddon Woman in Records Dept ... Joanna Brookes Official 1 ... Paul Stonehouse Original music by Elizabeth Purnell Directed by Mary Peate Dramatised by Katie Hims Original novels by Maj Sj怀wall & Per Wahl怀怀 Translator Thomas Teal Steven Mackintosh plays Martin Beck in the classic Swedish detective series. Thrillers, mysteries, love stories and detective fiction. The 1960s Swedish detective series that inspired a generation of crime writers. In The Abominable Man, Martin Beck is called in to work in the middle of the night to see the butchered body of a senior policeman. He begins to investigate, dogged by a sense that catastrophe is imminent and once again, his instinct is correct. Narrator 1 ... Lesley Sharp Narrator 2 ... Nicholas Gleaves Martin Beck ... Steven Mackintosh Lennart Kollberg ... Neil Pearson Gunvald Larsson ... Ralph Ineson Einar R怀nn ... Wayne Foskett Frederik Melander ... Adrian Scarborough Malm ... Nick Murchie Hult ... Sean Baker Mrs. Nyman ... Christine Absalom Stefan Nyman ... Matthew Watson Bodil ... Greta Dudgeon Mrs Eriksson ... Dinah Stabb Mr Eriksson ... John Rowe Kvant ... Sam Alexander Kristiansson ... Don Gilet The Rump ... Robert Blythe Doctor ... Michael Shelford Bohlin ... Rick Warden Man 1 ... Ben Crowe Man 2 ... David Seddon Woman in Records Dept ... Joanna Brookes Official 1 ... Paul Stonehouse Original music by Elizabeth Purnell Directed by Mary Peate Dramatised by Katie Hims Original novels by Maj Sj怀wall & Per Wahl怀怀 Translator Thomas Teal Steven Mackintosh plays Martin Beck in the classic Swedish detective series. Thrillers, mysteries, love stories and detective fiction. |
| 08 | The Locked Room | 20130720 | Steven Mackintosh and Neil Pearson star as Martin Beck and Lennart Kollberg in the Swedish detective series that inspired a generation of crime writers.
The Locked Room. On his return to work after recuperating from a bullet wound in the chest, Martin Beck's first case is a conundrum: the body of a man who has been shot dead is discovered in a sealed room, but there is is no gun. Meanwhile, Kollberg and Larsson are on the trail of a pair of bank robbers.
Narrator 1 ... Lesley Sharp
Original novels by Maj Sj怀wall & Per Wahl怀怀
Steven Mackintosh stars as Martin Beck in the classic 1960s Swedish detective series. Thrillers, mysteries, love stories and detective fiction. | |
| 08 | The Locked Room | 20130720 | 20200801 (R4) | Steven Mackintosh and Neil Pearson star as Martin Beck and Lennart Kollberg in the Swedish detective series that inspired a generation of crime writers.
The Locked Room. On his return to work after recuperating from a bullet wound in the chest, Martin Beck's first case is a conundrum: the body of a man who has been shot dead is discovered in a sealed room, but there is is no gun. Meanwhile, Kollberg and Larsson are on the trail of a pair of bank robbers.
Narrator 1 ... Lesley Sharp
Original novels by Maj Sj怀wall & Per Wahl怀怀
Steven Mackintosh stars as Martin Beck in the classic 1960s Swedish detective series. Thrillers, mysteries, love stories and detective fiction. |
| 09 | Cop Killer | 20130727 | The murder of a woman in a small village outside Malm怀 in Southern Sweden wouldn't normally warrant the attentions of DI Martin Beck and his team, but the victim lived next door to a man who has already killed once, and there's a lot of press interest. Beck and Kollberg aren't getting anywhere when a shootout between two teenage boys and the police leads them gradually to the killer.
Narrators ..... Lesley Sharp and Nicholas Gleaves
Original Music by Elizabeth Purnell
Steven Mackintosh stars as Martin Beck in the classic 1960s Swedish detective series Thrillers, mysteries, love stories and detective fiction. | |
| 09 | Cop Killer | 20130727 | 20200808 (R4) | The murder of a woman in a small village outside Malm怀 in Southern Sweden wouldn't normally warrant the attentions of DI Martin Beck and his team, but the victim lived next door to a man who has already killed once, and there's a lot of press interest. Beck and Kollberg aren't getting anywhere when a shootout between two teenage boys and the police leads them gradually to the killer.
Narrators ..... Lesley Sharp and Nicholas Gleaves
Original Music by Elizabeth Purnell
Steven Mackintosh stars as Martin Beck in the classic 1960s Swedish detective series Thrillers, mysteries, love stories and detective fiction. |
| 10 | The Terrorists | 20130803 | 20200815 (R4) | Final story in the original Scandi-Noir police procedural, Martin Beck. Beck reluctantly takes charge of a security operation protecting a controversial American Senator whilst he is in Sweden on an official visit. Meanwhile, a young woman is accused of bank robbery. Narrator 1 - Lesley Sharp Narrator 2 - Nicholas Gleaves Martin Beck - Steven Mackintosh Kollberg - Neil Pearson Larsson - Ralph Ineson Einar R怀nn - Wayne Foskett Frederik Melander - Adrian Scarborough Skacke - Sam Alexander Rhea - Nadine Marshall Crasher - Robert Blythe Bulldozer Olsson - Michael Maloney Rebecka Lind - Hannah Wood Malm - Nick Murchie Mr. Bondesson/Eric M怀ller/ American Senator - Ben Crowe National Police Commissioner/Taxi Driver - Rick Warden Kristiansson - Don Gilet Court Official/ Policeman - Matthew Watson Heydt - Alex Lanipekun Airforce Commander - Paul Stonehouse Judge/Prime Minister - John Rowe Kirsten/ Mrs. Cosgrove/ neighbour - Joanna Brooks Levallois/ Kvastmo - David Seddon Ruth Salmonsson .....Philippa Stanton Gun Kollberg - Sally Orrock Original music by Elizabeth Purnell Directed by Mary Peate Dramatised by Katie Hims Original novels by Maj Sj怀wall & Per Wahl怀怀 Translated by Joan Tate Steven Mackintosh stars as Martin Beck in the classic 1960s Swedish detective series. Thrillers, mysteries, love stories and detective fiction. Final story in the original Scandi-Noir police procedural, Martin Beck. Beck reluctantly takes charge of a security operation protecting a controversial American Senator whilst he is in Sweden on an official visit. Meanwhile, a young woman is accused of bank robbery. Narrator 1 - Lesley Sharp Narrator 2 - Nicholas Gleaves Martin Beck - Steven Mackintosh Kollberg - Neil Pearson Larsson - Ralph Ineson Einar R怀nn - Wayne Foskett Frederik Melander - Adrian Scarborough Skacke - Sam Alexander Rhea - Nadine Marshall Crasher - Robert Blythe Bulldozer Olsson - Michael Maloney Rebecka Lind - Hannah Wood Malm - Nick Murchie Mr. Bondesson/Eric M怀ller/ American Senator - Ben Crowe National Police Commissioner/Taxi Driver - Rick Warden Kristiansson - Don Gilet Court Official/ Policeman - Matthew Watson Heydt - Alex Lanipekun Airforce Commander - Paul Stonehouse Judge/Prime Minister - John Rowe Kirsten/ Mrs. Cosgrove/ neighbour - Joanna Brooks Levallois/ Kvastmo - David Seddon Ruth Salmonsson .....Philippa Stanton Gun Kollberg - Sally Orrock Original music by Elizabeth Purnell Directed by Mary Peate Dramatised by Katie Hims Original novels by Maj Sj怀wall & Per Wahl怀怀 Translated by Joan Tate Steven Mackintosh stars as Martin Beck in the classic 1960s Swedish detective series. Thrillers, mysteries, love stories and detective fiction. |