Maigret (1960 TV series)
Encyclopedia
Maigret is a British television
series made by the BBC
and which ran for 52 episodes from 1960 to 1963.
Based on the Maigret
stories of Georges Simenon
, the series starred Rupert Davies
as the Sûreté
detective
Commissaire Jules Maigret, and featured Ewen Solon
as Lucas, Helen Shingler
as Madame Maigret and Neville Jason as Lapointe.
The choice of Davies to play Maigret was enthuiastically 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
.
"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 Enchandens, where I met his wife. Later he began to coach me in Maigret's idiosyncrasies."
The haunting theme music was composed by Ron Grainer
. Georges Simenon
wrote 12 episodes of the series during 1960-1961.
British television
Public television broadcasting started in the United Kingdom in 1936, and now has a collection of free and subscription services over a variety of distribution media, through which there are over 480 channelsTaking the base Sky EPG TV Channels. A breakdown is impossible due to a) the number of...
series made by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
and which ran for 52 episodes from 1960 to 1963.
Based on the Maigret
Maigret
Jules Maigret, Maigret to most people, including his wife, is a fictional police detective, actually a commissaire or commissioner of the Paris "Brigade Criminelle" , created by writer Georges Simenon.Seventy-five novels and twenty-eight short stories about Maigret were published between 1931 and...
stories of Georges Simenon
Georges Simenon
Georges Joseph Christian Simenon was a Belgian writer. A prolific author who published nearly 200 novels and numerous short works, Simenon is best known for the creation of the fictional detective Maigret.-Early life and education:...
, the series starred Rupert Davies
Rupert Davies
Rupert Davies was a British actor. He remains best known for playing the title role in the BBC's 1960s television adaptation of Maigret, based on the Maigret novels written by Georges Simenon....
as the Sûreté
Sûreté
Sûreté is a term used in French speaking countries or regions in the organizational title of a civil police force, especially the detective branch thereof.-France:...
detective
Detective
A detective is an investigator, either a member of a police agency or a private person. The latter may be known as private investigators or "private eyes"...
Commissaire Jules Maigret, and featured Ewen Solon
Ewen Solon
Ewen Solon was a New Zealand-born actor, who worked extensively in both the United Kingdom and Australia....
as Lucas, Helen Shingler
Helen Shingler
-Selected filmography:* Quiet Weekend * Silver Darlings * The Rossiter Case * The Lady with the Lamp * Love's a Luxury * Laughing Anne * Background * Room in the House...
as Madame Maigret and Neville Jason as Lapointe.
The choice of Davies to play Maigret was enthuiastically 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
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
agreed and a meeting was arranged between Davies and Simenon in Lausanne
Lausanne
Lausanne is a city in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and is the capital of the canton of Vaud. The seat of the district of Lausanne, the city is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva . It faces the French town of Évian-les-Bains, with the Jura mountains to its north-west...
.
"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
Château
A château is a manor house or residence of the lord of the manor or a country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally—and still most frequently—in French-speaking regions...
in the village of Enchandens, where I met his wife. Later he began to coach me in Maigret's idiosyncrasies."
The haunting theme music was composed by Ron Grainer
Ron Grainer
Ronald Erle “Ron” Grainer was an Australian-born composer who worked for most of his professional career in the United Kingdom. He is mostly remembered for his film and television music.- Biography :...
. Georges Simenon
Georges Simenon
Georges Joseph Christian Simenon was a Belgian writer. A prolific author who published nearly 200 novels and numerous short works, Simenon is best known for the creation of the fictional detective Maigret.-Early life and education:...
wrote 12 episodes of the series during 1960-1961.
External links
- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0159178/Maigret on the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
] - Maigret on Whirligig
- Maigret fansite
- Maigret on Television Heaven