A Sleeping Life
1989: Adapted by Roger Marshall from the Ruth Rendell novel.
The body of Rhoda Comfrey is found on a lonely canal path. Subsequent investigations reveal very little about the dead woman or her life. The only clue is a wallet belonging to historical novelist Grenville West that leads Wexford to London and France… Continue reading →
George Baker: “Wexford and I went over to Honfleur to film some of ‘A Sleeping Life’. We hugely enjoyed the Normandy lobsters, oysters, sea urchins and a great quantity of Chablis.”
Background: Grenville West bases one of his books on Beaumont and Fletcher’s The Maid’s Tragedy - A Jacobean drama set in classical Rhodes. The book is dedicated to Rhoda Comfrey and the first two lines are taken from the play: ‘Those have most power to hurt us, that we love; We lay our sleeping lives within their arms.’
Audio Clip: “Rhoda, unloved and unlovely…”
Audio Clip: “Rhoda, unloved and unlovely…”
Next episode: The Veiled One »
Cast and Crew
- DCI Wexford
- GEORGE BAKER
- DI Burden
- CHRISTOPHER RAVENSCROFT
- Dora Wexford
- LOUIE RAMSAY
- Polly Flinders
- IMELDA STAUNTON
- Chief Constable Freeborn
- DAVE HILL
- Malina Patel
- MAMTA KAASH
- Chief Supt Howard Fortune
- PATRICK DRURY
- DI Baker
- WILLIAM SIMONS
- Commissaire Laquin
- OLIVIER PIERRE
- Sylvia Fairfax
- CHARON BOURKE
- Victor Vivian
- NIALL BUGGY
- DS Martin
- KEN KITSON
- Dr Len Crocker
- JOHN BURGESS
- Hetherington
- IAIN MITCHELL
- Sheila Wexford
- DEBORAH POPLETT
- Charles West
- NEIL McCAUL
- Rhoda Comfrey
- SU DOUGLAS
- Transvestite
- LIZ KETTLE
- Hospital Secretary
- JOSIE KIDD
- Clerk of the Court
- PETER HARRI
- Sgt Clements
- GORDEN KANE
- Robin Fairfax
- MATTHEW GRUNDY
- Lillian Crown
- SYLVIA SYMS
- Stella Parker
- CAROLINE BERRY
- Brian Parker
- MARK ASPINALL
- Production Manager
- LARS MacFARLANE
- 1st Assistant Director
- JOHN WRIGHT
- 2nd Assistant Director
- STEPHANIE SULLIVAN
- Location Manager
- GRAEME MacARTHUR
- P.A./Continuity
- GILLIAN WHEELER
- Stage Manager
- MIKE FISHER
- Production Secretary
- THERESA SMITH
- Original music composed by
- BRIAN BENNETT
- Script Executive
- CORINNE CARTIER
- Casting Director
- DOREEN JONES
- Dialogue Coach
- JOAN WASHINGTON
- Costume
- SERENA BROWN
- Make Up
- ANNE TOWNLEY
- Graphic Design
- FREDDIE TRICCAS
- Designer
- MARK WARD
- Production Buyer
- ALLAN BATES
- Technical Supervisor
- ROGER CHAMBERS
- Chief Electrician
- STEVE WILLIAMS
- Camera Grip
- STEVE IMESON
- Sound Recordist
- A. GRAHAM FITZGERALD
- Dubbing Mixer
- DANNY CURTIS
- Dubbing Editor
- MARK THOMAS
- Camera Operator
- JULIAN BARBER
- Lighting Director
- BRIAN TURNER
- Videotape Editor
- CHRISTOPHER WENTZELL
- Executive Producer
- GRAHAM BENSON
- Producer
- NEIL ZEIGER
- Directed by
- BILL HAYS
- A Television South Production
Principle Characters
A Sleeping Life
Rhoda Comfrey (Su Douglas) is murdered in a violent knife attack after visiting her elderly father at Stowerton General Hospital. According to her relatives - including the alcoholic Lillian Crown (Sylvia Syms) - Rhoda worked as a journalist in London but no record of her life in the capital can be found. The only clue discovered among her possessions is a wallet belonging to the elusive Grenville West, a trashy historical novelist.
Polly Flinders (Imelda Staunton) is Grenville West’s timid young secretary. Polly had developed a crush on West and Wexford wonders how she would have reacted to a possible relationship between her employer and Rhoda Comfrey. Polly shares a flat with the controlling Malina Patel (Mamta Kaash). Malina tells Wexford that Polly was with a married man on the night of the murder.
Background notes | Cast & crew »
Next Episode » The Veiled One »