Inspector Pratt back at West Wittering

West Wittering Players complete the trilogy when they bring the bumbling Inspector Pratt back for a third and final time.

Their next production is the final instalment in the trio of murder mystery comedies by Peter Gordon, Death By Fatal Murder.

As Players chairman Dennis Harrison says: “Inspector Pratt’s record of crime detection at Bagshot House is not enviable. In his previous visit, the body count mounted disastrously as he looked on, helpless and hopeless!

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“Now he is back and, as usual, chaos reigns supreme. During the course of his latest investigations, Pratt (Malcolm Edney) meets the new owner of the house, Nancy Allwright (Angie Willsher), and soon he is embroiled in more mystery, aided and abetted by Miss Maple (Annette Kennedy-Cooke) and Constable Thomkins (Kurt Nye).

“Upper-crust Ginny (Lynn Gosden) and Italian gigolo Enzo (Rob Vickers) help with inquiries, but danger soon looms with the unexpected arrival of Wing Commander Roger ‘Stiffy’ Allwright (Dennis Harrison) and a frightening suggestion by Welsh busybody and clairvoyant Blodwyn Morgan (Catherine Wildsmith).”

As Dennis says, plenty of groups have done one of the three plays, but not many have done all three. Key to the success, Dennis says, has been having Malcolm Edney as Pratt.

What makes the piece is the stupidness of the inspector - and Dennis is delighted at the way Malcolm captures it.

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Where possible, the Players have kept the same cast through, but Dennis has had to change. His retired colonel, seen in the first two plays, was murdered off in the second. For the third he is now “upgraded” to wing commander.

“He is not all that he seems, but he is very much the typical ‘scramble, chocks away!’ type. I suppose in a way he is similar to the couple that used to be in ‘Allo ‘Allo, the two airmen.”

The production runs from Wednesday, April 25 to Saturday, April 28 at West Wittering Memorial Hall, Elms Lane, West Wittering.

Curtain up 7.30pm. Tickets are £6 and £5.50 and can be bought from Saya’s News, Rookwood Road West Wittering. Telephone 01243 513110.