At Watermill Theatre in Newbury, Ian Hallard delivers a compelling performance as Canon Daniel Clement in this thoughtful adaptation of Reverend Richard Coles’s 2022 novel. The production, running until 14 November, follows the detecting rector through a murder mystery set in the fictional village of Champton.
Coles, an accomplished broadcaster known for his appearance on Strictly Come Dancing, launched his series with this book. The story is rooted in the 1980s, a setting that removes modern constraints like mobile phones and CCTV while allowing the narrative to explore connections to the Second World War.
The plot intertwines Canon Clement’s plans to install a lavatory at St Mary’s with buried events in the village’s military history, which are linked to a series of killings. However, the adaptation sometimes strains under the weight of a village populated by numerous suspects, victims, and actors managing doubled roles.
The production joins a recent wave of literary sleuths on stage, including Poirot, Marple, Rebus, Barnaby, and Grace, adding Coles’s Canon Clement to the pantheon of television and book-based detectives adapted for the theatre.
1980s setting is genius—no phones makes it so much more tense and intriguing for a mystery.
I loved the book, but the article mentions too many characters. Hope they streamlined it for the stage.
Does it have to be another one? The market feels saturated with literary detectives lately.
Ian Hallard is simply delightful as always. Perfect weekend theatre for a rainy afternoon.