Most of the 20 episodes of Inspector Wexford TV series 1 to 6 aired between 1987 to 1992. They are adapted from the 23 books written by Ruth Rendell with Wexford as the main protagonist.
I enjoyed watching the series. Rendell spin complicated yarns of mystery that keep me guessing. George Baker and Christopher Ravenscroft had great chemistry.
Inspector Wexford TV Playlist
Organized according to the publication dates of the books and stories and not the broadcast dates of the television series.
1. From Doon With Death
Published in 1964. This was Ruth Rendell’s first Inspector Wexford story.
Why is an ordinary housewife murdered and dumped in a field? Inspector Wexford is intrigued when he found a number of expensive antique books all inscribed ‘From Doon to Minna’ in her possessions. Who is Doon? Is Margaret Minna? Are these what got her killed?
Broadcasted in 1991 Series 5.
2. A New Lease of Death
Published in 1967.
Wexford’s first-ever successful murder case comes back to haunt him when a vicar starts to rake up the past. Was the man hanged on Wexford’s evidence actually innocent?
Broadcasted in 1991 Series 5.
3. Wolf to the Slaughter
Published in 1967.
An anonymous letter to the police from a witness to a murder. A missing beautiful promiscuous woman. A messed up love-nest with a carpet soaked in human blood. Had a murder occurred? Who is the victim? What is the motive? Inspector Wexford and Burden had to unravel all the knots to arrive at the truth.
Broadcasted in 1987 Series 1. The first Wexford story to be adapted for television.
4. The Best Man to Die
Published in 1969.
A man was killed at a stag party. He was Charlie Hatton, the best man of the bridegroom and his death was the first in a string of murders that seem to be about cheating husbands, loose women, and gangsters. Wexford joins forces with the bridegroom to try and solve this mystery.
Broadcasted in 1990 Series 4.
5. A Guilty Thing Surprised
Published in 1970.
A nature-loving woman, Elizabeth Nightingale, is murdered on one of her nightly walks through the woods around Myfleet Manor. Did the loving husband have anything to do with it?
Broadcasted in 1988 Series 2 Episode 1.
6. No More Dying Then
Published in 1971.
A five-year-old boy called John Lawrence goes missing. Mad, taunting letters begin to arrive, involving another child, Stella Rivers, who vanished earlier. Are the two disappearances really connected? Where is the boy? And the girl?
Broadcasted in 1989 Series 3 Episode 1
7. Murder Being Once Done
Published in 1972.
Wexford collapses from overwork and was put on a month’s leave. Instead of resting though, he decides to go and visit Mike Burden, who is seconded to London. In London, Wexford’s dreams have drawn him towards Mike’s case of a young murdered girl left lying in a vault and a strong connection to the baby adoption business.
Broadcasted in 1991 Series 5.
8. Some Lie and Some Die
Published in 1973.
A disfigured body of a girl attending the Kingsmarkham Rock Festival was found in a quarry. a nearby quarry. Wexford investigates the links between a charismatic singer and a young woman gone bad.
Broadcasted in 1990 Series 4 Episode 1.
9. Shake Hands Forever
Published in 1975
Angela Hathall is murdered, with seemingly no motive and no suspect. Wexford was sure who was the murderer but he lacks tangible evidence. His official investigation opens him to accusations of harassment. Undeterred, he embarks on his own, unofficial investigation, desperate to find the proof he needs before the murderer escapes justice.
Broadcasted in 1988 Series 2.
10. A Sleeping Life
Published in 1978.
Wexford investigates when the dead body of a middle-aged woman is found. But there are very few clues to the woman’s life. The only clue is a wallet belonging to historical novelist Grenville West.
Broadcasted in 1989 Series 3.
11. No Crying He Makes
Adapted from a short story titled Ginger and the Kingsmarkham Chalk Circle and collected in Means of Evil, published in 1979.
At Christmas, Wexford and Burden are called to the Kingsmarkham Hospital. A baby has been stolen from her pram and another baby left behind in her place, and it seems that the mother of the stolen child may also be in danger.
Broadcasted in 1988 Series 2.
12. Means of Evil
Means of Evil is adapted from two Ruth Rendell short stories: Means of Evil and When the Wedding Was Over published in 1979.
Inspector Wexford is confronted with a murder in a vegetarian family and wonders how many kinds of mushrooms there are.
Broadcasted in 1991 Series 5.
13. Achilles’ Heel
Adapted from a short story collected in Means of Evil published in 1979.
When Wexford and Burden go on a holiday to France together with their wives, they meet an alluring English couple. Reg becomes transfixed by the wife and is shocked when he gets back home to hear she has been kidnapped.
Broadcasted in 1991 Series 5.
14. Put on by Cunning
Published in 1981.
When a world-famous flautist is murdered, Wexford wonders if his recently returned daughter had anything to do with it. He becomes obsessed with proving that she is an imposter, even getting permission to travel as far afield as the USA and France to do so.
Broadcasted in 1990 Series 4.
15. Speaker of Mandarin
Published in 1983.
Wexford got to know a former barrister Adam Knighton and his wife Adela, in Hong Kong. On return to Kingsmarkham he learns that Adela was murdered in an apparent robbery. Burden suspects that an ex-con with a grudge against Mr. Knighton may be responsible, but draws blanks. Wexford is convinced that her death is linked to something that happened in China and interrogates the holiday party.
Broadcasted in 1992 Series 6.
16. An Unkindness of Ravens
Published in 1985
Rodney Williams disappears and then his body is found in the woods. Wexford investigates and finds more than one mystery.
Broadcasted in 1990 Series 4.
17. The Veiled One
Published in 1988.
Gwen Robson, a middle-aged housewife who may have been a blackmailer, is found garotted in the car park of a suburban shopping mall. Wexford is no sooner on the case than a car bomb goes off and all but kills him, putting him in hospital. This leaves Mike Burden with the task of solving the case, but does he go off on the wrong scent? Is Wexford’s analysis any better, though?
Broadcasted in 1989 Series 3.
18. An Unwanted Woman
Adapted from 2 short stories: An Unwanted woman and Old Wives’ Tales published in 1979 and 1991 respectively.
When a 92-year old lady dies, Wexford becomes suspicious that there was more to it than old age and begins an investigation into the slightly sinister elderly retired community surrounding her.
Broadcasted in 1992 Series 6.
19. Kissing the Gunner’s Daughter
Published in 1992.
When an off-duty DS Martin tries to be a hero during a bank robbery, not only does he get shot, but it also triggers a chain of events involving murders and deceit.
Broadcasted in 1992 Series 6 Episode 4.
20. The Mouse in the Corner
Adapted from a short story titled Blood Lines published in 1996. This episode aired in 1992, 4 years before the publication of the story.
Tom Peterlee, a member of a large family who lives in three adjoining cottages, is murdered. His family members do not seem grieved. Wexford is sure that one of them is the murderer. But which one? Mike Burden has problems of his own when his daughter starts dating a married man, and a series of ram-raids in Kingsmarkham add to Wexford’s problems.
Broadcasted in 1992 Series 6.
I hope you find this Inspector Wexford playlist useful. The videos are readily available on Youtube but I compile them into playlists because I like to watch series in order of either broadcasting timing or publication dates if they are book adaptations.
I want to thank the person who took the trouble of converting and uploading the VHS/DVDs.
If you prefer to read, buy the books at Amazon (affiliate link).
