Charles Wycliffe

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Detective Superintendent Charles Wycliffe is a fictional detective, created by author W. J. Burley. He is featured in twenty-two novels. (Burley died when the twenty-third was still unfinished).

Wycliffe is the head of the CID (plain-clothes detective branch of the Police) in Cornwall, in the United Kingdom. As such, he takes charge of all investigations of serious crime (especially murder). Although Wycliffe is not a native Cornishman, and he is often advised that the outlook and attitudes of people in some of Cornwall's more remote communities is not what he may be used to, he tries hard to sympathise with the victims and sometimes even the perpetrators of crime, and their families.

Wycliffe is happily married to Helen, a former typist. They have two children, and live in a large old house which overlooks the Helford River estuary. Nevertheless, the strains of Wycliffe's job, which often means he has to spend long periods away from home investigating cases in the most distant parts of Cornwall, sometimes take their toll on his family life. He has a fondness for literature and antique books.

Several of Wycliffe's subordinates and colleagues are recurring characters. In many of the early cases, especially those in or near Truro, the chief town of the county, Detective Inspector Gill is featured. By comparison with Wycliffe's approach, he unsympathetically bullies suspects and witnesses. In later cases, Wycliffe relies more on the unpretentious Detective Sergeant (later Detective Inspector) Doug Kersey, and Detective Sergeant Lucy Lane, who manages to look like a fashion model even in the most cramped and squalid settings. Wycliffe tolerates rather than welcomes visits from his immediate superior, the bonhomous Detective Chief Constable Bellings. The Chief Pathologist, Dr. Franks usually appears, but he and Wycliffe appear to have little in common.

In 1994, ITV filmed several of the novels as Wycliffe (TV series), over five seasons for a total of thirty-six episodes. In the series, Wycliffe was portrayed by actor Jack Shepherd.

There were certain differences between the TV character and the original. For example, in the books, Wycliffe's children have grown up and are living away from home; in the TV series, both are still teenagers. The TV Wycliffe was an accomplished jazz pianist.