Roderick Alleyn
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Roderick Alleyn is a fictional character: the hero and detective in Ngaio Marsh's 32 detective novels.
Alleyn is a "gentleman policeman", in a style later used by P. D. James for her detective Adam Dalgliesh. He is a Chief Inspector or Chief Superintendent in the Criminal Investigation Department (C.I.D.) of Scotland Yard. He is Oxford-educated and the author of a book: Principles and Practice of Criminal Investigations, by Roderick Alleyn, M.A. (Oxon), C.I.D. (Sable and Murgatroyd, 21s); from Chapter Six of Vintage Murder.
In earlier novels, he is single, later meeting and marrying Agatha Troy, a famous oil-painter. They have one son, Ricky, who is the protagonist of one of her last novels, Last Ditch, which also features his policeman father.
Marsh mentions in an introduction that she named her detective Alleyn after Alleyn's School, where her father had been a pupil.
Four of the novels were adapted for New Zealand television in 1977, with Alleyn played by George Baker. Colour Scheme and Died in the Wool are set in New Zealand, while Opening Night and Final Curtain are set in London. The theme of Opening Night involves a New Zealand actress with a startling resemblance to the lead actor.
Nine novels with British settings were adapted for British television. In the second series, Alleyn was played by Simon Williams in the first story, Artists in Crime (1990), and then by Patrick Malahide in eight more tales (1993-94): A Man Lay Dead, The Nursing Home Murder, Final Curtain (the second TV adaptation), Death at the Bar, Death in a White Tie, Hand in Glove, Dead Water and Scales of Justice.
[edit] DVD Release
The Inspector Alleyn Mysteries (the 1990s British productions) are available on DVD as a four disc pack.
