Why a Booktrail?
1937: London prepares to crown a new king but there is more excitement going on at Broadcasting House..
London Rain (Josephine Tey 6)
What you need to know before your trail
Bestselling writer Josephine Tey is in town to oversee a BBC radio production of her play, Queen of Scots – but adultery, treachery and pent-up jealousies stalk the corridors of Broadcasting House.
At the height of the Coronation celebrations, Detective Chief Inspector Archie Penrose is called in to investigate the murder of one of the BBC’s best-known broadcasters. A second victim – his mistress, and the play’s leading actress – suggests that the motive lies close to home, but Josephine suspects that the killings are linked to a decade-old scandal.
Locations
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London and Coronation time
“There had never been a finer time to see London Josephine thought as she strolled down Cavendish Place, enjoying the way in which the early summer sun seemed to welcome her back to the city. With only few days to go before the Coronation, it would have been hard to say which had done more to put a spring in England’s step: the sudden, unexpected heatwave, softening the disappointment of a lack lustre April; or the months of work that had gone on behind the scenes as the nation looked forward to crowning a new king.”
The city is changing, the houses seem cleaner, even the West End has taken on the appearance of a colourful streamed fairground.
Josephine finds the atmosphere quite touching. The recent abdication has spread uncertainty across the country and now there is excitement in the air. The city is changing before her eyes and everything and everyone seems captivated by a new energy.
Broadcasting House
Like most clubs, the British Broadcasting Corporation was best viewed from the inside. the long approach from Oxford Street sowed the building’s design off to its greatest advantage, curved and streamlines like the bow of a ship..
She goes inside and is amazed at the entrance hall with its English marble and is supposed to see it looks more like a bank than a state-of-the-art home for a pioneering venture. Josephine is here to work on her play and feels exhilarated to find that the whole place seems to be one big community she would like to feel part of it.
Streetview Maps
B) London - BBC Broadcasting House
C) London - BBC Broadcasting House
Booktrail Boarding Pass: London Rain (Josephine Tey 6)
Destination: London Author/Guide: Nicola Upson Departure Time: 1930s
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