The Brotherhood of Smoke
The OUP have now published my new play 'The Brotherhood of Smoke', for readers and actors of all ages, if they like detective stories - particularly if they like Victorian detective stories.
The plot centres on the great Parisian policeman Henri Fizeau joining forces with two young cockney con artists, Jack and Mercy, in a desperate attempt to forestall a band of ruthless political assassins. The Band of Smoke's target is Queen Victoria and their killing ground is the opening of the Great Exhibition at the Crystal Palace
(pictured above) in 1851. With the Brotherhood's murderous plot already well-advanced, only Jack, Mercy and the extraordinary M. Fizeau can prevent the greatest celebration of internationalism and technology mounted in Victorian times from triggering world-wide war.
And as if that wasn't enough excitement for an old hack, I also wrote the next twelve episodes of 'The Archers', being broadcast between Sunday 14th and Friday 26th May. Hurrah!
(The image of the Crystal Palace is from the Hulton Archive/ Getty images)
