A Simply Beastly Murder ****

Enid Blyton is one of the most successful writers of children’s books, selling hundreds of millions of copies worldwide. Among these, she enjoyed much success writing about the adventures of The Famous Five (four children and their dog), whose tales became staples of post-war British childhood. Written during and after the Second World War, the stories are rooted in settings, language and cultural references that can now jar with the modern ear.

A Simply Beastly Murder is a comedy, reimagining two of these characters, now having reached adulthood, investigating a murder. The twist is that the story is stylistically rooted in film noir, leaning into Double Indemnity, The Maltese Falcon and The Big Sleep, among others.

Dick (Alistair Mackay) is the archetypal gumshoe private investigator. Down on his luck, living hand to mouth, and operating on the fringes of the underworld, his attire and cynical demeanour are in sharp counterpoint to his sister, Anne (Rachel E. Thorn), whose language and worldview remain rooted in the Blyton era.

As the pair set about investigating the murder, Dick’s new life, far removed from Anne’s, begins to be revealed. The plot takes various twists and turns, with its denouement very much in keeping with the genre.

Blyton’s writing lends itself naturally to parody – The Comic Strip famously explored this territory before, but by blending Blyton against the conventions of film noir, Thorn has framed a fascinating juxtaposition. Anne inhabits a world of moral certainties and black-and-white distinctions (“they probably didn’t go to the right school”), whereas Dick has developed the cynicism, world weariness and moral ambiguity demanded of the hard-boiled detective.

At the heart of this production, however, lies Thorn’s considerable comedic abilities. Leaning on her deep knowledge of Blyton, she wrote and shines in A Simply Beastly Murder, her comic timing being masterful. Impressively supported by Mackay and featuring voiceovers from Alistair McGowan, the comedy is a cornucopia of wordplays, physical theatre, innuendo, slapstick and much more besides.

This is a joyful and cleverly scripted hour that is, at times, riotously funny, delivered by highly skilled performers.

And, naturally, you’ll get lashings of tinned pineapple too…