Editing Simon Brett

{{Short description|English writer}}
{{more footnotes needed|date=February 2012}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2011}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}}
{{Infobox writer <!-- for more information see [[:Template:Infobox writer/doc]] -->
| name         = Simon Brett<br><small>[[Order of the British Empire|OBE]] [[Royal Society of Literature|FRSL]]</small>
| image        = 
| imagesize    =
| caption      = 
| pseudonym    = 
| birth_name    = Simon Anthony Lee Brett
| birth_date    = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1945|10|28}}
| birth_place   = [[Worcester Park]], Surrey, England
| death_date    =
| death_place   =
| occupation   = Writer, producer, playwright
| nationality  = British
| period       =
| genre        = [[Detective fiction]]
| subject      =
| movement     =
| notableworks = ''[[A Charles Paris Mystery|Charles Paris]]'' series
| spouse       =
| partner      =
| children     =
| relatives    =
| influences   =
| influenced   =
| awards       = 
| signature    =
| website      = {{URL|simonbrett.com/}}
}}
'''Simon Anthony Lee Brett''' [[Order of the British Empire|OBE]] [[Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature|FRSL]] (born 28 October 1945 in [[Worcester Park]], Surrey, England) is a British author of detective fiction, a playwright, and a producer-writer for television and radio. As an author, he is best known for his mystery series featuring [[A Charles Paris Mystery|Charles Paris]], Mrs Pargeter, Fethering, and Blotto & Twinks. His radio credits have included ''[[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (radio series)|The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy]]'', ''[[I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue]]'' and ''[[Just a Minute]]''.

==Personal life==
The son of [[Chartered Surveyor|chartered surveyor]] John Brett and Margaret (née Lee), a teacher,<ref>Twelve Englishmen of Mystery, ed. Earl F. Bargainnier, Bowling Green University Popular Press, 1984, p. 303</ref><ref>Contemporary Authors, New Revision Series no. 63, ed. Daniel Jones, Cengage Gale, 1998, p. 47</ref> he had 2 siblings - Penelope Clark and Michael Brett (author of [https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/350992/how-to-read-the-financial-pages-by-brett-michael/9780712662598 How to Read Financial Pages]). He was educated at [[Dulwich College]] and [[Wadham College, Oxford]], where he gained a first-class honours degree in English. He is married with three children and lives in [[Arundel]], West Sussex, England.

Brett was the president of the [[Detection Club]] from 2000 to 2015. He was appointed Officer of the [[Order of the British Empire]] (OBE) in the [[2016 New Year Honours]] for services to literature.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=61450|supp=y|page=N11|date=30 December 2015}}</ref>

In 2015, Brett was elected a Fellow of the [[Royal Society of Literature]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Associates |first=Casarotto Ramsay & |title=Simon Brett |url=https://www.casarotto.co.uk/clients/simon-brett |access-date=2024-10-01 |website=Casarotto Ramsay & Associates |language=en}}</ref>

==Radio and television career==
After his graduation from [[University of Oxford|Oxford University]], Brett joined the BBC as a trainee and worked for [[BBC Radio]] and [[London Weekend Television]]. While with the [[BBC]], Brett produced the pilot episode of ''[[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (radio series)|The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy]]'', as well as many episodes of the comedy series ''[[The Burkiss Way]]'', as well as the comedy panel games ''[[I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue]]'' and ''[[Just a Minute]]'' and radio adaptations of ''[[Lord Peter Wimsey (radio series)|Lord Peter Wimsey]]''. He also co-produced  ''[https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/1d554fbcdde04191b30db1e0717080f8 From Us To You]'' for BBC Radio 4 with David Hatch. In the mid-1990s, Brett wrote and hosted ''[http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00dm3jm Foul Play]'', a radio panel game in which well-known writers of detective fiction were challenged to solve a dramatised mystery. When he moved into television, Brett was responsible for producing ''[[End of Part One]]'' (1979–80) and the television revival of ''[[The Glums]]'' (1979), both for LWT.

Brett wrote several sitcoms, including [[BBC Radio 4]]'s ''[[After Henry (radio series)|After Henry]]'', ''[[No Commitments]]'', ''[https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b091wl7j Semi Circles]'' and ''[[Smelling of Roses]]''. ''After Henry'' was [[After Henry (TV series)|later produced on television]] for [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]].  He has written episodes of the BBC radio detective drama ''[[Baldi (radio)|Baldi]]'' (2000).

In 1987, the Nigel Molesworth character created by [[Geoffrey Willans]] was reprised for a four-part BBC Radio 4 series ''Molesworth''. Written by Simon Brett, the series portrayed Molesworth in middle age, still surrounded by many of the characters from his youth. Molesworth was played by [[Willie Rushton]], with [[Penelope Nice]] as his wife Louise, and [[Clive Swift]] as the now-aged ex-headmaster Grimes.

==Bibliography==
=== Detective novels ===
Brett has written five series of detective novels (Charles Paris, Mrs Pargeter, Fethering, Blotto & Twinks, and the Decluttering Mysteries). Most of these novels are in the "[[Golden Age of Detective Fiction|Golden Age]]" tradition of detective fiction, entertaining the reader through humour, eccentric characters and intricate plot twists. He has also written several mystery plays and some non-series novels, of which ''[[A Shock to the System (novel)|A Shock to the System]]'' (1984) is probably best known because the filmed version starred [[Michael Caine]] as the business executive who takes revenge after being passed over for promotion. In 2014, Brett was chosen as the recipient of the [[Cartier Diamond Dagger]] from the [[Crime Writers' Association]] for "an outstanding body of work in crime fiction".<ref>{{Cite magazine|title=Diamond Dagger goes to Simon Brett|date=February 3, 2014|magazine=The Bookseller|url=https://www.thebookseller.com/news/diamond-dagger-goes-simon-brett|last=Farrington|first=Joshua|access-date=February 6, 2022}}</ref>

====Charles Paris====
{{Main article|A Charles Paris Mystery}}
To date, Brett has written 20 books about Charles Paris, an unhappily separated (but not divorced, more than 30 years on), moderately successful character actor with a slight drinking problem, who investigates the murders he encounters in the course of his career.

#''Cast, In Order of Disappearance'' (1975)
#''So Much Blood'' (1976)
#''Star Trap'' (1977)
#''An Amateur Corpse'' (1978)
#''A Comedian Dies'' (1979)
#''The Dead Side of the Mic'' (1980)
#''Situation Tragedy'' (1981)
#''Murder Unprompted'' (1982)
#''Murder in the Title'' (1983)
#''Not Dead, Only Resting'' (1984) 
#''Dead Giveaway'' (1985)
#''What Bloody Man Is That?'' (1987)
#''A Series of Murders'' (1989)
#''Corporate Bodies'' (1991)
#''A Reconstructed Corpse'' (1993)
#''Sicken and So Die'' (1995)
#''Dead Room Farce'' (1998)
#''A Decent Interval'' (2013)
#''The Cinderella Killer'' (2014)
#''A Deadly Habit'' (2018)

They have been adapted for [[BBC Radio]], mostly by Jeremy Front and starring Bill Nighy.

====Mrs Pargeter====
Mrs Pargeter is a widow with a shadowy past who, with a little help from her dead husband's friends, is able to solve uncanny mysteries. The Mrs Pargeter novels include:

#''A Nice Class of Corpse'' (1986)
#''Mrs, Presumed Dead'' (1988)
#''Mrs Pargeter's Package'' (1990)
#''Mrs Pargeter's Pound of Flesh'' (1992)
#''Mrs Pargeter's Plot'' (1996)
#''Mrs Pargeter's Point of Honour'' (1999)
#''Mrs Pargeter's Principle'' (2015)
#''Mrs Pargeter's Public Relations'' (2017)
#''Mrs Pargeter's Patio'' (2023)

====Fethering====
Fethering is a fictitious village on England's south coast (adjacent to [[Tarring, West Sussex|Tarring]]). It is the place of residence of amateur sleuths Carole Seddon, a retired civil servant, and her neighbour, Jude Nichol, whose origins are obscure. Twenty-one Fethering mysteries have been published so far:

#''The Body on the Beach'' (2000)
#''Death on the Downs'' (2001)
#''The Torso in the Town'' (2002)
#''Murder in the Museum'' (2003)
#''The Hanging in the Hotel'' (2004)
#''The Witness at the Wedding'' (2005)
#''The Stabbing in the Stables'' (2006)
#''Death Under the Dryer'' (2007)
#''Blood at the Bookies'' (2008)
#''The Poisoning at the Pub'' (2009)
#''The Shooting in the Shop'' (2010)
#''Bones Under the Beach Hut'' (2011)
#''Guns in the Gallery'' (2011)
#''Corpse on the Court'' (2012)
#''The Strangling on the Stage'' (2013)
#''The Tomb in Turkey'' (2014)
#''The Killing in the Cafe'' (2015)
#''The Liar in the Library'' (2017)
#''The Killer in the Choir'' (2019)
#''Guilt at the Garage'' (2020)
#''Death and the Decorator'' (2022)
#''Death in the Dressing Room'' (2025)
Since 2011, Brett's Fethering series has been published by [[Severn House]].

====Blotto and Twinks====
Farcical whodunnits set just after the First World War and featuring the handsome and dim "Blotto" and his beautiful and clever sister "Twinks", both from a ducal family.
#''Blotto, Twinks and the Ex-King's Daughter'' (2009)
#''Blotto, Twinks and the Dead Dowager Duchess'' (2010)
#''Blotto, Twinks and the Rodents of the Riviera'' (2011)
#''Blotto, Twinks and the Bootlegger's Moll'' (2012)
#''Blotto, Twinks and the Riddle of the Sphinx'' (2013)
#''Blotto, Twinks and the Heir to the Tsar'' (2015)
#''Blotto, Twinks and the Stars of the Silver Screen'' (2017)
#''Blotto, Twinks and the Intimate Revue'' (2018)
#''Blotto, Twinks and the Great Road Race'' (2019)
#''Blotto, Twinks and the Maharajah's Jewel'' (2021)
#''Blotto, Twinks and the Suspicious Guests'' (2022)
#''Blotto, Twinks and the Conquistadors Gold'' (2023)
#''Blotto, Twinks and the Phantom Skiers'' (2024)

====Nigel Molesworth====
A continuation of the [[Nigel Molesworth]] books, featuring a now middle aged Nigel. 
#''Molesworth Rites Again'' (1983)
#''How to Stay Topp'' (1987)

====Decluttering Mystery====
Features Ellen Curtis, a widow with two grown children whose decluttering business brings her into contact with murder.
#''The Clutter Corpse'' (2020)
#''An Untidy Death'' (2021)
#''Waste of a Life'' (2022)
#''A Messy Murder'' (2024)

===Plays===
*''Murder in Play'' (1994)
*''Mr Quigley's Revenge'' (1995)
*''Silhouette'' (1998)
*''The Tale of Little Red Riding Hood'' (1998)
*''Sleeping Beauty'' (1999)
*''Putting the Kettle on'' (2002)
*''A Bad Dream'' (2005)
*''Quirks'' (2009)
*''A Healthy Grave'' (2010)
*''Murder with Ghosts'' (2015)<ref>[http://www.bognor.co.uk/what-s-on/entertainment/walberton-players-stage-murder-with-ghosts-1-6742434 Walberton Players stage Murder with Ghosts]</ref><ref>[https://www.noda.org.uk/events/reports/murder_with_ghosts Murder with Ghosts – show report – NODA]</ref>

===Anthologies===
*''The Faber book of Useful Verse'' (1981)
*''Take a Spare Truss'' (1983)
*''The Faber book of Parodies'' (1984)
*''The Faber book of Diaries'' (1987)
*''The Detection Collection'' (2005)

===Frank Muir Goes into===
Each book is a compilation of the anecdotes taken from the BBC Radio 4 series 'Frank Muir Goes into', which was produced by Brett and presented by [[Frank Muir]] and [[Alfred Marks]].
*''Frank Muir Goes into...'' (1978)
*''The Second Frank Muir Goes into...'' (1979)
*''The Third Frank Muir Goes into...'' (1980)
*''Frank Muir on Children'' (1980)
*''The Fourth Frank Muir Goes into...'' (1981)
*''Frank Muir presents the Book of Comedy Sketches'' (1982)

===How to Be a Little Sod===
{{main|How to Be a Little Sod}}
*''How to Be a Little Sod'' (1992)
*''Look Who's Walking: Further Diaries of a Little Sod'' (1994)
*''Not Another Little Sod!'' (1997)

===Other===
*''The Child-Owner's Handbook'' (1983)
*''[[A Shock to the System (novel)|A Shock to the System]]'' (1984)
*''Bad Form'' (1984)
*''Dead Romantic'' (1985)
*''People-Spotting'' (1985)
*''The Three Detectives and the Missing Superstar'' (1986)
*''The Wastepaper Basket Archive'' (1986)
*''After Henry'' (1987)
*''The Three Detectives and the Knight in Armour'' (1987)
*''The Booker Book'' (1989)
*''The Christmas Crimes at Puzzel Manor'' (1991)
*''Look Who's Walking'' (1994)
*''Singled Out'' (1995)
*''Baby Tips for Dads'' (2005)
*''Baby Tips for Mums'' (2005)
*''The Penultimate Chance Saloon'' (2006)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Official website|http://www.simonbrett.com/}}
* [http://www.samuelfrench-london.co.uk/catalog/search?author=Simon%20Brett  Samuel French – London, publishers of plays]{{dead link|date=May 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

{{Agatha Award}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brett, Simon}}
[[Category:1945 births]]
[[Category:Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:BBC radio producers]]
[[Category:English crime fiction writers]]
[[Category:English dramatists and playwrights]]
[[Category:20th-century English novelists]]
[[Category:21st-century English novelists]]
[[Category:English radio producers]]
[[Category:English radio writers]]
[[Category:People from Arundel]]
[[Category:People from Worcester Park]]
[[Category:Members of the Detection Club]]
[[Category:Alumni of Wadham College, Oxford]]
[[Category:People educated at Dulwich College]]
[[Category:English male dramatists and playwrights]]
[[Category:English male novelists]]
[[Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:Writers from the London Borough of Sutton]]
[[Category:20th-century English male writers]]
[[Category:21st-century English male writers]]
[[Category:Cartier Diamond Dagger winners]]