Black Tuesday

Gordon Kaye stars as the culinary mystery-solver investigating dirty tricks at restaurant directory, "Le Guide".

Pamplemousse is a retired policeman living in Paris, now making a living as an inspector for the prestigious restaurant rating directory 'Le Guide'. His long-suffering wife is Doucette (Shirley Dixon) and his ever-constant bloodhound companion is Pommes Frites (Trevor Martin).

Pamplemousse travels around France sampling fine cuisine and wines at gourmet restaurants, while managing to stumble into a series of mysteries. The character was first created in a series of novels featuring comedy, crime and cuisine by Michael Bond. Adapted for radio by Alick Rowe.

Michael Bond decided to become a writer while serving in the army during the Second World War. In 1947, he returned to the BBC, where he'd worked previously. His first creation, Paddington Bear, was born after a Christmas Eve shopping trip when he spotted a small, solitary bear in a large London store. Monsieur Pamplemousse was his first adult novel in 1983. Its success spawned a whole series of books.

Director: John Tydeman

A Mentorn Radio production first heard on BBC Radio 4 in 1995.