The Lady Detectives

A series of BBC Radio short stories, comprising of classic and period dramas featuring four female sleuths to rival Sherlock Holmes himself.

The Redhill Sisterhood 00:00
by Catherine Louisa Pirkis
Autumn,1897. Victorian undercover agent Loveday Brooke investigates some suspicious nuns who appear to have forsaken their vows – and turned to burglary.
Stars Gayanne Potter as Loveday Brooke, Paul Young as Inspector Gunning, Neil McKinven as Sergeant Blaine, Noreen Leighton as Sister Monica and Lucy Paterson as Sister Anna.

Mr Bovey’s Unexpected Will 43:45
by LT Meade and Robert Eustace
Brilliant, beautiful Miss Florence Cusack is one of Victorian London’s most respected consulting detectives. Here, she investigates the extraordinary case of a man whose fate depends on his weight in gold.
Stars Elizabeth Conboy as Miss Cusack, Crawford Logan as Dr Lonsdale and Paul Young as Inspector Schilling.

The Golden Slipper 1:27:30
by Anna Katharine Green
Vivacious debutante Violet Strange sparkles in New York society – but leads a secret life as a professional agency detective. In this case from 1910, she investigates 'The Inseparables', four wealthy young women suspected of a series of thefts.
Stars Teresa Gallagher as Violet Strange, Crawford Logan as Driscoll, Lesley Hart as Alicia and Gayanne Potter as Theresa.

The Law and the Lady 2:11:08
by Wilkie Collins
In this sensational Gothic tale from the author of The Woman in White and The Moonstone, new bride Valeria Woodville sets out to clear her husband of murdering his first wife.
Stars Abigail Docherty as Valeria Woodville, Richard Conlon as Eustace and Ralph Riach as the Reverend Starkweather.

Dramatised by Roger Danes.
Producer: Patrick Rayner
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2005.