Enyd Williams, the celebrated BBC radio drama director and producer best known for her serialisations of classic detective fiction, has died of heart failure at the age of 83. Her inspired casting of June Whitfield as Agatha Christie's Miss Marple and her work on the entire Sherlock Holmes canon with Clive Merrison and Michael Williams left a lasting legacy on Radio 4.
Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot adaptations
Williams and dramatist Michael Bakewell successfully adapted all 12 of Christie's Miss Marple novels between 1993 and 2001. Casting June Whitfield as the elderly amateur sleuth proved a winning combination. Whitfield later said: 'Fortunately, I did not have to worry about people comparing the way I looked. I simply concentrated on Miss Marple's busybody personality to conjure up a new picture in the minds of listeners.'
Williams took great care in casting supporting roles, featuring actors such as Imelda Staunton, Francis Matthews and Nigel Davenport in her first Miss Marple dramatisation, The Murder at the Vicarage. She also directed Bakewell's adaptations of Christie's Hercule Poirot novels, initially casting Peter Sallis before handing the role to John Moffatt for the remaining 25 adaptations, which ran until 2007. The final novel, Curtain: Poirot's Last Case, was not serialised due to rights issues.
Sherlock Holmes productions
Williams's involvement with crime fiction began after marrying Jonathan Clowes in 1968 and working in his literary agency, which represented the Conan Doyle estate. From 1991 to 1998, she produced and directed almost half of Radio 4's adaptations of all four Sherlock Holmes novels and 56 short stories. Clive Merrison played Holmes and Michael Williams played Watson, making it the first time anywhere in the world that the entire canon featured the same two actors.
Her attention to detail in a sound-only medium meant listeners heard real hansom cabs with trotting ponies on Edinburgh cobbles, recorded early in the morning. For her final production, The Hound of the Baskervilles, sound effects included gusting wind, fearsome shrieks and a howling dog.
Work with Peter Tinniswood and other productions
Outside detective fiction, Williams championed writer Peter Tinniswood, admiring his talent for depicting northern England character and dialogue. She encouraged him to write for Radio 4 and once locked him in her office until he produced a synopsis for a Saturday Night Theatre production. She later directed his plays, including the comedy Next Time We Might Play Better (1997) and the series Tales from the Backbench (2001) starring Leslie Phillips.
Williams also directed Bakewell's serialisations of Daphne du Maurier's Jamaica Inn (1991) and Ngaio Marsh's Inspector Alleyn stories (2001-03), starring Jeremy Clyde. She produced a version of Miriam Margolyes's one-woman show Dickens' Women (1991) and, for Radio 2, The Women in His Life (1996).
Early life and career
Born Enid Williams in Liverpool to Welsh parents Myra (a nurse) and William Williams (a butcher), she later styled her name as Enyd to aid pronunciation. At Dovedale primary school, she played the triangle in the orchestra alongside future Beatle George Harrison. She acted in Children's Hour on BBC radio in Manchester and later worked with producer Alfred Bradley, who suggested she become a studio manager.
After a brief stint in television, she returned to radio as a studio manager in London. In 1979, she became a radio drama producer at BBC Wales, directing Juliet Ace's first play Speak No Evil in 1980. She moved to London as a producer and director three years later. After retiring from the BBC, she directed audiobook productions.
Personal life
Williams's marriage to Jonathan Clowes ended in divorce. She had a relationship with Swedish hot-air balloon pilot Arne Ahlstrom from 1973 to 1982, then married actor John Hartley in 2000; he died two years later. She is survived by her daughter Victoria from her first marriage and a grandson, Cassius.
