Radio Index
Lord Peter Wimsey
Description
Lord Peter Wimsey, the creation of Dorothy L. Sayers, is brother to the Duke of Denver, war hero, and amateur sleuth, described as the diametrical opposite of Sherlock Holmes. Sayers' first Wimsey novel 'Whose Body?' appeared in 1923. In late 1973 the works arrived on BBC Radio 4 with an adaptation of the first novel, the first of 10 serials, all adaptations of Sayers' novels. Ian Carmichael played Wimsey and later took the character to television (PBS Masterpiece Theatre in the US). Episode counts varied by serial; each episode was about 30 minutes. The radio serials later aired in the US on NPR.
Lord Peter Death Bredon Wimsey is the fictional protagonist in a series of detective novels and short stories by Dorothy L. Sayers. A dilettante who solves mysteries for his own amusement, Wimsey is an archetype for the British gentleman detective. He is often assisted by his valet and former batman, Mervyn Bunter; by his good friend and later brother-in-law, police detective Charles Parker; and, in a few books, by Harriet Vane, who becomes his wife.
Wikipedia. CC BY-SA 4.0. Updated Apr 29, 2026.