BEWITCHED, MIND-BOGGLED & ENTERTAINED
My evening entertainment recently has come courtesy of a lady called Lynda La Plante who I can only describe as a writing phenomenon. Damn it, the woman is so talented that she leaves her competition (including me) in the dust. I am in awe. What is worse is that she is not only a brilliant screenwriter, but apparently an equally talented crime novelist. I am green with both envy and admiration. And she is good-looking into the bargain.
You are now going to say you’ve never heard of the woman. Well you probably would have if you lived in the UK where her talents are so widely recognized that she has been awarded a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire)—theoretically by the Queen, but actually by the British government—for services to the nation.
I first heard of her through watching PRIME SUSPECT—which she wrote—starring Helen Mirren back in 1991 as the feisty and sexual DCI Jane Tennison making her way in what was then a man’s world. Hard to believe that was 22 years ago!
Prime Suspect was not a one-off. Her other productions—such as I have seen—are equally good. They include THE COMMANDER and TRIAL & RETRIBUTION. You can see them on Netflix.
FACTS: Lynda La Plante was born in 1943, was a successful actress before turning to screenwriting, and these days has her own production company. She is also impressively prolific.
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