The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency

For the first book in the series, see The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (novel). For the television film and series, see The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (TV series).
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Series
Author Alexander McCall Smith
Country United Kingdom
Language English
Genre Crime fiction
Media type Print (hardback & paperback)
eBook

This article discusses the series of novels by Alexander McCall Smith, which began with The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. Seventeen novels have been published in the series from 1998 to 2016. The last title, Precious and Grace is aimed at young adults.

Mma Ramotswe is the main character in a series including 17 novels from 1998 to 2016. The readership was at first small, then gained abruptly in popularity in the US and in England, beyond the author's home in Scotland. The country of Botswana is in a sense a character as well, as it is a crucial aspect of how the stories flow. Mma Ramotswe starts up her detective agency when she is 34 years old, using the inheritance from her father to move to the capital city Gaborone to buy a house for herself and find an office for her new business. She feels a detective needs to know about people more than anything, to solve problems for them.

Mma Precious Ramotswe is a Motswana woman who is the stories' protagonist and main detective. Mma is a Setswana term of respect for a woman; the equivalent term for a man is Rra.

The episodic novels are as much about the adventures and foibles of different characters as they are about solving mysteries. Each book in the series follows on from the previous book. They have been adapted for radio and television.

Characters in the series

Main

Secondary

Settings

Themes and topics of the stories

Issues addressed in the cases

Series Order

  1. The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (1998)
  2. Tears of the Giraffe (2000)
  3. Morality for Beautiful Girls (2001)
  4. The Kalahari Typing School for Men (2002)
  5. The Full Cupboard of Life (2004)
  6. In The Company of Cheerful Ladies (2004 – also known as The Night-Time Dancer)
  7. Blue Shoes and Happiness (2006)
  8. The Good Husband of Zebra Drive (2007)
  9. The Miracle at Speedy Motors (2008)
  10. Tea Time for the Traditionally Built (2009)
  11. The Double Comfort Safari Club (2010)
  12. The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party (2011)
  13. The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection (2012)
  14. The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon (2013)
  15. The Handsome Man's De Luxe Cafe (2014)
  16. The Woman Who Walked in Sunshine (2015)
  17. Precious and Grace (2016)

Adaptations

Television

The BBC and American television network HBO filmed a series based on the books that stars Jill Scott as Mma Ramotswe and was shot on location in Botswana.[1] The 109-minute pilot was written by Richard Curtis and Anthony Minghella, who also directed.[1] The six 60-minute episodes were written and directed by others, as Mr Minghella died before the series was filmed.[2][3]

Radio

McCall Smith himself dramatised the series for BBC Radio 4. Thirty-one episodes have been broadcast, the first on 10 September 2004, and the most recent on 5 August 2016. The episodes encompass the first to the sixteenth books. They star Claire Benedict as Mma Ramotswe (except the 2010 episodes, when she was played by Janice Acquah).[4]

Episodes:

  1. The Daddy10 September 2004[5]
  2. The Bone17 September 2004[6]
  3. The Maid24 September 2004[7]
  4. Tears of the Giraffe1 October 2004[8]
  5. The Chief Justice of Beauty30 August 2005[9]
  6. The Confession6 September 2005[10]
  7. The Kalahari Typing School for Men13 September 2005[11]
  8. The Admirer20 September 2005[12]
  9. How to Handle Men through the Application of Psychology18 January 2007[13]
  10. House of Hope25 January 2007[14]
  11. The Return of Note1 February 2007[15]
  12. The Ceremony8 February 2007[16]
  13. There Is No Such Thing as Free Food1 January 2008[17]
  14. The Best Profession for a Blackmailer2 January 2008[18]
  15. A Very Rude Woman3 January 2008[19]
  16. Talking Shoes4 January 2008[20]
  17. The Miracle at Speedy Motors25 December 2008[21]
  18. Tea Time for the Traditionally Built25 December 2009[22]
  19. The Seller of Beds25 December 2009[23]
  20. An Exceptionally Wicked Lady2 December 2010[24]
  21. Canoeing for Ladies3 December 2010[25]
  22. A Late Van Just Glimpsed3 November 2011[26]
  23. The Saturday Big Tent Wedding4 November 2011[27]
  24. A Man from a Far Place20 March 2013[28]
  25. The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection21 March 2013[29]
  26. The Modern Husband Course5 February 2014[30]
  27. The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon6 February 2014[31]
  28. The Handsome Man's Deluxe Cafe12 March 2015[32]
  29. The Dish of Yesterday13 March 2015[33]
  30. The Woman Who Walked in Sunshine: Part 14 August 2016
  31. The Woman Who Walked in Sunshine: Part 25 August 2016

Related book

A cookbook associated with the novels was published in 2009; Mma Ramotswe's Cookbook by Stuart Brown, with a foreword by Alexander McCall Smith.[34] [35]

References

  1. 1 2 Bellafante, Ginia (March 26, 2009). "Unusual Sleuth, Unusual Setting". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
  2. People & Places (2008). "Speaking of HBO". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 14 March 2008.
  3. Oglethorpe, Tim (12 March 2009). "Move over Miss Marple... Jill Scott is back as Mma Ramotswe in new series of The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency". Daily Mail. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
  4. Radio dramatisation at RadioListings.co.uk
  5. BBC – Afternoon Play – The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency: The Daddy
  6. BBC – Afternoon Play – The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency: The Bone
  7. BBC – Afternoon Play – The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency: The Maid
  8. BBC – Afternoon Play – The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency: Tears of the Giraffe
  9. BBC – Afternoon Play – The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency: The Chief Justice of Beauty
  10. BBC – Afternoon Play – The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency: The Confession
  11. BBC – Afternoon Play – The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency: The Kalahari Typing School for Men
  12. BBC – Afternoon Play – The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency: The Admirer
  13. BBC – Afternoon Play – The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency: How to Handle Men through the Application of Psychology
  14. BBC – Afternoon Play – The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency: House of Hope
  15. BBC – Afternoon Play – The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency: The Return of Note
  16. BBC – Afternoon Play – The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency: The Ceremony
  17. BBC – Afternoon Play – The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency: There Is No Such Thing as Free Food
  18. BBC – Afternoon Play – The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency: Best Profession for a Blackmailer
  19. BBC – Afternoon Play – The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency: A Very Rude Woman
  20. BBC – Afternoon Play – The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency: Talking Shoes
  21. BBC – Afternoon Play – The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency: The Miracle at Speedy Motors
  22. BBC – Afternoon Play – The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency: Tea Time for the Traditionally Built
  23. BBC – Afternoon Play – The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency: The Seller of Beds
  24. BBC – Afternoon Play – The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency: An Exceptionally Wicked Lady
  25. BBC – Afternoon Play – The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency: Canoeing for Ladies
  26. BBC – Afternoon Play – The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency: A Late Van Just Glimpsed
  27. BBC – Afternoon Play – The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency: The Saturday Big Tent Wedding
  28. BBC – Afternoon Play – The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency: A Man from a Far Place
  29. BBC – Afternoon Play – The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency: The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection
  30. BBC – Afternoon Play – The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency: The Modern Husband Course
  31. BBC – Afternoon Play – The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency: The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon
  32. BBC – Afternoon Play – The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency: The Handsome Man's Deluxe Cafe
  33. BBC – Afternoon Play – The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency: The Dish of Yesterday
  34. Mma Ramotswe's Cookbook
  35. Velká Británie - The No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency: Alexander McCall Smith a jeho První dámská detektivní kancelář (Eva Sercombe)

External links

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