Alan Grant is a fictional police detective created by Scottish author

Josephine Tey Josephine Tey was a pseudonym used by Elizabeth MacKintosh (25 July 1896 – 13 February 1952), a Scottish author. Her novel '' The Daughter of Time'' was a detective work investigating the role of Richard III of England in the death of the Pr ...

. He appears in six mystery novels, including ''

The Daughter of Time ''The Daughter of Time'' is a 1951 detective novel by Josephine Tey, concerning a modern police officer's investigation into the alleged crimes of King Richard III of England. It was the last book Tey published in her lifetime, shortly before h ...

'', Tey's most acclaimed work.

Character

Physically, Grant is dark haired, has a

Ronald Colman Ronald Charles Colman (9 February 1891 – 19 May 1958) was an English-born actor, starting his career in theatre and silent film in his native country, then immigrating to the United States and having a successful Hollywood film career. He wa ...

moustache, and is a dapper dresser. He has a keen interest in poetry (having occasionally dabbled himself), the theatre, fishing, horse riding and golf. He is quite wealthy owing to a legacy from a relative, and is very generous with money to others. Grant has a good relationship with his colleagues, particularly Sergeant Williams, who worships him. He has had some romantic prospects (including actress Marta Hallard), but prefers to remain single.

Novels

* ''

The Man in the Queue ''The Man in the Queue'' is a 1929 detective novel by the British writer Josephine Tey. It was the first in her series of six novels featuring the Scotland Yard detective Inspector Grant. It was followed by ''A Shilling for Candles'' in 1936. It ...

'' (1929) * ''

A Shilling for Candles ''A Shilling for Candles'' is a 1936 mystery novel by Josephine Tey (Elizabeth MacKintosh) about the investigation of the drowning of a film actress, known as Christine Clay. It is the second of Tey's five mysteries featuring Inspector Alan Grant ...

'' (1936) * '' The Franchise Affair'' (1948) (Grant has only a supporting role here) * '' To Love and Be Wise'' (1950) * ''

'' (1951) * '' The Singing Sands'' (1952)

Adaptations

Film

* ''A Shilling for Candles'' was adapted into the 1937

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...

film ''

Young and Innocent ''Young and Innocent'', released in the US as ''The Girl Was Young'', is a 1937 British Crime film, crime thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Nova Pilbeam and Derrick De Marney. Based on the 1936 novel ''A Shilling for Candl ...

''. Grant (renamed Inspector Kent and played by Hitchcock regular

John Longden John Longden (11 November 1900 – 26 May 1971) was an English film actor. He appeared in more than 80 films between 1926 and 1964, including five films directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Biography Longden was born in the West Indies, the son o ...

) plays only a small role. * John Bailey portrayed Grant in 1951's '' The Franchise Affair''.

Television

* ''The Franchise Affair'' was twice adapted as a serial for BBC Television. Grant was played by

Clifford Earl Clifford Earl (29 August 1933 – 30 July 2015) was an English actor who appeared in numerous television programmes and films. Early years Earl was born Kenneth Clifford Earl on 29 August 1933 in Romney Marsh, Kent, England. He carried out his ...

in the 1962 series and by John Vine in the 1988 series. ** ''The Singing Sands'' was adapted as an episode of the BBC anthology series ''

Detective A detective is an investigator, usually a member of a law enforcement agency. They often collect information to solve crimes by talking to witnesses and informants, collecting physical evidence, or searching records in databases. This leads t ...

'' with John Carson as Grant.

BBC Radio

Peter Coke Peter John Coke ( "cook"; 3 April 1913 – 30 July 2008) was an English actor, playwright and artist. Early life Peter John Coke was born in Southsea, Hampshire on 3 April 1913.

starred as Grant in a 1955 adaptation of ''The Man in the Queue'' for the

Saturday Night Theatre ''Saturday Night Theatre'' was a long-running radio drama strand on BBC Radio 4. The strand showcased feature-length, middle-brow single plays on Saturday evenings for more than 50 years, having been launched in April 1943. The plays featured in t ...

* ''A Shilling for Candles'' was adapted several times for BBC Radio. Grant was portrayed by Gordon Davies (1954),

Bryden Murdoch Bryden Murdoch is a Scottish television actor. He was mainly active in the 1960s and 1970s. He had roles in ''The New Road'', ''Sutherland's Law'', '' Dr. Finlay's Casebook'', ''The Borderers'' and ''The View from Daniel Pike ''The View f ...

(1963),

Denys Hawthorne Denys Vernon Hawthorne (9 August 1932 – 16 October 2009) was an actor from Northern Ireland who was known for his work in theatre, film, television and radio. Life Denys Hawthorne was born into an upper middle-class Protestant family in Portad ...

(1969) and Ben Crowe (1998) * ''The Franchise Affair'' was dramatised in 1952 with Duncan McIyntyre as Grant, and in 2005 with

Steven McNicoll Steven McNicoll is a Scottish actor, director, playwright and television presenter. He co-wrote and starred in seven series of the BBC sketch show ''Velvet Soup'' on radio and later television, which earned him a BAFTA nomination. He is also ...

as the inspector. ** ''The Daughter of Time'' was adapted in 1982 with

Peter Gilmore John Peter Gilmore (25 August 1931 – 3 February 2013), known as Peter Gilmore, was an English actor, known for his portrayal of Captain James Onedin in 91 episodes of the BBC television period drama ''The Onedin Line'' (1971–1980), cr ...

as Grant. * ''The Singing Sands'' was dramatised in 1956 with

Ewan Roberts Ewan Roberts (29 April 1914–10 January 1983) was a Scottish stage, film and television actor. On stage from 1935, his theatre work included a season with the Old Vic, in 1946-1947. In 1949 he appeared at the Adelphi Theatre in '' Castle in ...

as Grant.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grant, Alan Characters of the Golden Age of Detective Fiction Fictional British police detectives Literary characters introduced in 1929 Inspector Alan Grant