As producer Tim Bricknell admits: "We simply couldn't find the actress we needed to play Mma Ramotswe. It's success ¿ despite the sudden death earlier this week of director Anthony Minghella ¿seems guaranteed,which is extraordinary for those who worked on the film even to consider now.įor so difficult was the task of finding the right leading lady that the drama almost failed to be made. The 100-minute film ¿ in which Jill's character investigates a range of crimes in the Botswana capital of Gaborone including child abduction, fraud and infidelity ¿ will be seen on BBC1 this Sunday.Ī 13-part series, based on the further adventures of Mma Ramotswe, will follow, probably later this year. ![]() The speed with which Jill was cast in The No.1Ladies' Detective Agency, adapted from Alexander McCall Smith's best selling novel of the same name and focusing on the work of Botswana's only female private investigator, meant she had to leave it as a work in progress in America.Īll of which means it required a supreme effort to focus her mind on her role as Precious Ramotswe as the cameras rolled ¿ but, according to those involved with the production, she came through with flying colours. Most pressingly, there's the completion of her album, The Real Thing, to think about. She is in the USA, 8,000 miles away from the film's location, recovering ¿ successfully, thankfully ¿ from cancer.Īnd then there's the pain of Jill's recent divorce from her husband of seven years and partner of 12, Lyzel Williams, to play on her mind. On the first day of filming the BBC drama The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency in hot and dusty Botswana, southern Africa, the show's leading lady, Jill Scott, could be forgiven for having her thoughts elsewhere.įor one thing, there's her mother to be concerned about. In character: Jill Scott as Mma Ramotswe, the well-loved detective from Alexander McCall Smith's best-selling novels 27)įYI: Anchor is simultaneously issuing two other titles in this series, General audiences will welcome this little gem of a book just as much if not more than mystery readers. Images of this large woman driving her tiny white van or sharing a cup of bush tea with a friend or client while working a case linger pleasantly. Mma Ramotswe's love of Africa, her wisdom and humor, shine through these pages as she shines her own light on the problems that vex her clients. The desultory pace is fine, since she has only a detective manual, the frequently cited example of Agatha Christie and her instincts to guide her. ![]() Mma Ramotswe's cases come slowly and hesitantly at first: women who suspect their husbands are cheating on them a father worried that his daughter is sneaking off to see a boy a missing child who may have been killed by witchdoctors to make medicine a doctor who sometimes seems highly competent and sometimes seems to know almost nothing about medicine. 1 Ladies Detective Agency" serve not only to entertain but to explore conditions in Botswana in a way that is both penetrating and light thanks to Smith's deft touch. A series of vignettes linked to the establishment and growth of Mma Ramotswe's "No. The African-born author of more than 50 books, from children's stories ( The Perfect Hamburger) to scholarly works ( Forensic Aspects of Sleep), turns his talents to detection in this artful, pleasing novel about Mma (aka Precious) Ramotswe, Botswana's one and only lady private detective.
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