I’m A Celebrity winner Giovanna Fletcher, George Rainsford and Clive Mantle in Wish You Were Dead by Peter James, Theatre Royal, Norwich

Review: Wish You Were Dead, Theatre Royal, Norwich by Sarah Hardy

Writer Peter James brings his thrillers to Norwich most years – last time, we were treated to Adam Woodyatt in Looking Good Dead.

This week sees Wish You Were Dead, a new offering from one of the country’s top crime writers, a modern day Agatha Christie you could say, as he’s known for his intense, complicated plots.

The books, and thus the plays, feature ace detective superintendent Roy Grace, played on telly by John Simm and here, on stage, by George Rainsford, and are usually set around Brighton, the policeman’s home turf.

But this show draws on a holiday Peter and his wife had in France in 2018 – when they visited a tumbledown and remote chateau south of Paris. It was, Peter has said, the perfect place for a holiday from hell.

This show has DS Grace and his wife, Cleo, played by I’m A Celebrity winner Giovanna Fletcher, travelling to France with their new baby, Noah, and a couple of friends.

They arrive at their creepy hotel and there, of course, it all starts to go wrong as Grace’s past catches up with him and his family is put in danger.

It starts a little slowly, with a longish build up to the meat of the action but the arrival of the ‘baddie’, played by Clive Mantle, saw it liven up with all Grace’s legendary quick thinking skills required to save the day.

Peter’s next novel, Picture You Dead, is published in May.

The show continues until Saturday.

Visit www.norwichtheatre.org