The Uma Rao Mysteries: Three Full-Cast BBC Radio Crime Dramas

Three original murder mysteries featuring Bangalore detective Uma Rao

Actor, writer and director Mahesh Dattani is the first playwright in English to be awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award by India’s National Academy of Letters. Included here are all three of his plays featuring Uma Rao – PhD student, daughter-in-law of Bangalore's deputy commissioner of police, and wife of the superintendent. Priyanga Burford (neé Elan), stars as the intrepid sleuth, with full casts including Shiv Grewal, Saeed Jaffrey, Ajay Chhabra, Amerjit Deu and Nitin Chandra Ganatra.

Seven Circles Around the Fire – For her university thesis, Uma is conducting research into the Hijra community (third gender people who are invited to sing, dance and give blessings at weddings and births, but marginalized from mainstream society). But her inquiries uncover a case of corruption, murder and a terrible miscarriage of justice...

The Swami and Winston – When an English aristocrat is found murdered outside a Hindu temple, the only clues are a mischievous dog and a Burberry raincoat. Why was Lady Montefiore visiting an ashram, and who could have wanted to kill her? As Uma delves into her death, she comes into contact with religious fanaticism at its most dangerous...

Uma and the Fairy Queen – Attending a performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Uma is embroiled in another murder investigation when the actor playing Oberon, Michael Forsyth, is kidnapped, reappears just in time to go on, and is then found shot dead after the show. Suspicion falls on his wife, but Uma is convinced that the solution to the mystery lies in the play itself...


Seven Circles around the Fire
Uma Rao – Priyanga Elan
Suresh Rao – Rehan Sheikh
Constable Muniswami – Shiv Grewal
Jumpa – Saeed Jaffrey
Anarkili – Rikki Beadle-Blair
Saleem – Amerjit Deu
Mr Shirma – Nitin Chandra Ganatra
Suba Shirma – Ajay Chhabra
Produced and directed by Jeremy Mortimer
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 9 January 1999

The Swami and Winston
Uma Rao – Priyanga Elan
Constable – Shiv Grewal
Charles – Andrew Wincott
Suresh – Ajay Chhabra
Swami – Saeed Jaffrey
Sitaram – Paul Bhattarcharjee
Lady Montefiore – Richenda Carey
Driver – Amerjit Deu
Farmer – Nitin Chandra Ghanatra
Produced and directed by Jeremy Mortimer
Music by Eero Hameenniemi
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 3 June 2000

Uma and the Fairy Queen
Uma Rao – Priyanga Elan
Suresh – Ajay Chhabra
Nila – Souad Faress
Feroz – Akbar Kurtha
Malik – Kaleem Janjua
Liam – Gerard McDermott
Michael – Stephen Critchlow
Produced and directed by Marc Beeby
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 16 August 2003

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