MovieChat Forums > Campion (1989) Discussion > Davison perfectly cast?

Davison perfectly cast?


I have only read one Campion book, The Fashion in Shrouds, and was struck by how perfectly Davison captures the author's character. The only significant difference in Campion's rather hapless countenance is that Davison conveys the look with dark eyes in the show rather than with the pale eyes described in the book. But, obviously, the actor can't help that. . . .Does anyone have someone in mind who they think would have been more perfectly suited to playing Campion than Davison? I sure don't; what do you think?

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Seeing as how Campion is obviously a pastiche of Peter Wimsey, Edward Petherbridge might be the obvious choice :)

Davison is completely miscast, just as he was completely miscast as Dr Who. He is perfect as a naive, none too sharp goody-goody (as in A Very Peculiar Practice). Campion is a poorly-written attempt at a competition for Wimsey, but he is still supposed to be played as razor-sharp, not as a puppy dog.

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In fact the books give strong hints that he was a member of the royal family.

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I reckon he was miscast. He looks too much of a mummy's boy in Campion.

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Davison is brilliant in the part, strange indeed that anyone would compare "Campion" to "Wimsey" with only the era and locations being comparable.

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While I haven't had the good fortune to see the Campion television show, I totally agree with you about comparing Campion and Wimsey. I have read all of the Wimsey stories and what I can find of Campion here in my corner of the U.S. (Tiger in the Snow, Flowers for the Judge, and about two more). The characters are completely different and equally enjoyable for all their differences.



Overdo what? ...freedom? This warm glow...that promises everything's going to be all hunky dunky?

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I like Davison a lot in the role of Campion. My only complaint is that his face is somewhat wooden most of the time, unlike his performance in The Last Detective where he was much more animated.

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I think he was aiming for enigmatic.

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I think it's fairly well established that Margery Allingham originally intended Campion as a parody of Wimsey (in The Crime at Black Dudley where he is a secondary character). But she was persuaded to make him the hero of subsequent books and developed him into a distinctive personality, gradually dropping the "silly-ass" mannerisms.
I, too, enjoy both characters.

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Apart from the hair color, I don't see any real resemblance to Peter Wimsey. In the early Wimsey books, Lord Peter did come across as a "silly ass" but that was mostly an act.

Campion, on the other hand, always struck me as being a guy who really wasn't safe to be let out on his own without adult supervision.

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Apart from the hair color, I don't see any real resemblance to Peter Wimsey. In the early Wimsey books, Lord Peter did come across as a "silly ass" but that was mostly an act.

Well, I know that! Both characters affect a foolish manner to put people off their guard, but of course are really shrewd observers of what is going on around them. Also, they are both independently wealthy and of aristocratic background (fully explained in Wimsey's case, hinted at in Campion's).

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I had read just about all the Campions when I first saw the series in its second season, original run on PBS. I was astounded. He really seemed to me a perfect Campion. I have just been watching the first season on Netflix and I am impressed all over again at how he manages to be so utterly bland while remaining someone you watch and care about.

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I enjoy Peter Davison as a person and as an actor. The problem with his DOCTOR WHO run was that at least 80% of it was ABYSMALLY-written. CAMPION does not suffer from this problem, the result, Davison is at least TEN TIMES better in CAMPION than he ever was in WHO.

In fact, from the first episode of CAMPION I ever saw, it struck me, quite strongly, that Albert reminds me MORE of the "real" Doctor than Davison EVER did when he was playing "The Doctor". Had he been like this on WHO, I think his run on that show would have been much more entertaining.

The recent 50th Anniversary special-- written by Davison-- only strengthens my feeling on this. He was HILARIOUS in that-- something he was never allowed to be on DOCTOR WHO.

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Always been a big fan of Davison. He's actually one of my favorite Doctor's and loved him in The Last Detective. Thought he was perfect as Campion

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I agree--perfect. I've read the books twice and taught many--and yes, Fashion is perhaps the finest of the novels--and he is THE Campion, indeed.

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