Our Heroine. On the surface nothing more than a shallow aristocrat who likes champagne, a party, and virile young men, Phryne is much more capable and dangerous than she first appears, and takes to being a Lady Detective like a duck takes to water. Her harsh past has given her a zest for life, and the wide variety of skills she's acquired during the course of her very interesting life get her into (and out of) trouble on a regular basis. Her usual partner-in-crimesolving is Detective Inspector Jack Robinson, a by-the-book detective who, like Phryne, is much more than he appears to be. Show
Detective Inspector Jack Robinson (Nathan Page)"I am the servant of the law, not its master." A reasonable and strictly by the book detective who initially tries to keep Phryne out of police business, but later accepts her involvement on realising how helpful she can be (and how she's much easier to deal with if he at least has some idea of where she is). Highly intelligent, a very capable fighter, and extremely dry-witted, he serves as a Foil to Phryne.
Dorothy "Dot" Williams (Ashleigh Cummings)"Yes, it's idyllic - if it weren't for the snakes. And the dead bodies."
Constable Hugh Collins (Hugo Johnstone-Burt)"Oh, Miss Fisher's gone on holiday again, sir... only one dead so far." Inspector Robinson's loyal right-hand man, an initially bumbling and painfully earnest Police Constable who is a) frequently baffled by the chaos Phryne inevitably causes, b) painfully in love with Dot. Like Dot, he steadily matures over the course of the series.
Recurring Characters Prudence Stanley (Miriam Margolyes)"God will do nothing of the kind, or He will be answerable to me."
Mr Butler (Richard Bligh)"It will be nice to work for a respectable lady who appreciates the quiet life."
Albert "Bert" Johnson and Cecil "Cec" Yates (Travis McMahon and Anthony Sharpe)"You know, losing mates in the war was bad enough. But pretending they never existed? That's plain wrong." Phryne's right hand men, functioning as a mixture of friends, informants, transport, muscle, and occasional providers of dubiously acquired goods. Despite being committed Communists, especially Bert, they develop Undying Loyalty to Phryne (her decency, kindness, and the fact that she grew up in the slums of Melbourne means she's a little more in touch with reality than most of her social class probably helps).
Dr Elizabeth "Mac" Macmillan (Tammy MacIntosh)"Highly opinionated, revolutionary tendencies, and suspect associates."
Jane Ross (Ruby Rees-Wemyss)"They're sending me home with a letter today. Two of the girls stole Margery Johnson's shoes and glasses. She had to walk home barefoot and blind, so I slugged them." A street-urchin who Phryne ends up adopting, in large part because Jane reminds her of herself.
Murdoch Foyle (Nicholas Bell)"My fourth goddess, your glorious destiny, if you choose to accept it willingly." The man who killed Janey Fisher, Phryne's younger sister, though it was never proved, and he was instead imprisoned on another murder charge. After spending the first half of Season 1 in prison, he escapes, and promptly wages psychological warfare upon Phryne.
Rosie Sanderson (Dee Smart)"Oh, it's Jack! I thought it was Father. It's that policeman's knock."
Lin Chung (Philippe Sung)"I've always enjoyed explorations beyond my culture."
Neville Martin (Henry Hammersla)"Well I... I thought in... in the meanwhile, maybe you could... teach me a few things."
Baron Henry Fisher (Pip Miller)"He did not outsmart me! He behaved in a way no reasonable human would behave!" pause sigh "Alright, he outsmarted me." What kind of name is Phryne?Phryne, (Greek: “Toad”) , byname of Mnesarete, (flourished 4th century bc), famous Greek courtesan. Because of her sallow complexion she was called by the Greek name for “toad.”
How is Peregrine Fisher related to Phryne Fisher?This is a spin-off of Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, set in 1960s Melbourne. When Phryne Fisher goes missing in New Guinea, her niece, the flighty Peregrine Fisher, inherits her aunt's fortune. She decides to follow in her famous aunt's footsteps to become a private detective.
Why is Phryne Fisher called honorable?The Fishers weren't always rich; they were a poor family until World War I, when several young men between the 'title' and her father died, thus making her father a baron and Phryne an Honourable with an enormous fortune.
Why was Phryne Fisher Cancelled?When Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries was canceled by Australia's ABC in 2015, it came at an ironic time. The series was not doing enough numbers in its home country of Australia to justify more episodes. (ABC had already attempted to cancel it once before after Season 2 but relented.)
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