Lionel Peel

Lionel Peel is a character in the 1987 adaptation of the novel Nemesis, as part of the television series Miss Marple. Lionel Peel is portrayed by Peter Tilbury. This character does not appear in the original novel.

Lionel Peel is a godson of Miss Marple, whom he refers to as Aunt Jane. He works as a teacher and is married to Celia. At the beginning of the show, Lionel and Celia have some quarrel and she has thrown him out of the house and changed the locks. Lionel comes to seek help from his godmother Miss Marple and stays on with her. He later accompanies her on the Historic Homes and Gardens coach tour--something which had been arranged for Miss Marple by the deceased millionaire Jason Rafiel.

At one point Lionel marvels at the details of Jason Rafiel's posthumous arrangements and says he is relying on Rafiel to plan "next term's timetable". This suggests that Lionel is probably a headmaster or at least a head of department. At another point, he tells Miss Maple that "Life at St Faith's ... it isn't exactly the Boulevard des Anglaises". This suggests that St Faith's is the name of his school. This may or may not be the same as St Faith's Orphanage which is mentioned so often in the Miss Marple stories.

Lionel Peel plays a significant role in the plot in helping Miss Marple with her investigations. At one point, she sends him back to London to search for Michael Rafiel who is living among the homeless on the city streets. This sideplot occupies a significant amount of screen time and is totally unique to the adaptation.