 Beale was the reader for the cassette recordings of the first two novels : A Question of Upbringing and A Buyer 's Market . As a result of his television portrayal of Widmerpool , he was asked by the Wallace Collection to open its Powell centenary exhibition in October 2005 . In the following year he accepted a request from the Anthony Powell Society to serve as its president , a post he held until 2011 . 
