The Radio Detectives - BBC 98-05-20 (101) Send for Paul Temple

Summary

The Enduring Legacy of Paul Temple: A Deep Dive into ‘Send for Paul Temple’ Episode of Harold's Old Time Radio

January 21, 2025 | Episode: The Radio Detectives - BBC 98-05-20 (101) Send for Paul Temple

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Introduction

In the realm of classic radio, few characters have left as indelible a mark as Paul Temple. The January 21, 2025 episode of Harold's Old Time Radio, titled "The Radio Detectives - BBC 98-05-20 (101) Send for Paul Temple," offers an extensive exploration of this iconic detective series. Hosted by Harolds Old Time Radio, the episode not only recounts the golden age of radio drama but also delves into what made Paul Temple a beloved figure for listeners across Britain.

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Origins of Paul Temple

Paul Temple first graced the airwaves in 1938, created by the ambitious writer Francis Durbridge. Durbridge, a student at Birmingham University, was discovered by BBC producer Martin C. Webster—a partnership that would give birth to the longest-running detective series on British radio.

Francis Durbridge shared his passion for mystery writing during the episode:

"I always wanted to write thrillers from a very early age. When I first started writing, it was always my ambition to write mystery stories, detective stories..." (02:59)

The inaugural episode, "Send for Paul Temple," aired on April 8, 1938, introducing listeners to Paul Temple, a novelist and criminologist tasked by Scotland Yard to solve intricate crimes like the case of the Knave of Diamonds.

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Development and Early Days

In the early days, Paul Temple was portrayed by Hugh Morton, and his counterpart, Steve, was played by Bernadette Hodgson (later known as Steve Trent). The initial portrayal differed significantly from the later, more refined characters that fans became accustomed to.

Peter Cook, one of the actors who embodied Paul Temple, reminisced about the pressures of live radio:

"Whenever it's played now, I get nervous because it started off every program and I still get shivers down my back when I hear it. Because there were so many things that could have gone wrong in those days, we did them live." (02:33)

This anxiety stemmed from the live nature of radio broadcasts, where any slip-ups could disrupt the immersive experience for listeners.

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The Iconic Duo: Paul and Steve

Central to the Paul Temple series was the dynamic between Paul and his wife, Steve. Marjorie Westbury brought Steve to life with a blend of elegance and intuition that perfectly complemented Paul’s deductive prowess.

Marjorie Westbury reflected on her character’s impact:

"You just knew that she was the most glamorous, incredible, you know, six foot blonde, marvelous woman ever." (08:04)

Their on-air chemistry was palpable, making Paul and Steve not just detectives but relatable, human characters. Peter Cook emphasized the strength of their partnership:

"The atmosphere between Marjorie and myself, I think, did contribute to the success because we were very close." (16:35)

This believable relationship resonated with listeners, who often inquired about the couple’s marital status, affirming the authenticity of their portrayal.

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Behind the Scenes: Production Challenges

Creating compelling radio drama required meticulous attention to sound effects and live performances. Marjorie Westbury praised studio manager Patience Sheffield for her expertise:

"Patience...she never missed a trick single handed." (12:45)

Peter Cook shared anecdotes about the difficulties of incorporating sound effects without modern technology:

"The thunder and lightning was absolute hell in those days... you were shouting out and the lightning and the thunder were controlled by a light." (13:22)

These challenges were overcome by the skill and dedication of the production team, ensuring each episode maintained its high standard of quality.

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Recurring Elements and Listener Engagement

The Paul Temple series thrived on its consistent storytelling and familiar settings. Regular characters, like Scotland Yard Commissioner Sir Graham Forbes, and predictable plot devices, such as unmasking the villain at the season’s end, kept audiences hooked.

Peter Cook explained the secrecy surrounding plot details:

"One of the conditions that I made when I played Paul Temple was that I had the script posted to me before so that I knew it absolutely, so that I wasn't nervous or wasn't too nervous." (05:29)

This approach preserved the suspense and ensured that every twist and turn was a delightful surprise for listeners.

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Character Dynamics: Paul and Steve

Paul Temple was crafted as the quintessential gentleman amateur detective—educated, refined, and morally upright. His partnership with Steve introduced a balance of masculinity and femininity, with Steve’s intuition often guiding them through complex cases.

The humanizing domestic interactions between Paul and Steve, such as witty banter about household matters, made their characters more approachable and relatable:

"You're wearing it." (17:18)
"Oh, what's happening?" (22:43)

These moments provided a comforting contrast to the suspenseful investigations, embodying a window into a kinder, more morally certain era.

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Impact and Legacy

The Paul Temple series not only captivated its audience during its 30-year run but also left a lasting legacy in British radio history. Brian Doyle, a long-time fan, reflected on the various actors who embodied Paul Temple and their contributions:

"The series remained the definitive portrayal because despite appearances in films, books, television, and comic strips, Paul and Steve remain ever and supremely the radio detectives." (26:00-27:33)

Attempts to adapt Paul Temple to other media, such as film and television, didn’t capture the same magic as the radio series. Brian Doyle critiqued these versions, emphasizing that the radio portrayals by Peter Cook and Marjorie Westbury remained unparalleled.

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Parody and Cultural Recognition

The recognizable style of Paul Temple made it a target for parody. Peter Cook recounted a humorous yet regrettable attempt to spoof the series:

"Peter Cook and Marjorie Westbury... we recorded the whole thing, playing all the scenes ourselves... I have always regretted it." (25:13)

This episode underscores the cultural significance of Paul Temple, highlighting how deeply it was embedded in the collective consciousness.

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Conclusion

The Harold's Old Time Radio episode on Paul Temple offers a comprehensive and engaging exploration of a beloved radio detective series. Through interviews, archival audio, and insightful commentary, the episode celebrates the nuanced characters, intricate plots, and the enduring charm that secured Paul Temple's place in the annals of radio history. For both longtime fans and newcomers, this episode serves as a testament to the artistry and impact of one of radio's most enduring detectives.

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Notable Quotes

• Peter Cook (02:33):

  "Whenever it's played now, I get nervous because it started off every program and I still get shivers down my back when I hear it."

• Marjorie Westbury (08:04):

  "You just knew that she was the most glamorous, incredible, you know, six foot blonde, marvelous woman ever."

• Peter Cook (16:35):

  "The atmosphere between Marjorie and myself, I think, did contribute to the success because we were very close."

• Brian Doyle (26:46):

  "John Bentley was a good, competent British actor... They were entertaining, but they weren't outstanding."

• Peter Cook (25:13):

  "I have always regretted it. Francis and his wife were there and Martin was there and of course they didn't know and I think he was hurt by it."

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Transcript

[Narrator]

The familiar strains of Vivian Ellis's Coronation Scott. Surely one of the most famous signature tunes in radio history, it's indelibly associated with the first and most enduring of the radio detectives, Paul Temple. Together with his wife Steve, Paul Temple encountered dozens of crimes in a record breaking career, in the process becoming a favourite of listeners nationwide. In this, the first of our series on some of the great sleuths in radio history, we'll be looking at what made Paul Temple so popular and talking to some of the people who made him a legend of the golden age of radio. And we'll be giving you a chance to hear some rare gems from the BBC archives.

[Marjorie Westbury]

You know you're drinking far too much coffee, Paul.

[Peter Cook]

It's a sign I've been working hard.

[Marjorie Westbury]

Have you really finished the novel?

[Peter Cook]

Finished it last night.

[Marjorie Westbury]

Paul, that man over there near the service table keeps staring at us.

[Peter Cook]

Yes, I saw him. His name is Maurice Lonsdale. He's a financier.

[Narrator]

Excuse me, sir. Mr. Lonsdale asked me to give you this note.

[Peter Cook]

Oh, thank you.

[Marjorie Westbury]

What is it, Paul?

[Peter Cook]

He says he'd like to see me in his office.

[Marjorie Westbury]

What about, I wonder?

[Peter Cook]

We'd better go and find out, darling.

[Narrator]

That was the most famous of the Paul Temples Peter Cook spelt C O K E with the definitive Steve Marjorie Westbury. The programmes remind us of a world half a century away, a world which we'll re enter for the next half an hour. When the listener at home heard the Coronation Scott, he or she knew what to expect from the action, from Paul, a little feminine intuition from Steve, and the regular repetition of Paul's catchphrase by Timothy. For the star of the show, however, hearing that famous piece brought trepidation and still does 30 years on.

[Peter Cook]

Whenever it's played now, I get nervous because it started off every program and I still get shivers down my back when I hear it. Because there were so many things that could have gone wrong in those days, we did them live. And so, being a compulsive warrior, I used to worry if I dropped my script, if you heard the rustle of a page, you ruined the whole atmosphere. So one had to be terribly careful. And my other great worry was that my glasses steamed up. In the exciting episodes where we were panting and over having to struggle in water or something, I suddenly couldn't see the thing. So that was always a great worry. So Coronation Express to me is always very frightening, although it also brings back the most wonderful memories.

[Narrator]

Paul Temple was to become the longest running detective series on British radio. First broadcast in 1938 and finally bowing out in 1968 after an incredible 30 year run. The series, specially created for radio, was the brainchild of a young author called Francis Durbridge, who, while still a student at Birmingham University, had been discovered as a writer by a BBC producer, Martin C. Webster. It was the beginning of a very fruitful partnership.

[Francis Durbridge]

I always wanted to write thrillers from a very early age. When I first started writing, it was always my ambition to write mystery stories, detective stories. I was a great admirer of the people who wrote them at that particular period. But I started writing for radio with a serious play dealing with life in a departmental store. It was called Promotion and fortunately for me it was extremely popular. It was repeated several times and it was directed by Martin C. Webster. And one day I went in to see Martin and told him I had an idea for detective serial. He said, well, let me see the first episode. And I wrote the first episode. He liked it very much. And from that moment, of course, we started what was a very long and a very successful partnership with Temple. He produced all the Temple serials. He never missed a single rehearsal or production and he was a terrific radio producer and I was very fortunate at that very early stage to have his experience.

[Narrator]

What Francis Durbridge didn't explain in that 1982 interview was where the name Paul Temple came from. He's said to have just plucked it out of the air. But I have another theory. In the late 30s, the most popular film star in Britain was one Shirley Temple. Could Hollywood's all singing, all dancing, curly headed moppet have given her name to England's premier sleuth? By Timothy. As Paul would have said, there's a thought. Wherever Durbridge found the inspiration for the name of his character, what is certain is that the first ever episode of the first ever Temple serial, send for Paul Temple, went on the air on April 8, 1938. And it was quite different from the Paul Temple that was to become an integral part of the regular radio listeners imaginative landscapes. In the 1950s there was no Marjorie Westbury or Peter Cook and no Coronation Scott. Paul was played by Hugh Morton and Bernadette Hodgson played the girl reporter he subsequently married, whose real name was Louise Harvey, but who was better known by her nom de plume, Steve Trent. But all the labyrinthine complexity and baffling detail of plot that so endeared the serial to listeners was in place. The story had Paul Temple, novelist and criminologist, called in by Scotland Yard Commissioner Sir Graham Forbes, who was to remain a fixture in the series until the end to help track down a mysterious jewel thief known as the Knave of Diamonds. In this, as in every subsequent serial, the villain was unmasked at the end of the final episode. But for most of the serial, the cast had no more idea than the listener who the villain was. As Peter Cook explains, One of the.

[Peter Cook]

Conditions that I made when I played Paul Temple was that I had the script posted to me before so that I knew it absolutely, so that I wasn't nervous or wasn't too nervous. And so I was always posted the script except the eighth episode and they didn't even trust me with that. I wasn't given it because they thought I just might give away. So the cast didn't know until we actually read it for the first time. And it was so cunningly written by Francis that we really didn't know.

[Narrator]

Nothing remains in the archive of the first serial, but the final episode of the second serial has survived to give us a flavour of those early days.

This is the Empire program from the Midlands. Paul Temple and the front page, a serial killer by Francis Derby.

[Marjorie Westbury]

Darling, I think you're marvelous.

[Narrator]

So do I.

[Peter Cook]

Bow, Timothy, I really don't know how you do it.

[Narrator]

It's a gift, darling. You simply buy a good old magnifying glass, you put two and two together and I say this buttered toast is delicious.

[Marjorie Westbury]

Paul.

[Narrator]

Yes, my pet?

[Marjorie Westbury]

When did you first suspect Gerald?

[Narrator]

The day he came to Bramley Lodge and told us about Anne being good at impersonating people.

[Marjorie Westbury]

Surely you didn't.

[Narrator]

Gerald said that he'd never been to the flat in Bloomsbury and yet he knew which button to press on the lift in order to take us to the correct floor. And I couldn't have done that unless he'd been to the flat beforehand.

The producer, Martin C. Webster himself introduced the cast.

Good evening everyone. Well, I do sincerely hope you've enjoyed the show that our efforts during the last eight weeks have met with your approval. May I take this opportunity of thanking all those listeners who so kindly wrote in after the last Paul Temple cereal. There were well over 7,000 of you and this is the first chance I've had to thank you all personally. Well, now to introduce the artists. Paul Temple, yes, my dear, was played by Hugh Morton.

Paul Temple was up and running and there were eventually to be a total of 20 Paul temple serials and three one off plays over the years. There were to be six different Paul temples, but with only a handful of exceptions, there was always, and irresistibly Marjorie Westbury as Steve. She trained as a singer at the Royal College of Music and only later turned to acting, joining the BBC Drama repertory company in 1942. As Steve. She managed to sound both sexy and ladylike and conjured up a captivating image of poised, good humoured and elegant femininity, somewhat at odds with her actual appearance and manner. BBC drama producer Enid Williams, then a young studio manager, remembers her.

[Marjorie Westbury]

You just knew that she was the most glamorous, incredible, you know, six foot blonde, marvelous woman ever. And of course Marjorie herself was a very small, very round lady with rather a strident sort of voice in ordinary conversation. It's just that she had this absolute magic with a microphone.

[Peter Cook]

She had a great charm in her voice and it was compelling. I'll tell you something most extraordinary, Marjorie. While we were in one of the series, a woman wrote to her from Cornwall or somewhere down there and said, I love your voice so much that I'm going to leave you all my money. And Marjorie wrote back and she said, now I am not the willowy blonde that I sound and you're falling in love with the wrong thing. I am. I don't know what she said, but she was a bit cottage loafy. But the woman wrote back and said, I'm still going to leave you all my money. So Marjorie very bravely went down to Cornwall, drove herself down and said, now look, this is me and you've got relatives and people and I don't want your money, I can earn my own living. And the woman said, I don't care, I think your voice is so marvelous. And Marjorie came back. Three days later, the woman committed suicide and left Marjorie every penny and every possession she had. Now this is the power of a voice.

[Narrator]

Marjorie Westbury herself, interviewed in 1982, recalled her days in the Temple serials.

[Marjorie Westbury]

I remember all my husbands. I had six. The first one was Hugh Morton, who I still see around on the box occasionally. Then Carl Bernard played one. Do you remember Carl? Very, very funny man. He had us in hysterics. It was very difficult to play with Carl. One of the very best was Barry Morse, who nice ending to this story because Barry became very ill. He had a tubercular lung and he had to get out of his country and he went to Canada. Not only cured him, but became a very big star over there. You know, he played this big detective series, Barry Morse, then Kim Peacock, then Boney Crawford, Howard Marion Crawford played one and then of course Peter Cook for the rest of it with me. We just went on and on and on for years.

[Narrator]

Brian Doyle, a long time Temple aficionado, also remembers all the Pauls.

[Brian Doyle]

My favourite Temple of those days, personally speaking, was Barry Morse, who was a very smooth, good looking young actor. Masses of stage and screen experience. People may remember him in that very successful series the Fugitive, in which he played Lieutenant Gerard of the American police force. Some years ago I happened to meet Barry Morse and I said to him the effect he'd had on me as Paul Temple and he couldn't believe it. He said it was about 10 days work for me, if that. He said, how old were you when you heard the serial? And I said, oh, about 14, I suppose. And he said, ah, that explains it. An impressionable age.

[Narrator]

It was Peter Cook who for my generation was the definitive Paul Temple. Well bred, assured and incisive.

[Peter Cook]

I'm extremely lucky in that I have a voice or had a voice that the microphone liked. And this is rather comparable to a film star, the camera falling in love with her. And I had a lucky voice. I used to have a tremendous amount of work actually, but I did play twice, I think, in Paul Temple, when somebody else was playing Paul Temple. I think I once played the villain and I once played something else. So the producer and the author of Paul Temple knew my work and one day they came to me and they said, would you like to be Paul Temple? So I said, well, of course, it'd be absolutely marvelous. And Francis said, before we have any agreement, you will come out and have lunch with me tomorrow. So I got awfully worried. I thought, now what in the hell can he have found out that I can't do or something or other? So we had lunch together and we talked about a lot of subjects and eventually it came to why. He said, now let us get this absolutely clear. I am the writer of Paul Temple. I know you're a playwright. I had two plays on in the West End at the time actually, and I do not want any of your ideas or words put into Paul Temple. And of course I agreed.

[Narrator]

Of vital importance in the creation of atmospheric drama and tension on radio is the use of sound effects. And Paul Temple is no exception. Compact discs and samplers make combining effects much easier now than was the case 40 years ago. Marjorie Westbury remembered with admiration studio manager Patience Sheffield's expertise.

[Marjorie Westbury]

Patience. In those days, Temple was on Grams and she'd have eight turntables, eight, no tape recorders, no pre recorded anything. Now suppose we were in a sequence in a car, Paul and I would be in a car, one disc coming along nicely in a change down Paul There's a corner. I was always interfering, you know, slow down for the corner, then there'd be something then. God, he's going to hit us. Another car coming, another disc. You see the crash on a disc. Send for the police, send for the ambulance. Ambulance coming on. Another disc, this, that and the other. And I've known her have eight and she never missed a trick single handed.

[Peter Cook]

The thunder and lightning was absolute hell in those days when we had a lot of thunder and lightning in various scenes and for some reason they couldn't put it into the studio. So while we were fighting in the water with great waves and the thunder and the lightning, it was absolutely silent for us. So it was jolly difficult because you were shouting out and the lightning and the thunder were controlled by a light. And when the light came on, one knew one was either shout very much louder or not talking.

[Marjorie Westbury]

And of course it was great fun for us. We were practically cross eyed on a page like that, you'd have 12 lights on a page sometimes.

[Peter Cook]

I do remember we were shoved along into the lavatory one day because the acoustics there were just like a cave. And Marge and I played a scene over the lavatory band. Most extraordinary.

[Narrator]

Another feature of the serials was Webster's use of a regular repertory company of actors.

[Peter Cook]

Martin was wonderful because he tried to engage them if they could. Even if they came as a Russian countess the first time, they would then come in as a Spanish dancer. Something. The great thing about Paul Temple was that we all love doing it and anybody would have done anything to be in it.

[Narrator]

Actually, time and again the names of Simon Lack, James Thomason, June Tobin, Ralph Truman and Griselda Harvey turn up in the credits. Brian Doyle remembered with particular affection Olaf Olson.

[Brian Doyle]

He sounded like a sort of radio Peter Laurie. He always had a thick accent and he was always one of the chief suspects. And he's always saying, But Mr. Temple, I hope you don't think that I did the murder. I'm innocent, I tell you, innocent. And we all had great affection for Olaf Olsen. He never seemed to appear in anything else but Paul Temple.

[Narrator]

The combination of driving plots and engaging performances captivated the listenership. Then, as now, teenage boys found the combination of heroism and action compelling. Brian Doyle, then a schoolboy, remembers.

[Brian Doyle]

I think the first one I heard was Carl Bernard as Paul Temple in Paul Temple Intervenes. And we used to. I remember the villain in that turned out to be a rather pleasant young man called Roger Story, who evaded justice at the end by throwing himself through a plate glass window on about the sixth floor of a hotel. And the following day at school we were all saying, but how could he throw himself? That's that plate glass is so toughened, you know, he couldn't do it. And then somebody else would say, perhaps he threw a big ashtray and broke the glass before he jumped through. And we discuss all the.

[Narrator]

Why else were Paul and Steve so popular for so long? They were unusual in their field, for fictional detectives have often been dedicated, wise, celibate figures, rooting out evil, hearing confessions, acting as substitute priests in a secular age. Sherlock Holmes and Inspector Morse are typical examples. Paul Temple, despite the priestly overtones of his surname, was married and his partnership with Steve remains at the centre of the serials. Perhaps the best comparison is with Dashiell Hammett's husband and wife detective team Nick and Nora Charles in the popular Thin man film series, starring William Powell and Myrna Loy As Peter Cook and Marjorie Westbury explain the domestic detail counterpointed the detection, rendering the characters more human and approachable.

[Peter Cook]

The atmosphere between Marjorie and myself, I think, did contribute to the success because we were very close.

[Marjorie Westbury]

It did work up into an audience sort of affection for Paul and Steve because they were a very happily married couple. There was all this nice comfy chat and a lot of badinagery about how much I paid for me hats and that sort of thing. Paul, where did you put that new cream shirt with a collar attached?

[Peter Cook]

It was in the wardrobe.

[Marjorie Westbury]

Steve, are you sure? I looked there.

[Peter Cook]

Well, it was there last night. I distinctly remember putting it there.

[Marjorie Westbury]

Oh, really?

[Peter Cook]

What's the matter?

[Marjorie Westbury]

You're wearing it.

[Narrator]

What?

[Peter Cook]

By Timothy. So I am.

[Marjorie Westbury]

You really are the limit.

[Peter Cook]

We used to get enormous fan mail with Margie and I, and a great many of the letters were to say, were we married? Really married? Which shows that the atmosphere did come over, which always rather excited me.

[Narrator]

So if in some respects Paul and Steve were different from the classic detectives of popular fiction, in another sense, Paul Temple fitted the great tradition precisely. The sleuth as gentleman amateur. It's only in the last 40 years that the policeman has been at the centre of the crime story. Previously, the gentleman was of more interest than the player. Temple was educated at Rugby and Magdalene College, Oxford, the son of a general, and earns his living as a crime novelist. And a jolly good living it must have been, as the first serial finds him living in a country house, Bramley Lodge near Evesham. Later he and Steve move to a luxury flat in London, 127A Eaton Square, which was furnished with antiques Decorated with old masters and boasted a cellar full of vintage burgundy and claret from Justerenian Brooks. Such a resolutely upper middle class menage would not have been complete without servants.

[Marjorie Westbury]

We had a splendid, faithful man servant. Lucky us, a young man called Charlie. Who? There were innumerable Charlies, but they were always there.

[Narrator]

Good morning, sir. Did you ring?

[Peter Cook]

Yes, Charlie, I rang. Bring some more marmalade, please.

[Narrator]

Anything else?

[Peter Cook]

Yes, some toast and some butter.

[Narrator]

Dime you haven't. I've got an appetite this morning. What about coffee?

[Peter Cook]

No, I'm all right for coffee, But I expect Mrs. Temple want some tea.

[Narrator]

She's in the kitchen now making it. You know, women are funny about tea, aren't they?

[Peter Cook]

They're funny about a great many things, Charlie. But let's go into that at this time of the morning.

[Narrator]

Okay?

[Marjorie Westbury]

Oh, Charlie, I've left the cooker on.

[Narrator]

Yes, all right, Mrs. Temple.

[Peter Cook]

Don't forget the toast, Dolly.

[Narrator]

Paul always showed a loving and chivalrous concern for Steve. Wanting to protect her from violence and danger. But just as regularly, she insisted on staying at his side.

[Peter Cook]

I want you to go away for two or three days into the country.

[Marjorie Westbury]

Why?

[Peter Cook]

Well.

[Marjorie Westbury]

You want me to go into hiding, is that what you mean?

[Peter Cook]

No, not exactly.

[Marjorie Westbury]

Darling, things are coming to a head, aren't they?

[Peter Cook]

Yes, Steve, they are.

[Marjorie Westbury]

I'm not going away.

[Peter Cook]

Now, don't let's be stupid about this, darling.

[Marjorie Westbury]

Paul, dear, I am not going away.

[Peter Cook]

All right.

[Narrator]

Steve, who regularly faced kidnap and sometimes death, was quite resourceful when it came to dealing with opponents.

[Marjorie Westbury]

This tea tastes awfully bitter. Is yours all right? Yes, mine's perfectly all right. Well, perhaps it's my imagination. Mrs. Temple, do you mind if I ask you a very frank question? No. What does your husband think of me? Does he think I'm mixed up in this Van Dyck affair? Are you? No. Believe me, after what happened last night, if I knew the identity of Van Dyck, I should go straight to Scotland Yard. Last night? Yes, the murder. Ms. Mary Desmond. Ah, so you think Mrs. Desmond was murdered by Van Dyck. Well, don't you? It seems perfectly obvious to me that the same person who murdered. What is it? I don't know. I suddenly felt dizzy. I shouldn't try to stand, Ms. Faber. But I shouldn't feel like this. What's the matter with me? Don't you know? What do you mean? You didn't come here to talk to Paul about what happened that night at the bungalow. You came because Van Dyck sent you. You came here because Van Dyck told you to kidnap me. What have you done? I haven't done anything. You've done it yourself. You put something into my tea while I was answering the phone, didn't you? But you drank it. You said the tea was bitter. You said. I wanted you to think that the tea was bitter. I wanted you to think that everything was going according to plan. Your plan, Ms. Faber. What do you mean? Why do you think I asked you to speak to my husband? I don't know. Don't you? No. You're not very bright. While you were on the phone, I changed your cup for mine.

[Narrator]

Paul and Steve were constructed as complementary embodiments of masculinity and femininity. He, gentlemanly, single minded and an embodiment of deductive reasoning. She, with a love of new hats and an infallible sense of intuition.

[Marjorie Westbury]

You know, Paul, Betty Wayne is definitely worried.

[Peter Cook]

You think so?

[Marjorie Westbury]

Soon as I mentioned Reynolds, she coloured up. She turned her back on me. There's something funny going on there, you know.

[Peter Cook]

Yes.

[Marjorie Westbury]

I'm beginning to get a sort of intuition about this case, Paul.

[Peter Cook]

Good old intuition.

[Marjorie Westbury]

You can laugh, but I've been right before.

[Peter Cook]

No, no, I'm not laughing, darling. I have a great respect for that good old intuition of yours.

[Marjorie Westbury]

Thanks.

[Narrator]

The listeners were also happy to tune in for the comforting familiarity. It was not just the well loved characters, but also the carefully crafted plots which could be relied on both for suspense and the staple ingredients of action adventure. For instance, you could be pretty sure that during the course of the serial there would be a bomb in the car.

[Peter Cook]

Listen. Do you hear that ticking noise?

[Marjorie Westbury]

It's a dashboard clock.

[Peter Cook]

Surely the clock stopped.

[Narrator]

Look.

[Peter Cook]

20 past 6. Come on, Steve, get out quickly. Come on. Across the street. Look, here's a taxi. We might as well grab it and get home. Taxi.

[Narrator]

Governor.

[Peter Cook]

Eaton Square, please. Oh, what the blazes was that?

[Narrator]

The Temple's car would be raked with bullets.

[Marjorie Westbury]

Oh, what's happening?

[Narrator]

Steve? Look at our car.

Just look at it. There will be a significant, if mysterious warning.

[Marjorie Westbury]

Mr. Temple.

[Peter Cook]

Yeah?

[Marjorie Westbury]

Whatever happens, don't go down to Reading.

[Peter Cook]

I have no intention of going down to Reading.

[Marjorie Westbury]

Yes, I know, but. Well, don't, that's all.

[Narrator]

And many of them ended with that authentic 50s event, the cocktail party where Temple would dramatically expose the villain.

Temple. Forgive my asking, but was this cocktail party your idea?

[Peter Cook]

It was.

[Narrator]

Well, don't you think it would help if you came straight to the point?

[Peter Cook]

What point?

[Narrator]

Look, we're not exactly children. It's perfectly obvious why you invited us here this evening. Every person in this room is connected in some way or other with the Gilbert case. Well, what's all this about, Temple, exactly?

[Peter Cook]

I'll tell you what it's all about, Inspector.

[Narrator]

A girl called Brenda Stirling was murdered.

[Peter Cook]

And her fiance, Howard Gilbert was arrested.

[Narrator]

You all know what happened.

[Peter Cook]

Gilbert was tried and eventually convicted.

[Narrator]

But he didn't commit the murder.

[Peter Cook]

No, he didn't, Reynolds.

[Narrator]

Then who did?

[Peter Cook]

Don't you know, Mr. Fabian? Well, don't you?

[Narrator]

Look out, Temple. Stand back. If anyone comes near me, I warn you, I'll shoot.

Although earlier serials took place in Yorkshire, the Midlands and Scotland, the series had by the 1950s, settled down firmly in the Home counties with the mayhem taking place around Farnham, Maidenhead and Guildford. The series remains an infallible guide to the manners and moreies of Middle England in that now, almost impossibly remote era before the cultural revolution of the 1960s. And perhaps the series provided listeners with a window to a kinder, more morally certain age. Etiquette and correctness are important. For instance, Paul Temple calls all the men by their surname and there's an almost Mandarin politeness about introducing everybody.

Good evening. Welcome to La Morte. My name is Fabius.

[Marjorie Westbury]

Why, hello, Mr. Fabius.

[Narrator]

Hello, Ms. Ferguson. How nice to see you again.

[Peter Cook]

I don't think you know my wife. Steve, this is Louis Fabian.

[Narrator]

How do you do, Mrs. Temple?

[Marjorie Westbury]

How do you do?

[Narrator]

Hello, Temple. Good evening.

[Peter Cook]

Hello, Reynolds.

[Marjorie Westbury]

Good evening, Mr. Good evening, Mrs. Temple.

[Narrator]

Good evening. Mr. Temple, I think you know Ms. Wynne.

[Peter Cook]

Yes, of course, we've met before this evening.

[Narrator]

This well mannered style and the recurring elements in the plots led to good natured parody even at the time. The very first Paul Temple, Hugh Morton turned up in the late 40s in the hit radio comedy show Itmar, playing a character called Paul Tremble. Even Peter Cook was tempted into parody, something he now regrets.

[Peter Cook]

Margin Westby and I had a wonderful idea. One day we wrote a ninth episode sending up Paul Temple the series, doing all sorts of I said by Timothy every five words. And so we recorded the whole thing, playing all the scenes ourselves. So when the series was finished, as people were packing up to go home, to their astonishment, over the microphone came, would you just wait while we play with the ninth episode? And I have always regretted it. Francis and his wife were there and Martin was there and of course they didn't know and I think he was hurt by it. You know, authors are very, very touchy, as I know myself. And this is the one thing about the whole series which really makes me rather sad.

[Narrator]

Although Durbridge went on to become the foremost television thriller writer of the 1950s and 1960s and an accomplished playwright. He remained, in the folk memory, indelibly linked with Paul Temple. When he died last month at the age of 85, the obituaries almost universally led off the accounts of his life with his creation of Paul Temple. Although he was primarily a radio detective, Paul Temple rapidly became a multimedia creation. Durbridge novelised many of his radio scripts. Four of them were turned into low budget British films of the late 1940s with John Bentley as Paul Temple. There was a Temple strip cartoon in the London Evening News in the 1950s and between 1969 and 1971, a television series not, however, scripted by Durbridge. Brian Doyle didn't rate these alternative versions.

[Brian Doyle]

John Bentley was a good, competent British actor, famous for wearing his white raincoat. He appeared in innumerable British speed pictures wearing a spotless white raincoat, which never seemed to get dirty, no matter how many fights or chases he was involved in. But they were entertaining, but they weren't outstanding. And then, of course, in 69, I think it was, Paul Tupol hit television with an actor called Francis Matthews playing the part. Matthews is a good actor, good light comedy actor. His impersonations of Cary Grant were legendary in show business. And I don't know, he was all right as Paul Temple, but he didn't make a big impression. Of course, Steve, I'm afraid, was badly miscast. An actress called Ros Drinkwater played her. Good actress, nice lady, I'm sure, but she wasn't Steve. And Paul Temple on television wasn't the Paul Temple we've grown to love and grow up with on radio.

[Narrator]

It's a measure of the impact of the radio versions that when you read Durbridge's novels about Paul Temple and Steve, you hear the voices of Peter Cook and Marjorie Westbrook. For despite their appearances in films, books, television and comic strips, Paul and Steve remain ever and supremely the radio detectives.