The Radio Detectives - BBC 98-06-03 (103) Sexton Blake, The Other Baker Street Detective

Summary

Podcast Summary: "The Radio Detectives - BBC 98-06-03 (103) Sexton Blake, The Other Baker Street Detective"

Podcast Title: Harold's Old Time Radio
Episode Title: The Radio Detectives - BBC 98-06-03 (103) Sexton Blake, The Other Baker Street Detective
Release Date: April 26, 2025

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1. Introduction to Sexton Blake

The episode delves into the rich history of Sexton Blake, a monumental figure in the realm of crime detection literature. Positioned as an alternative to the legendary Sherlock Holmes, Sexton Blake emerged as a beloved detective for generations of readers.

Notable Quote:
Narrator [00:53]: "For several generations of the mass reading public, Sexton Blake was the Baker Street detective, a more significant figure in the popular imagination even than Holmes."

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2. Origins and Creation of Sexton Blake

Sexton Blake was introduced in the December 1893 issue of the Halfpenny Marvel through the story "The Missing Millionaire," penned by Harry Blythe under the pseudonym Hal Meredith. This character quickly gained popularity, overshadowing even Sherlock Holmes in the public eye.

Historical Context:
Arthur Conan Doyle had just killed off Sherlock Holmes in the same month, creating a void that Sexton Blake adeptly filled. Despite Blythe's untimely death in 1898 after writing seven subpar stories, the character's legacy endured, spanning over 4,000 stories by approximately 200 authors until 1978.

Notable Quote:
Narrator [00:53]: "The name was a masterstroke, Sexton Blake, with its overtones of graveyards, mystery and death."

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3. Comparison to Sherlock Holmes

While Sexton Blake shared several attributes with Sherlock Holmes—such as residing on Baker Street, having devoted housekeepers, and maintaining faithful assistants—he diverged significantly in style and storytelling.

Key Differences:

• Storytelling Approach: Holmes' narratives were intricate detective puzzles emphasizing deductive reasoning. In contrast, Blake's stories were melodramatic thrillers full of action and fast-paced plots.
• Character Traits: Blake was portrayed as more adventurous and globe-trotting, embodying the modern man of the interwar period, whereas Holmes remained rooted in Western Europe.

Notable Quotes:
Narrator [02:29]: "But there were significant differences. Where Conan Doyle's stories were detective puzzles, the Blake stories were melodramatic thrillers, vivid, action packed and fast moving."
Sexton Blake [03:01]: "You're coming with us."

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4. Development of Sexton Blake and His Assistants

Sexton Blake's universe expanded with the introduction of his assistant, Tinker, an orphaned boy who became integral to the stories. Tinker evolved from a quiet character to a resourceful and capable assistant, adept at piloting planes and driving Blake's bulletproof Rolls Royce.

Notable Quote:
Norman Wright [06:16]: "Tinker became far more important to the stories and the plots. He became more assertive... He had a good right hook."

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5. Prolific Contributors and Writers

Sexton Blake's enduring success was fueled by a diverse group of writers who brought their unique styles and experiences to the character. Notable authors included:

• GH Teed: A Canadian writer whose global travels enriched his storytelling.
• Gwyn Evans: Known for his flair for publicity and extravagant stunts.
• Pierre Quirole (W.W. Sayers): A bank clerk turned writer who joined the ranks of Blake authors.

Notable Quote:
Norman Wright [11:08]: "The writers of the Blake stories were sometimes as exotic as their creations."

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6. Visual Representation by Eric Parker

Eric Parker played a pivotal role in defining Sexton Blake's visual identity. His dynamic and vibrant artwork brought Blake's adventures to life, particularly through hand-painted covers for the Sexton Blake Library.

Notable Quote:
Norman Wright [07:53]: "Eric Parker couldn't draw a stiff figure. He gave Blake a lean, powerful look."

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7. Iconic Villains in Sexton Blake Stories

The allure of Blake's stories was amplified by a diverse and memorable cast of villains, ranging from international masterminds to renegade officials. Notable antagonists included:

• The Snake: Head of the International Criminal Ring, the Black Quorum.
• Prince Wu Ling: Leader of the Brotherhood of the Yellow Beetle.
• Prince Menes: Head of the ancient Order of Ra.

Notable Quote:
Narrator [08:33]: "There was the renegade policeman, George Marsden Plummer... and Prince Menes, head of the ancient Order of Ra."

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8. Stage and Film Adaptations

Sexton Blake's popularity transcended print, leading to numerous stage plays and films. The 1930s saw George Curzon portraying Blake in films like Sexton Blake and the Hooded Terror, showcasing Blake's action-packed adventures.

Notable Quote:
Norman Wright [13:56]: "The only one of these films which seems to have survived is the third Sexton Blake and the Hooded Terror."

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9. Radio Adaptations and Challenges

The transition of Sexton Blake to radio faced several hurdles. The initial BBC serial, Enter Sexton Blake (1939), received mixed reviews due to casting choices and adaptation challenges. Ernest Dudley, the adapter, acknowledged the difficulties in translating the character's essence to the auditory medium.

Notable Quote:
Ernest Dudley [21:04]: "To transfer that to radio, to sound was to a hell of a lot. And perhaps it did work, but I never thought it did."

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10. Revitalization in the 1950s-1960s

By the mid-1950s, Sexton Blake's popularity waned, but editor William Howard Baker reinvigorated the series by updating the characters and storylines. The new incarnation featured swanky offices in Berkeley Square and introduced a "sexy" secretary, modernizing the detective to appeal to contemporary audiences.

Notable Quote:
Norman Wright [22:55]: "Blake never lost his common touch, but he had a hard edge for the crooks when it was needed."

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11. Final Appearances and Legacy

The last Sexton Blake stories surfaced in the late 1970s, with Jeremy Clyde portraying Blake in the BBC serial Sexton Blake and the Demon God (1978). Despite a promising legacy, the character has remained silent for over two decades. However, the podcast concludes with a hopeful nod to Sexton Blake's enduring legacy, likening him to King Arthur—waiting for a national crisis to resurface and restore his role as the champion of justice.

Notable Quote:
Narrator [28:47]: "But if Dorothy Sayers' Arthurian analogy holds, Sexton Blake, like Arthur, the once and future king, is merely sleeping and awaiting the moment when a crisis in the history of the nation will awaken him."

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Conclusion

"The Radio Detectives - BBC 98-06-03 (103) Sexton Blake, The Other Baker Street Detective" offers a comprehensive exploration of Sexton Blake's storied existence. From his origins as a cost-effective alternative to Sherlock Holmes to his expansive presence across various media, the episode highlights Blake's significant impact on the detective genre. Through engaging narratives, insightful interviews, and vivid descriptions, listeners gain a deep appreciation for Sexton Blake's enduring legacy as a quintessential detective.

Transcript

[Nicole Byer]

We interrupt this program to bring you an important Wayfair message. Wayfair's got style tips for every home. This is Nicole Byer helping you make those rooms Flyer today's style tip when it comes to making a statement, treat bold patterns like neutrals. Go wild like an untamed animal. Print area rug under a rustic farmhouse table. From wayfair.com Ooh, fierce. This has been your Wayfarer style tip to keep those interiors superior.

[Sexton Blake]

Wayfair. Every style, every home. The history of crime detection has produced no more famous name than that of Sexton Blake. We present a series of case histories by Donald Stewart.

[Narrator]

In the December 1893 issue of the Strand Magazine. Arthur Conan Doyle killed off Sherlock Holmes at the Reichenbach Falls. That very same month, the Halfpenny Marvel published a story called the Missing Millionaire. Written by a jobbing writer, Harry Blythe, under the pen name Hal Meredith, the stories introduced a character that came to be disparaged as the office boy Sherlock Holmes, or the poor man Sherlock Holmes. But for several generations of the mass reading public, Sexton Blake was the Baker street detective, a more significant figure in the popular imagination even than Holmes.

[Sexton Blake]

Hello? Yes, this is Sexton Blake's house. Who is it speaking?

[Narrator]

The name was a masterstroke, Sexton Blake, with its overtones of graveyards, mystery and death. Harry Blythe was paid nine guineas as a fee for the first story and the copyright in the character. But after writing seven stories, none of them actually very good, he died of typhoid in 1898. However, Blake's fictional career was to last more or less continuously from 1893 to 1978, running to over 4,000 stories by some 200 different authors. As Blake took over the mantle of Holmes, he also took over some of his attributes. Certainly they were similar in physical appearance. They both had rooms in Baker street, devoted housekeepers and faithful assistants.

[Sexton Blake]

What time do you get to London? About five. You'll come straight to Baker Street. Yes, that'll be all right. Yes, that's all right. Mr. Blake will be in. Goodbye.

[Narrator]

But there were significant differences. Where Conan Doyle's stories were detective puzzles, celebrations of the fine art of deductive reasoning, the Blake stories were melodramatic thrillers, vivid, action packed and fast moving.

[Sexton Blake]

Where's Duval? Either he's still seasick or he's. By gosh, what's happened? Something pretty serious. Look. That's a South American blowpipe arrow. Then you mean poor Duval? I'm afraid so. These blowpipe arrows are usually dipped in karate. One of the Deadliest poisons in the world. Yes, he's. He's quite dead.

[Narrator]

That was George Curzon as the 1930s Blake from the film Sexton Blake and the Hooded Terror displaying his omnivorous knowledge. For Blake was constantly globetrotting and is almost certainly the most well travelled of the fictional detectives. Whereas Holmes never strays outside Western Europe. In the published stories, where Holmes was something of a misogynist, Blake had discreetly hinted at but chased romances.

[Sexton Blake]

You promised to have dinner with me and I demand reparation. How can I make it? By promising to have supper with me instead. Well, if you insist. Governor is escaped. That's the worst of leaving things to you gloomy amateurs. We must get busy. We've got to catch that man. Well, I wish you the best of luck, but you're coming with us. Oh no, no, I'm afraid I've got a supper appointment with a lady. But you can't do that. Oh yes I can. Don't forget I'm acting quite unofficially.

[Narrator]

Holmes was a late Victorian Blake, a modern man of the streamlined interwar years. His regular means of conveyance the bulletproof Rolls Royce, as opposed to Sherlock's horse drawn hansom cab. Holmes was a product of the middle class world of the Strand magazine which cost sixpence an issue. Blake was a product of the mass circulation story papers for working class readers, epitomised by the Halfpenny Marvel, the paper launched by Alfred Harmsworth in 1893, which cost a halfpenny and in which Blake made his literary debut. But this was the mere starting point for the Blake legend. Its mythic significance was appreciated by no less a person than Dorothy L. Sayers, the creator of Lord Peter Whimsey.

[Dorothy L. Sayers]

This is the Holmes tradition, adapted for the reading of the Board School boy and crossed with the Buffalo Bill. Adventure type. Books are written by a syndicate of authors, each one of whom uses a set of characters of his own invention. Grouped about a central and traditional group consisting of Sexton Blake and his boy assistant Tinker, their comic landlady, Mrs. Bardell, and their bulldog Pedro. As might be expected, the quality of the writing and the detective methods employed vary considerably from one author to another. The best specimens display extreme ingenuity and an immense vigour and fertility in plot and incident. Nevertheless, the central types are pretty consistently preserved throughout the series. Blake and Tinker are less intuitive than Holmes. They are more careless and reckless in their methods, more given to displays of personal heroism and pugilism, more simple and human in their emotions. The really interesting point about them is that they present the nearest modern approach to a national folklore. Conceived as the centre for a cycle of loosely connected romances in the Arthurian manner, their significance in popular literature and education would richly repay scientific investigation.

[Narrator]

In that spirit of scientific investigation, I can reveal that it was wh back an enterprising editor with the Amalgamated press who in 1904 decided to build Blake up into a replacement for Holmes, whose disappearance was still mourned by mystery readers. So Blake was moved to Baker street and equipped with dressing gown, violin and pipe. He was also given an assistant, Tinker, an orphan waif who was a cross between Doyle's Billy the Page and Wiggins of the Baker Street Irregulars and who was the perfect identification figure for juvenile readers. Norman Wright is the co author of Sexton A Celebration.

[Norman Wright]

To start with, Blake didn't have a regular assistant. But as we know, all good detectives need assistance. That way they don't have to soliloquize to themselves. One early assistant had the unfortunate name of Wee Wee, but the definitive Blake assistant was Tinker. To start with, Tinker is rather a quietish sort of character, a cheeky little monkey. But as the years passed, Tinker became far more important to the stories and the plots. He became more assertive. He aged a little and by the late 20s he could pilot a plane as well as Blake, who he always referred to as his governor. He could drive the Grey Panther, Blake's bulletproof roles and he was very useful in a tight corner. He had a good right hook. His other jobs included keeping the Baker street scrapbook, helping with experiments and also looking after one of the other members of the team who was Pedro the Bloodhound. When Sherlock Holmes needed a dog, he had to go and borrow one. But Sexton Blake had Pedro, a real wonder dog, something of a cross between Lassie and Rin Tin Tin.

[Narrator]

There can be no doubting Blake's popularity. His adventures appeared in a wide variety of publications, but most notably in the weekly magazine Union Jack and its successor Detective Weekly, more or less continuously from 1904 to 1940 and simultaneously in the Sexton Blake Library Monthly Stories, which appeared regularly from 1915 to 1963. The visual image of Blake and his world was firmly and indelibly established by the artist Eric Parker.

[Norman Wright]

Wonderful atmosphere in his work. Whether he was depicting a sinister and brooding house or an action packed punch up, Parker put vitality and life into it. He had a dynamic style. His line work was vibrant, full of action. It has been said that Eric Parker couldn't draw a stiff figure he gave Blake a lean, powerful look. In 1929, Parker began to paint the full colour covers for the Sexton Blake library. And all in all, he painted around 900 covers. Not only did he paint the covers, he also hand painted the lettering on each cover.

[Narrator]

The appeal of the Blake stories in their heyday lay in the breathtaking action, the colourful locations and in particular the extraordinary gallery of villains such as the Snake, Sinister, head of the International Criminal Ring, the Black Quorum.

[Sexton Blake]

Put your hands up please, Mr. Sexton Blake. So the famous Mr. Blake is interested in my little waxwork show. I am indeed flattered. You have every reason to be. You, I presume, are the Snake. Correct. Another example of your brilliant powers of deduction. Yes. When we've got through exchanging civilities, perhaps we can get down to business. But certainly before I shoot a man, I always like to exchange civilities with him. Stand just where you are. When is the shooting about to begin? This very minute. Suits me perfectly.

[Narrator]

Each of the Blake writers had his own villain and the readers had their favourites too. There was the renegade policeman, George Marsden Plummer. The renegade surgeon, Dr. Huxton Reimer. The elegant opium smoking zenith, the Albino, His Criminal Majesty, King Karl of Serbovia. And then there were those leaders of conspiracies against the British Empire. Sinister Chinese mastermind Prince Wu Ling, head of the Brotherhood of the Yellow Beetle and the wealthiest man in China. Sinister Egyptian mastermind Prince Menes, head of the ancient Order of Ra and leader of a white slave gang. And also sinister Indian mastermind Gunga Das. So vivid were these adventures that some readers believe firmly in the existence of Sexton Blake and Tinker.

[Norman Wright]

Len Berry, the editor of Detective Weekly, quotes this wonderful story from the early 30s when a lady reader who'd written many times to the office said that she was coming up to London and would like to meet Sexton Blake. And Tinker the editor said, oh dear, we've got to do something about this. So he turned to Len Berry, who at the time was only 23 and a sub editor. You'll be Tinker, he said. So Len Berry, with a copy of Detective Weekly tucked under his arm, went along to Trafalgar Square to meet this lady, took her along to a Lions Corner house where he gave her a tea and cakes and then walked with her back to the station. He told she couldn't go to Baker street because they were redecorating. When they got to the station she pulled out from under her arm this packet that she'd been holding all afternoon. This is for you and your governor, she said, and pulled out two scarves. It's to keep the London fog at bay. Then she pulled out a third garment, a most peculiar looking object. And this is for Pedro to. To keep him warm as well.

[Narrator]

The writers of the Blake stories were sometimes as exotic as their creations.

[Norman Wright]

GH Teed is an author whose name always crops up when the Sexton Blake canon is being discussed. He was a Canadian who travelled the world and all the wealth of experience that he gained on his travels he put into his stories. He was a great ladies man. When he was in funds. It was weekend at the Savoy with his latest lady, where there'd be roses in the room, rose petals on the bed. When he was hard up, he'd be begging the editor for an advance. Len Barry tells me how he was caught once. Teed came in with a wadge of typescript, put it down, got his chit to collect his money, and when poor old Len looked through, the first three pages were typed and the rest were blank sheets. He wasn't caught like that anymore. Another writer who was larger than life was Gwyn Evans, a Welshman. Gwyn Evans had a flair for publicity. One of his stunts was to boil an egg for his breakfast on the steps of the Albert Memorial opposite Hyde park one Sunday morning. He'd tipped off the Sunday papers, of course, in advance. Pierre Quirole, whose real name was W.W. sayers, was a bank clerk in Fleet Street. He saw the writers coming in, depositing their paychecks, realised that they were earning far more than he was and decided to have a go himself.

[Narrator]

Blake's popularity on the printed page inevitably meant his translation to other mass media. There were several Sexton Blake stage plays, the earliest one produced in 1907. But the principal stage incarnation for Blake was in the four act play Sexton Blake, written by regular Blake author Donald Stewart and produced in London in 1930. The title role was taken by Arthur Wantner, best known for playing Sherlock Holmes on stage and film. He repeated the role in a gramophone record, Murder on the Portsmouth Road, also scripted by Donald Stewart.

[Sexton Blake]

Mrs. Day, why did your husband go out so late on a night like this? He said he'd got to meet someone on business. Who? He didn't tell me. He never spoke about the people he knew. Had he any enemies? Anyone who might have benefited by or desired his death? I don't know of anyone. You're only wasting time, sir. It's plain enough who killed him. You mean Cora? Yes, sir. He had the opportunity and the motive. Then I must have used a blinking pea shooter. Cause I ain't got a gun. I never had one. You've only your word for that. You searched me. That wouldn't prove anything. You probably threw the weapon away after you'd fired the shot. Larmie, there ain't no convincing some people. I believe the bloke what done it come and give himself up. You'd still think it was me.

[Narrator]

The first Blake film appeared in 1909, and during the silent era there were 13 more half hour Blake features. During the 1930s, three quota films were produced, starring George Curzon as Blake and Tony Simpson as Tinker.

[Norman Wright]

The only one of these films which seems to have survived is the third Sexton Blake and the Hooded Terror. This was produced in 1938. It had a marvellously hammy villain in the personage of Todd Slaughter, who was the snake leader of the Black Quorum.

[Sexton Blake]

You treacherous rat. Out of your own mo. You stand condemned. I haven't done anything. I swear I haven't.

[Norman Wright]

I haven't done a thing.

[Sexton Blake]

It's the woman. She's a spy. She's a legal sex and blatant. Now stop that squealing. Try to double cross the Black Quorum.

[Nicole Byer]

We interrupt this program to bring you an important Wayfair message. Wayfair's got style tips for every home. This is Nicole Byer helping you make those rooms flyer. Today's style tip. When it comes to making a statement, treat bold patterns like neutrals go wild like an untamed animal. Print area rug under a rustic farmhouse table from Wayfair. Wayfair.com Ooh. Yes. This has been your Wayfair style tip to keep those interiors superior.

[Sexton Blake]

Wayfair. Every style, every home.

[Nicole Byer]

We interrupt this program to bring you an important Wayfair message. Wayfair's got style tips for every home. This is Stiles Mackenzie helping you make those rooms sing. Today's style tip when it comes to making a statement, treat bold patterns like neutrals go wild like an untamed animal. Print area rug under a rustic farmhouse table. From wayfair.com this has been your Wayfair style tip to keep those interiors superior.

[Sexton Blake]

Wayfair. Every style, every home. You'd like to double cross me over the woman. There's only one penalty for such treachery and that's death. No, no, no. Don't shoot. Don't. Don't. I'll do anything you say, only don't shoot.

[Norman Wright]

George Curzon was an adequate Blake. He was quite authoritative, but he lacked the vitality that the character in the stories had fine in the domestic scenes where he was sitting around in Baker street, but he wasn't really a man of action.

[Sexton Blake]

Finished your lunch, Mr. Blake? Yes, thank you, Mrs. Bardell. Quite sure you've had enough, sir? Quite enough, thank you. And I'm not working. It's a fair treat to see you taking it easy for a change. Yes, we've been pretty busy these last six months. If you forgive the liberty, Mr. Blake, I never did hold with your mixing yourself up with them dangerous criminals and the like. No, nor did the criminals, Mrs. Bardell. I live in terror of me life. I'm always expecting one of them crinimals to come along here and throw a bomb at you or something. You're very old fashioned, Mrs. Bardell.

[Narrator]

They.

[Sexton Blake]

They don't throw bombs today. Oh, mercy on us. They've thrown it. All right, you can put away your gun. It's only me.

[Norman Wright]

Tony Simpson, unfortunately, was a disappointing tinker. The filmmakers couldn't get away from the fact that they believed a partner should be a silly ass who was easily duped by the villains.

[Sexton Blake]

Mr. Tinker, what the deuce are you playing? It's nothing to worry about, Garage. It's a small experiment with a delayed time fuse. As for this article in Practical Flying, what went wrong? Well, nothing really, except that it's supposed to delay and it didn't. It's not supposed to go off and it did. You're an intelligent assistant to an eminent detective, aren't you? Better if you followed my advice and collected stamps. It'd be safer for all of us.

[Norman Wright]

There's plenty of atmosphere in this film, though. A marvellous gaming room sequence with dummies instead of people. A lovely death room with snakes wheedling through the wall. And Greta Gynt is a marvellous mademoiselle. Julie.

[Sexton Blake]

Where's Julie? In the death chamber. Well, show me where it is or I'll blow your brains out. All right, you win this time, Mr. Blake.

[Narrator]

But perhaps the finest screen Blake to date was played by David Farrer, who in two wartime productions, Meet Sexton Blake and the Echo Murders, was pitted against a new enemy, the Nazis. David Farrer enjoyed himself as Blake. As he recalled in his autobiography, a.

[David Farrer]

Proposition was put to me to create Sexton Blake on the screen. Well, here again was something which was not likely to shatter the sophisticated circles of London's West End. But I reflected that Ronald Coleman had, in his earliest days, made the Bulldog Drummond series. And Basil Rathbun was churning out Sherlock Holmes series regularly. So I thought it might be fun to create the oldest of all the famous sleuths of fiction. And fun it was. I knocked out countless villains, got into dreadful scrapes, smashed chandeliers, was thrown down, flooded Mine Shaf, but always got my man.

[Norman Wright]

David Farah had actually had a small part in the Sexton Blake and the Hooded Terror. He had played Granite Grant. He was a very good Sexton Blake, great authority, a good screen presence, Tough with the villains, but had that common touch.

[Sexton Blake]

Bring him here. Clever, Mr. Blake. But not clever enough. Well, you're going to die. But first you'll answer some questions. How did you escape from the attic? They made the mistake of leaving me alone with one man and one arm free. I'm afraid I broke Rickson's wrist. So you broke his wrist. Well, in return, we shall break yours. Next, your reported death, it was faked, of course. When did you discover that I wasn't, Jordan? Just now you were looking at that map. You thought you were alone. Pretending to be a cripple is tiring, so you straightened your shoulders. Well, before you die, you'll know how a real cripple feels. Take off his coat. There you go. First right wrist. And courtesy. Hello, Bear Swisher.

[Narrator]

Blake's radio debut came in 1939 in a BBC serial, Enter Sexton Blake. Just as in the films, George Curzon played Blake with Brian Lawrence as Tinker. The serial was adapted by Ernest Dudley, who later went on to create his own celebrated radio sleuth, Dr. Morell.

[Ernest Dudley]

I happen to know the chap who ran Amalgamated Press at the time, who owned, as you know, Sexton Blake and Nelson Lee and all those schoolboy detectives. And I'd been doing quite a bit of work on the BBC radio, and I suddenly thought what a wonderful character he'd be. Do you see? And I went to them and they were very dodgy at first because they were very jealous. They owned their own whole thing and the writers never got a look in about that. And it took them, you know, about a month to make up their minds. In the end, they said, yes, and I did it.

[Narrator]

Of course, the Detective Weekly trumpeted its imminent appearance.

[David Farrer]

Only two weeks, and then begins the great new wireless serial play, bringing our famous Sexton Blake over the air to you for the first time. There have been Sexton Blake films, and today this grand character stands out as the most famous detective of fiction still in existence. When most of our fathers were young, they read and were thrilled by the adventures of Sexton Blake of Baker street and Today this great man and his assistant Tinker are more popular than ever. And with the fathers as well as the sons, and indeed with mothers and daughters too. Sexton Blake is a personality everybody enjoys reading about. And now everybody will be able to hear him in one of his most thrilling cases broadcast by the BBC.

[Narrator]

But Ernest Dudley deemed it a failure.

[Ernest Dudley]

It may have been because it wasn't very well written by me, of course, that's the point. But, well, this was the first time it was done on the radio. Sexton Blake, as you know, had been running for a long, long time, of course, and he was a character in print and to transfer that to radio, to sound was to a hell of a lot. And perhaps it did work, but I never thought it did and I think really it was in a way like Sherlock Holmes. It was stuff for the printed page.

[Narrator]

Do you think George Curzon was perhaps too old and too staid an actor.

[Sexton Blake]

To play the part?

[Ernest Dudley]

Yes, that's a good point. Radio acting is totally different from stage acting. It's an art on its own and you can either do it, I think, or you can't.

[Narrator]

And you thought that Tinker was a slightly odd.

[Ernest Dudley]

Yes, I did, yes. He was a dancer, well known dance band leader and I don't know why he was cast for it. He was slim and short and boyish looking, I suppose, but that again, you see, to play a young boy like Tinker on radio, you need, well, I think you need a youngish actor for a start. And certainly what's his name wasn't a youngish actor.

[Narrator]

Nevertheless, audiences must have liked it well enough for it was followed in 1940 by a case for Sexton Blake adapted by Francis Durbridge, the creator of Paul Temple, from a story by Ted Holmes and starring Arthur Young as Blake and Clive Baxter as Tinker.

[Norman Wright]

It's a story set in a castle on an island in remote Northumberland. Atmosphere is wonderful. Murderer wearing the legendary iron mask created by Alexander Dumas. It's a shame we can't hear any of that.

[Narrator]

Sadly, nothing from either serial remains in the archive. With the end of the war, Blake's fictional life began to falter and drastic action was needed.

[Norman Wright]

By the mid-50s, things were in a sorry state. We had some awful titles. The Mystery of the New Tenant, Crime at the Fair. There was no ring to them as there had been in the 30s and it really looked as if this was the end of the line for Sexton Blake. But then in 1956, William Howard Baker took over as editor of the Sexton Blake Library from Len Pratt. His brief to make a new look. Sexton Blake. Blake and Tinker still lived in Baker street, but now they had swish offices in Berkeley Square. He had a Sexy secretary, Paul O'Dayne. Marion Lang, the receptionist, was there. Ms. Pringle, the typist. Not only were the stories brought up to date in as far as they became more hard boiled, as the Americans would say, but the covers were given a new look. Whereas Parker's ones had been dynamic and full of action, the Sexton Blake libraries of the late 50s and early 60s were more like the American paperbacks. Lots of leg and cleavage. There were new writers who brought the character bang up to date and kept things really going. Blake never lost his common touch, but he had a hard edge for the crooks when it was needed. And this new look Blake lasted seven years, right up to 1963, and then after that. Howard Baker again brought out a new series of proper paperback versions of the Sexton Blake Library in 1965, which lasted for a further 45 issues. Taking the characters in 1968.

[Narrator]

It was this revamped Blake who reached the radio for his definitive wireless incarnation in 1967 in a splendid series that starred William Franklin as Sexton Blake, Heather Chasen as Paula Dane and David Gregory as Tinker. The scripts were by veteran Blake author Donald Stewart, who'd been writing Blake's story since the 1930s. He adroitly updated some of his vintage tales and provided the link with the Golden Age.

[Norman Wright]

Blake is very much of the time of the 60s. It's swinging London, but at the same time has lost none of the verve, none of that Golden Age feel.

[Narrator]

The series had some arresting openings.

[Sexton Blake]

You'd better stop, Tinker. It's no good crawling along blindly like this. A fog so thick you can scarcely see the radiator. It wasn't so bad. A couple of miles back you run into a pocket. I think. What are we going to do? I'll get out and try and find out where we are. It's like trying to see through thick soup. I shan't be long. You know, we ought to have stopped at that pub. I did suggest it, but Mr. Blake was determined to press on. Oh. What was that? I sounded like a shot. I'm going to see what's happened. I'm coming with you. Hey, Governor. Mr. Blake. Follow the fence. Okay, Governor. Follow it along. You'll come to a railway station. A railway station. Oh, well, that's something. Where are you now? Here, Governor. Quite close now. Why didn't you Stay in the car. We thought we heard a shot. You did. Somebody took a potshot at me from inside the station. The station? Yes, but it's derelict. Looks like one of Dr. Beeching's casualties.

[Narrator]

Hold on.

[Sexton Blake]

There's a ticket on the floor here. Looks fairly new. It hasn't been clipped. Stone me. Well, why the excitement? Look at his ticket. Let me see. But that's ridiculous. What's ridiculous? Well, it's an ordinary railway ticket, but it says first class, single to nowhere.

[Narrator]

The stories had Blake tackling some up to date 60s problems. Such as Russian spies in MI5.

[Sexton Blake]

Good evening, Mr. Raynor. Good evening, Mr. Andretsky. I brought two friends with me who are anxious to meet you. Great Scott. It's Gordon Hanson. You know this man, Mr. Buckhail? Of course I do. He works at the department and also for the Soviet Union. This is unit one. You've been waiting to meet him for a very long time.

[Narrator]

As well as Cold War conflicts, Blake also tackled contemporary social issues.

[Sexton Blake]

What is it? Marijuana, pep pills or something worse. I've no use for any of that stuff. Your sister wasn't so sensible, was she? What do you mean? What do you know about Marge? Quite a lot. Your sister died two months ago. She wasn't quite 20. She was a junkie heroine. She started taking pep pills when she was 14 for kicks. Then she went on to smoking marijuana. But the kicks weren't strong enough, so she graduated to heroin. She was almost skin and bones when she died.

[Narrator]

These were modern problems, but they were also welcome reminders of the diabolical conspiracies of pre war years.

[Sexton Blake]

Not very impressive, doctor. Singchon collection of toadstools. You speak with a voice of ignorance, Mr. Blake. The fungi which you see is a unique link between bacilli and fungi. It grows in and feeds on blood. The ripe spores, absorbed through the skin or by way of the respiratory system, grow and multiply swiftly. The spores are microscopic. In each of these specimens there are many millions. Enough to destroy the entire populations of, shall we say, Russia, America, Britain or all three.

[Narrator]

At the same time as the radio series with William Franklin, There was an ITV Sexton Blake television series which ran from 1967 to 1971 and starred Lawrence Payne as Blake. But it had a tragic ending when Payne was injured during a sword duel and lost the sight in one eye As a result. Blake's final appearance, both on screen and in print to date, was in 1978, when Jeremy Clyde played Blake in a BBC serial, Sexton Blake and the Demon God, which was novelized by John Garforth.

[Norman Wright]

The very last new Sexton Blake story appeared in 1978. It was a novelisation of Simon Raven's BBC TV series, but this was rather a travesty of the character concerning Egyptian mummies and so on, and was almost a pastiche rather than genuine Blake.

[Narrator]

So there has been 20 years of silence. But if Dorothy Sayers Arthurian analogy holds, Sexton Blake, like Arthur, the once and future king, is merely sleeping and awaiting the moment when a crisis in the history of the nation will awaken him and send him forth to do battle with the forces of crime and evil as the champion of law and order and civil.

[Nicole Byer]

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[Sexton Blake]

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[Nicole Byer]

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