Paul Temple Intervenes

By: Francis Durbridge

Narrated by: Bernadette Hodgson, Carl Bernard, Full Cast

From 1938 to 1969 the fictional crime novelist and detective Paul Temple, together with his Fleet Street journalist wife Steve, solved case after case in one of BBC radio's most popular series. They inhabited a sophisticated world of chilled cocktails and fast cars, where the women were chic and the men wore cravats - a world where Sir Graham Forbes, of Scotland Yard, usually needed Paul's help with his latest tricky case. The murder of well-known American Myron Harwood, found dead in a small country lane, heralds the start of a series of celebrity murders. Each time, the body is found with a small, square piece of white cardboard bearing the inscription 'The Marquis'. When the eighth victim, a girl, is picked out of the river with the same card attached to her dress, a note from Paul Temple is delivered to Sir Graham Forbes. The message reads: 'Is it true what they say about Rita?' Rita Cartwright was a private detective investigating the Marquis murders - and now she too has ended up dead. With the police baffled and the Home Secretary specially requesting his involvement, Paul Temple has no choice but to intervene...© Estate of Francis Durbridge; (P)2005 BBC Audiobooks Ltd.

Interesting for series fans

I'm a huge fan of the Paul Temple serials, and I was very interested to hear this one when I read that it's the oldest one in the BBC archives. I was a little disappointed for two reasons - I much prefer Peter Coke and Marjorie Westbury in the roles of Paul Temple and his wife, Steve, and the story is much too short!

That said, the actors who play Paul & Steve really aren't bad - they just aren't the voices I normally associate with the characters. Also, Charlie (their butler) does not appear in this one - the butler is a much older character.

The episodes in this serial are only about 15 minutes long, but they follow the same pattern used in the later serials: they start with a recap of the last minute or so of the previous episode and there is generally a major break at the mid-way point. That means much less action in each episode.

For fans of the series, don't miss this one - it's interesting to see how it evolved! For those who have never heard a Paul Temple serial before, start with one of the others and come back to this one only if you become a fan.

Great window into the past of early British radio

It’s not my favorite Paul Temple story, But I enjoyed it just the same. I know that the sound was sometimes a distraction yet I have heard worse a lot worse. I agree that the relationship between Paul and Steve is definitely here.Unfortunately the buddy adventure between the two is somewhat lacking. I really enjoy when they are both in danger together because it shows how much they love each other and it makes it more suspenseful . I would still recommend this to anyone who enjoys classic BBC Radio detective dramas just the same.

Intriguing story

Excellent! I started listening to Paul Temple radio dramas over a decade ago on BBC RADIO 4 & BBC RADIO 4EXTRA. Wonderful!

Classic Paul Temple

Good story, poor audio. Well worth listening to.
An old story. Similar to the newer ones. Audio quality is noisy sometimes.

1940's

An original Paul Temple (and Steve) adventure from the early 1940's. This series is perfect for anyone who likes period detective radio programs. It is not noir but more in the gentleman, amateur detective vein. Steve is the plucky sidekick/wife and suffers from the limitations of female characters of the 1940's. However, the Temples relationship is a good one.