Paul Temple and the Jonathan Mystery (Dramatized)

By: Francis Durbridge

Narrated by: Peter Coke, Majorie Westbury, Full Cast

From 1938 to 1969 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 serials. 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.

This time, the case involves the Fergusons, who Paul and Steve meet while on the way home from New York. They are flying to England to visit their son Richard, a student at Oxford University. But at the airport, there is shocking news: Richard has been murdered, found shot dead in his room. The only clues are a postcard from Harrogate signed 'Jonathan', and Richard's missing gold signet ring.

But who is Jonathan, and what is his connection to the dead man? It is up to Paul to find the answer.

©2004 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2004 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Dramatizations are a great change of pace

I loved this mystery. I was on a trip and I set up in my motel room with some portable speakers. It was very well done and just the right mix of period piece and contemporary mystery. There is a "Mr. and Mrs. North" feeling to the characters and a lot of twists and turns along the way.

One of the best Temple Stories

Comes from an age when heros and heroines tackled villains. Today's antihero or heroine were not common in Temple 's time which is one reason I liked the BBC originals as a child.

Classic Radio Drama

Drama and comedy shows were still being broadcast on the radio when I was a child. I remember sitting in front of a large console radio to listen to "The Green Hornet". Television became the prime broadcast medium, but I still enjoy listening to dramatized radio shows.

The Paul Temple series was broadcast on the BBC for over 30 years, ending in 1969. Writer Paul Temple and his wife, Steve (a woman), assist Scotland Yard in solving crimes. Red herrings and plot twists are part of the formula and part of the fun. The "final act", in which the criminal is revealed, usually takes place at some form of cocktail party.

The acting and production of these shows is excellent.

If you are looking for pure entertainment and a bit of nostalgia, this series is a good bet.