Francis Durbridge's thriller stars Peter Coke as Paul Temple and Marjorie Westbury as Steve in another intriguing case for BBC radio's smoothest investigator and his glamorous wife. April 1938 saw the transmission on the BBC's Midland Regional Programme of a thriller serial called 'Send for Paul Temple', written by Francis Durbridge. For the next thirty years, until 1968, the incomparably suave private detective and crime novelist Paul, together with his glamorous Fleet Street journalist wife Steve, solved case after baffling case in one of BBC radio's most enduringly popular series. Unfortunately, recordings of many of the early series are lost to the archives. In 2014, an abridged remake of the lost 1949 version of "Paul Temple and the Gregory Affair" was aired and released, followed by a live radio show in 2015 with the cast and the WDR Radio Orchestra, hosted by German Comedian Bastian Pastewka.

A rare gathering of most of the BBC’s most popular detectives at the time, first broadcast as a Christmas special in 1949. Through his work with antiques, he became interested in shell art, and started to produce his own pieces. He had his own personal gallery next to his home at Sharrington Hall in Sharrington, Norfolk, where he worked daily producing pieces. In April 2006, he opened the Peter Coke Shell Gallery in part of the recently restored fishing sheds on West Cliff at Sheringham in north Norfolk. [11] Searching for Julia's killer, a fortune teller in Brighton warns the Temples they're in grave danger. In 1998, on the death of author Francis Durbridge, the BBC broadcast a radio documentary about Paul Temple written and presented by Jeffrey Richards, entitled Send For Paul Temple (aired on 20 May 1998), which included extracts from surviving recordings held in the BBC Sound Archive such as the first ever serial in 1938. [6] [1] List of radio serials [ edit ] Serial title Send for Paul Temple' (1940) is an early remake of the now lost original 1938 BBC production. 'Paul Temple Intervenes' (1942) finds Paul and Steve investigating a series of celebrity murders whilst 'Paul Temple and the Vandyke Affair' (the original 1950 production, presented here for the very first time) concerns the strange disappearance of the Desmond baby and her sitter.Coke graduated from RADA aged 24, and was named one of the Daily Mail 's 'Stars of the Future'. He was also reportedly offered a seven-year contract in Hollywood, though declined as he "will be a better actor in a few years, and Hollywood will still want him. If he goes now, he will be forgotten." [4] He starred in Dodie Smith's 1937 play Bonnet Over the Windmill. Coke made his film debut in the comedy Missing, Believed Married (1937) and later starred in The Return of Carol Deane and Keep Smiling (both 1938). [5] Temple is a mystery author turned private eye (and shit magnet–trouble just seems to follow him), who is frequently “sent for” by Scotland Yard to “help out.” Aiding him in almost all of his investigations is his faithful journalist wife, Louise, known to one and all as “Steve,” after her writing pen name of Steve Trent. Also frequently lending a hand is Sir Graham Forbes of Scotland Yard, who would join the couple at the end of each show to offer a post-mortem of sorts on the case at hand. Paul Temple Intervenes was obviously designed for a 20 minute time-slot and, according to Mr Wikipedia the only such in the series. Nevertheless, it appears that earlier serials were of a variety of time-frameslots. However, by Peter Coke's day, Paul Temple always strode the the microphone for 30 minutes at a time.

Peter John Coke was born in Southsea, Hampshire on 3 April 1913. [2] His father was a commander in the Royal Navy, who took his family to Kenya to run a linen plantation; however, this venture failed and he began to run a coffee plantation. Coke was educated at Stowe School [3] and later lived with his maternal grandmother in Menton, France. [4] Calling Paul Temple (abridged remake of radio serial Send for Paul Temple Again) with John Bentley as Temple and Dinah Sheridan as Steve. Three complete radio dramas featuring writer-cum-amateur detective Paul Temple, plus bonus archive material. The radio series was a collaboration between writer Francis Durbridge and BBC producer Martyn C Webster, both of whom worked all of the radio broadcasts aired over the thirty years from 1938 to 1968. Durbridge was still at college when he approached Webster, who was then with the BBC Midland Region, with his proposal for a mystery series about a gentleman detective. [6] Not a bad run at all, if you ask me. Even now, I get quite a bit of mail about this character, and it’s not all from Brits of a certain age.

Paul Temple

exists in full (this is the version available on CD/cassette from the BBC Radio Collection) [note 15] Peter John Coke ( / k ʊ k/ "cook"; 3 April 1913 – 30 July 2008) was an English actor, playwright and artist. [1] Early life [ edit ] By Timothy, it's good to hear this early BBC Paul Temple which, according my little friend Mr Wikipedia, was first broadcast from October to December 1942 (right in the middle of the War, of course). Not much detecting going on here, no discernible chemistry between the two leads, and the plot (and its resolution) makes no sense. Whatever magic there was around this franchise isn’t apparent in this waste of time In Israel, the Voice of Israel began broadcasting the series on April 21, 1964 until 1968. The programme was directed and produced by Reuven Morgan starring Bezalel Levi as Paul Temple and Nili Keynan as his wife Steve. The series, which was broadcast in the days when there was no TV station in Israel, gained a wide audience. It was also known for the opening title " The Frightened City" performed by The Shadows, which added a touch of horror to the dramas.