Two BBC Radio 4 classic thrillers

The Toff

Terence Alexander stars in these two classic crime dramas, adapted from the novels of John Creasey 
 
Meet The Honourable Richard Rollison - a.k.a the Toff. A debonair aristocrat and ace amateur sleuth, he's the scourge of London's criminal underworld: sometimes working alone, sometimes hand-in-glove with the police. But wherever he goes, he leaves his distinctive calling card: a jaunty caricature featuring a top hat, a monocle, a bow tie and a cigar. In these two gripping thrillers, he finds himself involved in rural intrigue and a wedding-day mystery... 
 
The Toff on the Farm - When the Toff is offered the opportunity to buy a small farm in Sussex, he politely declines - he's never had any inclination to be a country squire. But when he hears that there's a mystery attached to the place, he agrees to drive down and take a look. On arrival, he discovers that several other potential buyers are keen to get their hands on the property - and the owner's brother has vanished. Can the Toff uncover the secrets surrounding Selby Farm? 
 
The Toff and the Runaway Bride - Barbara Lawn is about to marry the Toff's old chum, Major Guy Lessing, against her father's wishes. But on the morning of the big day, she receives a distressing phone call - and later, at the reception, a letter arrives bearing shocking news. When she flees her husband en route to the honeymoon, the Toff finds himself investigating a heinous case of blackmail and murder... 
 
First published 1958 (The Toff on the Farm), 1959 (The Toff and the Runaway Bride) 
 
Cast and credits 
Written by John Creasey 
Dramatised by Roy Lomax 
Produced by John Fawcett Wilson 
 
Starring Terence Alexander as the Toff and Robert Dorning as Jolly 
 
The Toff on the Farm 
Gillian Selby - Heather Stoney 
Mr Lodwyn/Vicar - Jeffrey Segal 
Monty Morne - Terrence Hardiman 
Bert - Frank Jarvis 
Red Brandt/Eddie Forbes - Ed Bishop 
Inspector Bishop - Derek Newark 
Smith - Reg Lye 
Police Sergeant - Paul Meier 
Superintendent Grice - Duncan Lamont 
Lola Bridge - Liz Gebardt 
Alan Selby - Alaric Cotter 
Bert Ebbutt - Douglas Blackwell 
William T Brandt - Alan White 
Other parts played by the cast 
 
First broadcast BBC World Service, March 1977 
 
The Toff and the Runaway Bride 
Barbara - Rosalind Shanks 
Aunt Gloria - Peggy Ann Wood 
Holy Joe/Sergeant/Carruthers - David Graham 
Maggie - Frances Jeater 
Major Guy Lessing - Alan Cuthbertson 
Doctor - Dennis McCarthy 
Kevin Brennan - Robert Lawn 
Superintendent/Inspector Reno - Godfrey James 
Police Officer - Clifford Norgate 
Rose Lessing - Denise Buckley 
Inspector Ellerby - Roger Gartland 
Sergeant - Michael Shannon 
Robert Lawn - Kevin Brennan 
Police Constable - John Bull 
Inspector - Jean Dryant 
Other parts played by the cast 
 
First broadcast BBC World Service, June 1975 
 
Copyright © 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd 
(P) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

John Creasey

Full Cast

Patrick Allen

Sarah Lawson

Three action-packed vintage adventures

Three vintage crime serials, adapted from John Creasey's hugely popular thrillers 
 
Roger West is a home-loving, hard-hitting and very human policeman. Nicknamed 'Handsome' West, he's more than just a pretty face - he's also Scotland Yard's youngest, smartest detective and a crime-solving supremo. Six of his adventures were dramatised for radio between 1967 and 1971, but only three survived, all of which are included in this box set. 
 
Battle for Inspector West - Idle curiosity takes the Chief Inspector to a high-society wedding - and leads him into a case involving a notorious blackmailer and a missing bride. Drawn into a web of terror, West comes face-to-face with an old adversary - a dangerous criminal mastermind named Carosian... 
 
Inspector West at Home - When Roger West finds the dead body of a small-time crook, he faces opposition from the formidable Superintendent Abbott, his superior at the Yard. Suspended from duty, he sets out on a trail of conspiracy, corruption and murder... 
 
Inspector West at Bay - First West is targeted by a vicious attacker, then his wife Janet receives an anonymous, threatening message. Caught up in a deadly game of blind man's buff, can he save himself and his family from an enemy who seems determined to destroy them? 
 
Starring real-life husband and wife Patrick Allen and Sarah Lawson as Roger and Janet West, these three full-cast dramas are full of excitement and suspense. Also featured is a 30-minute episode from The Radio Detectives, 'Stand by for West', in which Professor Jeffrey Richards investigates the 'master craftsman of mystery' John Creasey and his greatest creation, Inspector West. 
 
 
Written by John Creasey 
Adapted by Maurice Travers 
 
Starring Patrick Allen as Chief Inspector Roger West and Sarah Lawson as Janet West 
 
Battle for Inspector West 
Michael Grant - Philip Bond 
Christine Grant - Denise Buckley 
Sir Guy Chatworth - Hamilton Dyce 
Prendergast - John Cazabon 
Vic - Charles Haggith 
Carosian - Francis de Wolff 
Arthur Morley - Preston Lockwood 
Julieta - Eva Stuart 
Sir Mortimer Grant - Humphrey Morton 
Detective Sergeant Hubert Gill - Trevor Bannister 
Pearly Willis - Henry Stamper 
Superintendent Mulloon - Harry Webster 
Produced by John Fawcett Wilson 
First broadcast BBC Light Programme, 4 May-15 June 1967 
 
Inspector West at Home 
Detective Inspector Bob Cornish - Frederick Treves 
Mark Lessing - Edward de Souza 
Superintendent Abbott - Grant Taylor 
Pep Morgan - Harry Landis 
Pickerell - Robert James 
Sir Guy Chatworth - Maurice Hedley 
Mrs Fleming - Margaret Robertson 
Lois Randall - Carol Marsh 
Bill Tennant - Anthony Jackson 
'Whistler' Malone - Rio Fanning 
Raymond Fleming - Frederick Jaeger 
Produced by John Fawcett Wilson 
Pianist: Max Harris 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2, 25 March-15 April 1968 
 
Inspector West at Bay 
Sir Guy Chatworth - Maurice Hedley 
Detective Inspector Bill Sloan - Derek Newark 
Mark Lessing - James Kerry 
Eve Wedlake - Anna Gilchrist 
With Leonard Fenton, John Baddely, Elizabeth Proud, Judy Bennett, Margaret Wolfit, Peter Williams, John Pullen, Ian Frost and Peter Thompson 
Produced by John Browell 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2, 27 May-19 June 1969 
 
The Radio Detectives, Series 3 Episode 5: Stand by for West 
Presented by Professor Jeffrey Richards 
With Richard Creasey, Patrick Allen and Sarah Lawson 
Produced by Liz Anstee 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 28th March 2000

John Creasey

Books by John Creasey

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