A BBC Radio Crime Drama Collection

Liz Parker - A Confidential Agent

Six cosy detective dramas about secretary turned super-sleuth Liz Parker 
 
Liz Parker dreams of being a gumshoe, like her hardboiled heroes Philip Marlowe and Mike Hammer. But instead, she's stuck as secretary at the Ace Agency, a small-time investigation bureau above a curry house in the backstreets of Birmingham. Her lecherous boss, Mr Antrobus, is too tied up with typist Gloria to pay much attention to the cases that come in - so Liz decides to solve them herself... 
 
In A Confidential Agent, Liz gets embroiled in the affairs of an old friend and an old flame. But as she digs into the past, she unearths secrets, lies and shady dealings... All that Glisters sees her consulted by a young man whose girlfriend, Tracy, has gone missing. Looking into her disappearance, she uncovers a seedy photographic business with a sideline in blackmail. 
 
Poison in the Air finds Liz promoted to fully-fledged investigator. But her boss still isn't taking her seriously - so when she hears of poison-pen letters being sent to an old people's home, she's determined to unmask the culprit... In A Husband Scorned, she finds herself attracted to a teacher whose wife has gone astray: but is he a victim, or a villain? In Sharks Have Pearly Teeth, with the agency suffering a cash-flow crisis, Liz learns the bitter truth behind a case of moneylending and espionage. Finally, Fire sees her investigating threats against a Greek dressmaker - and when his clothing factory goes up in flames, she must decide if sabotage or fraud are involved. 
 
Scripted by award-winning dramatist Nick McCarty, these engaging dramas star Rosemary Martin as Liz Parker, Terry Molloy as Mr Antrobus and Clare Faulconbridge as Gloria. 
 
Production credits 
Written by Nick McCarty 
Directed by Philip Martin 
Pianist: Harold Rich 
 
Starring Rosemary Martin as Liz Parker, Terry Molloy as Mr Antrobus and Clare Faulconbridge as Gloria 
 
A Confidential Agent 
Cast: Barbara Atkinson, Edwin Richfield, Roger Hume, Terry Molloy, Joyce Gibbs, Dave Mitty, 
Gordon Coulson, Jackie Abbey Taylor, Pauline Wattis 
Other parts played by members of the cast 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 5 June 1986 
 
All That Glisters 
Cast: Roger Hume, Vikki Chambers, Kim Durham, Andy Hockley, Judith Pearson, Tex Flint 
Other parts played by members of the cast 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 23 July 1987 
 
Poison in the Air 
Cast: Roger Hume, Barbara Atkinson, Joyce Gibbs, Simon Carter, Alton Douglas, Ralph Lawton, Veda Warwick, Judy Bennett 
Other parts played by members of the cast 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 3 July 1991 
 
A Husband Scorned 
Cast: Roger Hume, Barbara Atkinson, Joyce Gibbs, Simon Carter, Leon Tanner, Martin Matthews, Janet Whiteside 
Other parts played by members of the cast 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 10 July 1991 
 
Sharks Have Pearly Teeth 
Cast: Roger Hume, Kimberley Hope, Kim Durham, Dave Mitty, Alan Devereux, Joyce Gibbs, 
Marian Kemmer 
Other parts played by members of the cast 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 24 July 1991 
 
Fire 
Cast: Roger Hume, Ian Lindsay, Kim Durham, Patricia Gallimore, Renu Setna, Philip Molloy 
Other parts played by members of the cast 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 17 July 1991 
 
&copy; 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd 
 
 
Episode sequence updated July 2023

Frank Hampson

Nick McCarty

A Full-Cast BBC Radio Adventure

Crash land with Dan Dare, the world’s Number One space hero!Decades after he first appeared in the comic Eagle, Dan Dare hits the airwaves and embarks on a mission to Venus to save the world. Classic comic-book fans and adventure lovers alike will relish this vintage production as Dan Dare, British science fiction comic hero, created by illustrator Frank Hampson, fires up his spaceship and launches into the future - the distant future - the 1990s… Nicknamed The ‘Biggles of Space’ and the ‘British Buck Rodgers’, this superhero’s manner is more reminiscent of British war films of the 1950s. Dominating the comic-book scene in the 1950 and 60s, the dashing and daring pilot is back in this brilliant, four-part radio dramatisation. Enjoy listening to a full-cast recording as they take on the adventure with Dan Dare and his crew battling to save the world.And in a bonus documentary, listen as Sir Tim Rice explores the lasting appeal of the British magazine Eagle and the impact of Dan Dare in Eagle: The Space Age Weekly. Charting the influences behind the comic, and exploring the life of its creator, Marcus Morris, this fascinating programme features contributions from author Philip Pullman, Sally Morris the daughter of Eagle creator and Eagle Society member David Britton.Cast and creditsDan Dare: Pilot of the FutureWritten by Frank HampsonDramatised by Nick McCartyDirected by Glyn DearmanMusic by Wilfredo AcostDan Dare - Mick FordSir Hubert - Terence AlexanderDigby - Donald GeeProfessor Peabody - Zelah ClarkeHank - William RobertsThe Mekon - Richard PearceSondar - David GoudgeAunt Anastasia - Margaret CourtenayMrs Digby - Shirley DixonVolstar - Ben OnwukweKalon - John MoffattPierre - Sean BarrettDapon - David KingUr Tag - Brian MillerOther parts played by Vincent Brimble, Paul Downing, Stephen Garlick, Dale Rapley, Danny Schiller, Charles Simpson, Simon Treves and Christopher Good First Broadcast BBC Radio 4, 19 Apr - 10 May 1990Eagle: The Space Age WeeklyWritten and Presented by Sir Tim Rice First Broadcast BBC Radio 4Extra, 23 Dec 2010 ©2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Nick McCarty

Books by Nick McCarty

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