Detective is a British mystery anthology television series adapted from stories by numerous prominent crime fiction writers, with each episode focusing on a particular detective character. Several prominent fictional sleuths were showcased, including Sherlock Holmes, Dr. John Thorndyke, Philip Trent, Sir Henry Merrivale, Roderick Alleyn, Father Brown, Albert Campion, C. Auguste Dupin, Sir John Appleby, Inspector Ghote, Nigel Strangeways and Gervase Fen.
Each episode of the first series was introduced by Rupert Davies, in-character as Inspector Maigret, reprising his role from the eponymous BBC series that had aired from 1960 to 1963. Several episodes functioned as Backdoor pilots for potential future series. Of the 45 episodes, only three such shows were produced as a result: Cluff (1964–65) starring Leslie Sands, Thorndyke (1964) starring Peter Copley, and Sherlock Holmes (1965–68) starring Douglas Wilmer, and later, Peter Cushing.
Of the eighteen episodes from the first series twelve are currently known to exist; nine episodes from series two survive; while only one episode from the third series remains in the archive.Detective (TV Series 1964–1969) - Trivia - IMDb
Recurring characters Characters who appeared in more than one episode: Glyn Houston and Bernard Horsfall as Nigel Strangeways (2 episodes) David Horne and Martin Wyldeck as Sir Henry Merrivale (2 episodes) Michael Hordern and John Welsh as Detective Inspector Rason (2 episodes) Geoffrey Keen and Michael Allinson as Roderick Alleyn (2 episodes) Dennis Price and Ian Ogilvy as Sir John Appleby (2 episodes) Patrick Troughton and Colin Blakely as Jasper Shrig (2 episodes) Jane Merrow and Penelope Horner as Eve Gill (2 episodes) Lee Montague as Fred Fellows (2 episodes). Montague is the only actor to reappear in the same role. Derek Godfrey and Edward Woodward as Commissaire Bignon (2 episodes). Woodward had previously played C. Auguste Dupin.
List of episodes Series One No. Title Original author(s) Detective(s) Actor(s) who portrayed detective(s) Ref. Status 1.1 The Moving Toyshop Edmund Crispin Gervase Fen, Oxford professor Richard Wordsworth Missing 1.2 The Drawing Gil North Detective Sergeant Caleb Cluff, Yorkshire policeman Leslie Sands Missing, spawned a series 1.3 Trent's Last Case E. C. Bentley Philip Trent, journalist Michael Gwynn Missing 1.4 End of Chapter Nicholas Blake Nigel Strangeways, private detective Glyn Houston Survives 1.5 The Judas Window Carter Dickson Sir Henry Merrivale, amateur detective David Horne Missing 1.6 Dishonoured Bones John Trench Martin Cotterill, archeologist Alan Dobie Survives 1.7 The Man Who Murdered in Public Roy Vickers Detective Inspector Rason, officer of "The Department of Dead Ends" Michael Hordern Missing 1.8 The Speckled Band Arthur Conan Doyle Sherlock Holmes, consulting detective Douglas Wilmer Survives, spawned a series 1.9 The Night of the Horns Douglas Sanderson Robert Race, lawyer Frank Lieberman Survives 1.10 Subject: Murder Clifford Witting Inspector Charlton and Peter Bradford Basil Dignam and Mark Eden Survives 1.11 Death in Ecstasy Ngaio Marsh Roderick Alleyn, police inspector Geoffrey Keen Survives 1.12 A Connoisseur's Case Michael Innes Sir John Appleby, police officer Dennis Price Survives 1.13 The Loring Mystery Jeffery Farnol Jasper Shrig, Georgian era hero Patrick Troughton Survives 1.14 The Hungry Spider Selwyn Jepson Eve Gill Jane Merrow Survives 1.15 The Case of Oscar Brodski R. Austin Freeman Dr. John Thorndyke, Forensic sleuth Peter Copley Survives, spawned a series 1.16 The Speaking Eye Clark Smith Nicky Mahoun, accountant Frederick Jaeger Survives 1.17 Death of a Fellow Traveller Delano Ames Dagobert and Jane Brown, married investigators Leslie Randall and Joan Reynolds Survives 1.18 The Quick One G.K. Chesterton Father Brown, Roman Catholic priest Mervyn Johns Missing
Series Two No. Title Original author(s) Detective(s) Actor(s) who portrayed detective(s) Ref. Status 2.1 The Deadly Climate Ursula Curtiss Robert Carmichael, reporter Dudley Sutton Missing 2.2 Dover and the Deadly Poison Pen Letters Joyce Porter Inspector Wilfred Dover, irascible police officer Paul Dawkins Survives 2.3 A Man and His Mother-In-Law Roy Vickers Detective Inspector Rason, officer of "The Department of Dead Ends" John Welsh Survives 2.4 Lesson in Anatomy Michael Innes Sir John Appleby, police officer Ian Ogilvy Missing 2.5 The German Song H.C. Bailey Reggie Fortune, police consultant Denholm Elliott Survives 2.6 The Beast Must Die Nicholas Blake Nigel Strangeways, private detective Bernard Horsfall Survives 2.7 The Avenging Chance Anthony Berkeley Roger Sheringham, amateur sleuth John Carson Survives 2.8 Born Victim Hillary Waugh Fred Fellows, police officer Lee Montague Missing 2.9 The Unquiet Sleep William Haggard Rachel Borrowdaile and Colonel Charles Russell, government agents Sarah Lawson and Roland Culver Survives 2.10 The High Adventure Jeffery Farnol Jasper Shrig, Georgian era hero Colin Blakely Survives 2.11 Cork on the Water Macdonald Hastings Montague Cork, insurance agent Colin Douglas Survives 2.12 The Case of the Late Pig Margery Allingham Albert Campion, gentleman detective Brian Smith Survives 2.13 The Golden Dart Selwyn Jepson Eve Gill Penelope Horner Survives 2.14 Crime of Passion Colin Morris (dramatization of the real-life Dr. Crippen case) Walter Dew Glynn Edwards Missing 2.15 Artists in Crime Ngaio Marsh Roderick Alleyn, police inspector Michael Allinson Missing 2.16 Deaths on the Champs Elysees Francis Didelot Commissaire Bignon Derek Godfrey Survives 2.17 The Murders in the Rue Morgue Edgar Allan Poe C. Auguste Dupin, French detective Edward Woodward Missing
Series Three No. Title Original author(s) Detective(s) Actor(s) who portrayed detective(s) Ref. Status 3.1 The Prisoner's Plea Hillary Waugh Fred Fellows, police officer Lee Montague Survives 3.2 The Singing Sands Josephine Tey Inspector Alan Grant, policeman John Carson Missing 3.3 The Public School Murder R.C. Woodthorpe Sir Luke Frinsby Cyril Luckham Missing 3.4 Put Out the Light Ethel Lina White Miss Pye Angela Baddeley Missing 3.5 The Tea-Leaf Edgar Jepson and Robert Eustace Ruth Kelstem Hannah Gordon Missing 3.6 Hunt the Peacock H.R.F. Keating Inspector Ganesh Ghote, Bombay policeman Zia Mohyeddin Missing 3.7 Elimination Round Ludovic Peters Ian Firth and John Smith David Buck and Meredith Edwards Missing 3.8 And So to Murder Carter Dickson Sir Henry Merrivale, amateur detective Martin Wyldeck Missing 3.9 The Poisoners Francis Didelot Commissaire Bignon Edward Woodward Missing 3.10 Mr. Guppy's Tale Charles Dickens William Guppy, law clerk Bill Fraser Missing
References
External links
Detective at TV Brain Detective at Action TV Detective at Television Heaven Detective at the British Film Institute