Paul Temple And The Vandyke Affair

By: Francis Durbridge

Narrated by: Full Cast, Marjorie Westbury, Peter Coke

From 1938 to 1969 the fictional 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 series. 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. In this adventure, Paul Temple is called in to investigate the disappearance of the Desmond baby, and the 'Sitter-In' Miss Millicent. When they visit Mary Desmond she is, understandably, very upset - it's already been a week since her eighteenth-month-old daughter vanished. The only clue is a telephone message left in Miss Millicent's handwriting: 'A Mr Vandyke telephoned, he left no message'. However, no-one knows who this mysterious Mr Vandyke is... This audio edition also includes the BBC Radio 4 programme The Radio Detectives: 'Send for Paul Temple', an affectionate look at the indomitable husband and wife team, Paul and Steve Temple. It features an exclusive interview with the definitive Paul Temple, Peter Coke, and rediscovered vintage recordings.© and (P)2004 BBC Audiobooks Ltd.; © Estate of Francis Durbridge

Old fashioned sleuthing

Great fun with numerous twists and turns. Even if you figure out ‘who done it’ it’s an enjoyable ride.

The Golden Age of Radio

When I was very young, TV was just getting started and radio dramas were a main source of entertainment for our family. I've long been a fan of classic American radio shows. It was a pleasant surprise to discover this 1951 mystery from the BBC.

This is a well produced, well acted full cast mystery. There are lots of characters, lots of plot twists, and many "red herrings." I had great fun listening to it. Considering the age of the recording, the sound quality is quite good.

The audio book includes a BBC documentary about the history of this series. The series ran for 30 years in Britain. After listing to this episode, I can understand why.

I will be looking for more Paul Temple mysteries!