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Paul Temple BBC Serials #9
Paul Temple and the Sullivan Mystery
In a thrilling case that takes Paul and Steve to exotic Egypt, Paul Temple is called in to investigate a mysterious murder. The twisting trail takes them from London to the back streets and nightclubs of Cairo... From 1938 to 1969 crime novelist and detective Paul Temple and his Fleet Street journalist wife Steve solved case after case in one of BBC radio’s most popular serials. They inhabit a sophisticated, well-dressed world of chilled cocktails and fast cars, where the women are chic and the men still wear cravats. And where Sir Graham Forbes of Scotland Yard always needs Paul’s help with a tricky case.
Now Paul Temple is being brought into the 21st century in this brand new 8 part recording of a lost archive Paul Temple mystery, starring Crawford Logan and Gerda Stevenson and first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 - 7 August to 2 October 2006.
4 pages, Audio CD
First published January 1, 1947
About the author
Francis Durbridge
213 books34 followersFrancis Henry Durbridge was an English playwright and author born in Hull. In 1938, he created the character Paul Temple for the BBC radio serial Send for Paul Temple.
A crime novelist and detective, the gentlemanly Temple solved numerous crimes with the help of Steve Trent, a Fleet Street journalist who later became his wife. The character proved enormously popular and appeared in 16 radio serials and later spawned a 64-part big-budget television series (1969-71) and radio productions, as well as a number of comic strips, four feature films and various foreign radio productions.
Francis Durbridge also had a successful career as a writer for the stage and screen. His most successful play, Suddenly at Home, ran in London’s West End for over a year.
A crime novelist and detective, the gentlemanly Temple solved numerous crimes with the help of Steve Trent, a Fleet Street journalist who later became his wife. The character proved enormously popular and appeared in 16 radio serials and later spawned a 64-part big-budget television series (1969-71) and radio productions, as well as a number of comic strips, four feature films and various foreign radio productions.
Francis Durbridge also had a successful career as a writer for the stage and screen. His most successful play, Suddenly at Home, ran in London’s West End for over a year.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
October 8, 2017
The Sullivan Mystery from 1947 was the first Paul Temple to feature Vivian Ellis’ famous Coronation Scot as the main theme on radio (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CT7kb...). It is also one of the most fun shows in the series, and this wonderful BBC-4 recreation is splendid in every way!
The plot to The Sullivan Mystery is wildly implausible, but can’t mar your enjoyment of Paul and Steve heading to an exotic location, with mystery and danger hot on their heels. It’s a world of a different era, one of cocktails and sports cars, sophisticated parties mingling with intrigue and danger. For mystery lovers, a better world it is. As I mentioned in my review of Paul Temple and Steve, think of Paul Temple and his Fleet Street journalist wife as television’s Jonathan and Jennifer Hart, moved across the pond and back in time a few decades, and you’ll have a bead on the ambiance already.
Crawford Logan and Gerda Stevenson once again portray the sophisticated couple prone to attract danger in this incredibly enjoyable production of the original show as it was broadcast on the BBC. Again, it’s a Patrick Rayner production, and it sparkles from the outset as Paul and Steve are preparing for an exciting trip to Cairo, Egypt. Joyce Harwood interrupts the packing and banter between the couple when she asks Paul a favor. A rather innocuous favor — to deliver a pair of spectacles to her cousin, Richard Sullivan, who has left them behind. Since the Temples are headed to that side of the world, why not?
Oh, boy! What is with the peepers? Everyone seems to want them, with some offering great sums of money, others offering something much more dangerous. It begins to appear as though several groups may be working independently of one another to get the glasses. First the woman claiming to be Joyce Harwood is found murdered after a room mix-up, a peppermint the only clue to the killer’s identity. Then someone tries to do away with Paul and Steve while they go for a sail at one of the exotic stops on their way to Cairo. Because these were the romantic days of travel, there are several legs to the journey, including a stop in Sicily, exotic cafés and swanky nightclubs, the Nile River, the Villa Negara and Hotel Karamet. And of course there’s a luxurious flying boat the Temples travel aboard at one point.
Because Paul has had Sir Graham check out the glasses through British Intelligence, he knows there is nothing special about them at all. This makes all the intrigue even more puzzling — but no less dangerous, as bodies seem to pile up on each leg of the journey until it becomes difficult to keep track of all the players. Constantine, Colonel Marquand, Harold Darwin, and Quinn are just a few who may be after something. But who is in league with whom? And is there actually a flesh and blood Richard Sullivan?
A strangled woman in the water, an antiques dealer’s business card, a sabotaged car, one man stabbed and another shot while standing on the Temple’s hotel balcony, and finally a kidnapping, make up a breezy and wonderfully fun mystery that sweeps us along with Paul and Steve on a quite adventurous vacation. It’s no wonder that the first of the eight episodes — there are two on each of the four discs — is titled Having a Wonderful Time, and the final episode is titled Still Having a Wonderful Time. That could easily describe the experience for the listener as well!
This is simply fabulous, and I can’t recommend it highly enough. If you would prefer to read it — I’ve done both — its print title is East of Algiers, and it’s great fun also. Perhaps because it was originally a radio mystery, it may be even more enjoyable in that medium’s form, thanks to the attention to production detail and the excellent cast — most notably of course, Crawford Logan and Gerda Stevenson. The Sullivan Mystery is chic old-fashioned mystery fun that can’t be beat. Take a break and tag along with Francis Durbridge’s iconic couple, Paul Temple and Steve!
The plot to The Sullivan Mystery is wildly implausible, but can’t mar your enjoyment of Paul and Steve heading to an exotic location, with mystery and danger hot on their heels. It’s a world of a different era, one of cocktails and sports cars, sophisticated parties mingling with intrigue and danger. For mystery lovers, a better world it is. As I mentioned in my review of Paul Temple and Steve, think of Paul Temple and his Fleet Street journalist wife as television’s Jonathan and Jennifer Hart, moved across the pond and back in time a few decades, and you’ll have a bead on the ambiance already.
Crawford Logan and Gerda Stevenson once again portray the sophisticated couple prone to attract danger in this incredibly enjoyable production of the original show as it was broadcast on the BBC. Again, it’s a Patrick Rayner production, and it sparkles from the outset as Paul and Steve are preparing for an exciting trip to Cairo, Egypt. Joyce Harwood interrupts the packing and banter between the couple when she asks Paul a favor. A rather innocuous favor — to deliver a pair of spectacles to her cousin, Richard Sullivan, who has left them behind. Since the Temples are headed to that side of the world, why not?
Oh, boy! What is with the peepers? Everyone seems to want them, with some offering great sums of money, others offering something much more dangerous. It begins to appear as though several groups may be working independently of one another to get the glasses. First the woman claiming to be Joyce Harwood is found murdered after a room mix-up, a peppermint the only clue to the killer’s identity. Then someone tries to do away with Paul and Steve while they go for a sail at one of the exotic stops on their way to Cairo. Because these were the romantic days of travel, there are several legs to the journey, including a stop in Sicily, exotic cafés and swanky nightclubs, the Nile River, the Villa Negara and Hotel Karamet. And of course there’s a luxurious flying boat the Temples travel aboard at one point.
Because Paul has had Sir Graham check out the glasses through British Intelligence, he knows there is nothing special about them at all. This makes all the intrigue even more puzzling — but no less dangerous, as bodies seem to pile up on each leg of the journey until it becomes difficult to keep track of all the players. Constantine, Colonel Marquand, Harold Darwin, and Quinn are just a few who may be after something. But who is in league with whom? And is there actually a flesh and blood Richard Sullivan?
A strangled woman in the water, an antiques dealer’s business card, a sabotaged car, one man stabbed and another shot while standing on the Temple’s hotel balcony, and finally a kidnapping, make up a breezy and wonderfully fun mystery that sweeps us along with Paul and Steve on a quite adventurous vacation. It’s no wonder that the first of the eight episodes — there are two on each of the four discs — is titled Having a Wonderful Time, and the final episode is titled Still Having a Wonderful Time. That could easily describe the experience for the listener as well!
This is simply fabulous, and I can’t recommend it highly enough. If you would prefer to read it — I’ve done both — its print title is East of Algiers, and it’s great fun also. Perhaps because it was originally a radio mystery, it may be even more enjoyable in that medium’s form, thanks to the attention to production detail and the excellent cast — most notably of course, Crawford Logan and Gerda Stevenson. The Sullivan Mystery is chic old-fashioned mystery fun that can’t be beat. Take a break and tag along with Francis Durbridge’s iconic couple, Paul Temple and Steve!
September 28, 2008
Paul Temple and his wife Steve are off on a holiday to Egypt, having agreed to return a pair of ordinary glasses while they're there. Several murders follow and, of course, the glasses play an important role in solving the mystery.
As all the other full dramatisations I've listened to, this was a great one. Thoroughly enjoyed this mystery in typical Paul Temple style (a few car crashes, lots of evening drinks, some kidnapping,...), though this time round I had almost figured out by the end who the murderer was (normally I'm quite clueless). Good fun.
As all the other full dramatisations I've listened to, this was a great one. Thoroughly enjoyed this mystery in typical Paul Temple style (a few car crashes, lots of evening drinks, some kidnapping,...), though this time round I had almost figured out by the end who the murderer was (normally I'm quite clueless). Good fun.
August 31, 2018
It's not my first Paul Temple, but the it's the most recent one I've listened to - as always it is such a nice way to spend time and all and it kinda feel like autumn is around the corner! (Old habits)
November 11, 2014
This really doesn't count as an audio book, since it's a radio play, but since it's in the database, why not? I love Paul Temple, I love Steve (though she has a distressing habit of getting herself kidnapped and/or drugged (sometimes by her own husband)), and I loved this. London to Cairo via an aeroplane with no discernible safety features, dead bodies turning up all over the place, an international cast of crooks and ne'er-do-wells, some extremely dodgy accents, and - most importantly - an ordinary pair of horn-rimmed spectacles. Marvellous.
July 7, 2009
This was a good book. Slow at first, but builds to great suspense. Mr. and Mrs. Temple are told to deliver spectacles to Egypt, where they are already headed. They seem like ordinary glasses, but hold the secret to a great fortune. Along the way, Temple and his wife must figure out the meaning of it all, and stay alive, too!
February 7, 2018
What an entertaining listen!
I randomly picked this to listen to because it was a BBC Full-Cast Dramatisation, which so far has been quite lovely, and it was a fun treat.
At about 3.5 hours, this was a little longer than the Poirot dramatisations, but entertaining nonetheless.
Take 1 part James Bond, and 2 parts Agatha Christie (I'm thinking Tommy and Tuppence), shake and pour into the radio. Make sure to write in cliffhangers at the end of every episode, and you have an idea of what you're in for with this.
As to where these Dramatisations come from, they're faithful recordings from scripts that the BBC had. They have all the charm of the original serials, but without the poor audio quality.
Highly recommended, especially if your library has them to listen to.
I randomly picked this to listen to because it was a BBC Full-Cast Dramatisation, which so far has been quite lovely, and it was a fun treat.
At about 3.5 hours, this was a little longer than the Poirot dramatisations, but entertaining nonetheless.
Take 1 part James Bond, and 2 parts Agatha Christie (I'm thinking Tommy and Tuppence), shake and pour into the radio. Make sure to write in cliffhangers at the end of every episode, and you have an idea of what you're in for with this.
As to where these Dramatisations come from, they're faithful recordings from scripts that the BBC had. They have all the charm of the original serials, but without the poor audio quality.
Highly recommended, especially if your library has them to listen to.
May 1, 2022
A rather complex story. Several suspects die (some of them more than once, lol) and the remainder are fairly obviously the bad guys. However, the “why” and keeping track of who-double-crossed-who were rather intriguing. And with that, I’ve finished the last BBC Dramatization of Paul Temple.
Content: mild language
Content: mild language
November 29, 2022
Bodies bodies everywhere. And they all seem so chipper about it. WTH?
July 30, 2026
One of Paul Temple's best mysteries - this time an international race to determine the hidden meaning in a nondescript pair of glasses
November 1, 2010
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/...
A pair of spectacles spark drama for the Egypt-bound sleuth and his wife. Francis Durbridge's thriller stars Crawford Logan.
And 'By Timothy', here is the theme tune and film
A pair of spectacles spark drama for the Egypt-bound sleuth and his wife. Francis Durbridge's thriller stars Crawford Logan.
And 'By Timothy', here is the theme tune and film
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews