''Bat Out of Hell'' is a British Thriller television serial created by

Francis Durbridge Francis Henry Durbridge (; 25 November 1912 – 11 April 1998) was an English dramatist and author, best known for the creation of the character Paul Temple, the gentlemanly detective who appeared in 16 BBC multi-part radio serials from 1 ...

and originally aired on

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...

from 26 November to 24 December 1966. The series followed two lovers, Diana Stewart (

Sylvia Syms Sylvia May Laura Syms (born 6 January 1934) is an English actress, best known for her roles in the films ''Woman in a Dressing Gown'' (1957), ''Ice Cold in Alex'' (1958), ''No Trees in the Street'' (1959), ''Victim'' (1961), and ''The Tamari ...

) and Mark Paxton (

John Thaw John Edward Thaw, (3 January 1942 – 21 February 2002) was an English actor who appeared in a range of television, stage, and cinema roles. He starred in the television series ''Inspector Morse'' as title character Detective Chief Inspector ...

), who are haunted by the voice of Diana's husband over the telephone after he is murdered by the couple. Inspector Clay (

Dudley Foster Frank Dudley Foster (7 August 1924 – 8 January 1973) was an English actor who regularly appeared in television roles. Foster was born in Brighouse, West Riding of Yorkshire. His family had established links with the theatre and a brother an ...

) was the detective inspector who headed the police investigation.

Situation

Diana Stewart (

) and Mark Paxton (

), are in love, however, Diana's husband Geoffrey (

Noel Johnson Noel Frank Johnson (28 December 1916 – 1 October 1999) was an English actor. He was the voice of special agent Dick Barton on BBC Radio and Dan Dare on Radio Luxembourg. Life Johnson was born 28 December 1916 in Birmingham, England and at ...

) is unlikely to grant her a divorce. When it is discovered that Geoffrey has a mistress, the two begin planning his murder. One night, as he is preparing to go on a month-long holiday, Diana shoots her husband and Mark arrives shortly afterward to help her get rid of Geoffrey's body. Things start to go wrong when the body disappears from the house and Diana later receives a mysterious telephone call from her "deceased" husband. Diana is told by Geoffrey to meet him at a local hotel or he will go to the police and have her arrested for attempted murder. Much to Mark's dismay, she is told to come to the hotel alone. Mark soon receives a phone call from a local shopkeeper, Kitty Tracey (

Patsy Smart Patsy Smart (14 August 1918 – 6 February 1996) was an English actress, best remembered for her performance as Miss Roberts in the 1970s ITV television drama '' Upstairs, Downstairs''. She also appeared in: ''Danger Man'', '' Only When I Laug ...

), who informs him that Diana has been arrested at the hotel after the police discovered Geoffrey's body. This is not the case, and the couple believe they are "home and dry" until they are preyed upon by a mysterious blackmailer.

Main characters

*Geoffrey Stewart (

) — a wealthy Sussex estate agent *Diana Stewart (

) — the wife of Geoffrey *Mark Paxton (

) — the lover of Diana *Inspector Clay (

) — a "deceptively easy-going" police detective investigating Geoffrey's disappearance

Episodes

Reception

''Bat Out of Hell'' was first broadcast on 26 November 1966. It aired Saturday nights at 10:05 pm and ran for five episodes with the series finale on 24 December 1966.Baskin, Ellen. ''Serials on British Television, 1950-1994''. Scolar Press, 1996. (pg. 82) The serial provided an interesting premise with the story taking place before the actual murder, a rarity in the genre at the time, so that the motives for Diana Stewart and Mark Paxton decision to murder Geoffrey Stewart could be better understood by the audience. The series climax, according to the John Thaw Foundation, is "particularly well remembered" in British television history. A novelisation of a five-part serial, entitled ''Bat Out of Hell: An Inspector Clay Mystery'', was written by Francis Durbridge and published in 1972. British crime novelist

Martin Edwards Charles Martin Edwards (born 24 July 1945) is the former chairman of Manchester United, a position he held from 1980 until 2002. He now holds the position of honorary life president at the club and Director of Inview Technology Ltd. Biography ...

, who enjoyed the series as a child, praised the book as "a little-known gem of suspense".

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, id=0059967, title=Bat Out of Hell 1960s British drama television series 1966 British television series debuts 1966 British television series endings 1960s British television miniseries 1960s British mystery television series BBC television dramas Black-and-white British television shows British detective television series British thriller television series English-language television shows Mariticide in fiction Adultery in television