''Take a Pair of Private Eyes'' is a British

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

crime In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definit ...

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...

which originally aired on

BBC 2 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 ...

in six episodes from 10 April to 15 May 1966. It was written by

Peter O'Donnell Peter O'Donnell (11 April 1920 – 3 May 2010) was an English writer of mysteries and of comic strips, best known as the creator of ''Modesty Blaise'', an action heroine/undercover trouble-shooter. He was also an award-winning gothic hi ...

, best known as the creator of

Modesty Blaise ''Modesty Blaise'' is a British comic strip featuring a fictional character of the same name, created by author Peter O'Donnell and illustrator Jim Holdaway in 1963. The strip follows Modesty Blaise, an exceptional young woman with many talent ...

.Reilly p.1172 The title is a reference to the

Gilbert and Sullivan Gilbert and Sullivan was a Victorian era, Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the dramatist W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911) and the composer Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900), who jointly created fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which ...

song '' Take a Pair of Sparking Eyes''. In the style of ''

The Thin Man ''The Thin Man'' (1934) is a detective novel by Dashiell Hammett, originally published in a condensed version in the December 1933 issue of ''Redbook''. It appeared in book form the following month. A film series followed, featuring the main cha ...

'' it focuses on Ambrose and Dominique Fraynes a husband and wife who run a

private detective A private investigator (often abbreviated to PI and informally called a private eye), a private detective, or inquiry agent is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. Private investigators of ...

agency assisted by his father Hector.

Cast

Derek Fowlds Derek James Fowlds (2 September 1937 – 17 January 2020) was an English actor. He was best known for his appearances as "Mr Derek" in ''The Basil Brush Show'' (1969–1973), Bernard Woolley in the sitcom ''Yes Minister'' (1980–1984) and its s ...

as Ambrose Frayne * Jeanne Roland as Dominique Frayne *

Sam Kydd Samuel John Kydd (15 February 1915 – 26 March 1982) was a British-Irish actor. His best-known roles were in two major British television series of the 1960s, as the smuggler Orlando O'Connor in '' Crane'' and its sequel ''Orlando''. He als ...

as Hector Frayne *

Henry McGee ''For the American businessman and academic, see Henry W. McGee.'' Henry James Marris-McGee (14 May 1929 – 28 January 2006) was a British actor, best known as straight man to Benny Hill for many years. McGee was also often the announcer ...

as Charles *

Bridget Armstrong Bridget Armstrong (born 1937, Dunedin) is a New Zealand actress. She appeared on stage, film and TV several times, including '' The Lost Tribe (The Goodies)''; as Nurse Rosemary Layton, in the ''Edgar Wallace Mysteries'' ' episode, ''We Shall See' ...

as Cornelia *

John Bryans John Bryans (died March 2, 1989) was a British actor, who appeared frequently on television. He is possibly best known for his recurring role as Bercol during the first two series of ''Blake's 7''. He also appeared in the third series as the tor ...

as Feinster * John Sharp as Crozier *

Peter Forbes-Robertson Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a su ...

as Roger Curran *

Ivor Salter Ivor Charlie Salter (22 August 1925 – 21 June 1991) was an English actor who appeared in character roles in numerous United Kingdom television productions and films from the early 1950s until the 1980s often appearing as a police constable. H ...

as M. Brienne *

Campbell Singer Campbell Singer (born Jacob Kobel Singer; 16 March 1909 – 16 February 1976) was a British character actor who featured in a number of stage, film and television roles during his long career. He was also a playwright and dramatist. Life He was ...

as Insp. Roth * George Lee as Police constable *

Victor Maddern Victor Jack Maddern (16 March 1928 – 22 June 1993) was an English actor. He was described by ''The Telegraph'' as having "one of the most distinctive and eloquent faces in post-war British cinema." Life and career Born in Seven Kings, ...

as Cokey Brock * Jeanne Moody as Marian *

Margaret Nolan Margaret Ann Nolan (29 October 1943 – 5 October 2020) was an English actress, visual artist and glamour model. She appeared in '' Goldfinger'', '' A Hard Day's Night'' and six ''Carry On'' films, and also regularly appeared on screen from the ...

as Doreen *

John Cater John Edward Cater (17 January 1932 – 21 March 2009) was an English actor. His television credits include: ''Danger Man''; ''Z-Cars''; '' The Avengers''; '' The Baron''; ''Doctor Who'' (in the serial ''The War Machines''); ''Follyfoot''; '' ...

as Lyall Sankey * Yvonne Ball as Barmaid *

Alexandra Dane Alexandra Dane (born ''c''. 1940
''London Evening Standard'' (17 November 2011). Retrieved ...

as Girl * Roy Denton as Sam *

Peter Diamond Peter Arthur Diamond (born , 1940) is an American economist known for his analysis of U.S. Social Security In the United States, Social Security is the commonly used term for the Federal government of the United States, federal Old-Age, ...

as Thug * James Fairley as Butler *

Clare Jenkins Clare may refer to: Places Antarctica * Clare Range, a mountain range in Victoria Land Australia * Clare, South Australia, a town in the Clare Valley * Clare Valley, South Australia Canada * Clare (electoral district), an electoral district * Cl ...

as Girl in pub * Edward Jewesbury as Insp. Marshall * Tom McCall as Musician * Brian Moorehead as Police sergeant * Derek Price as Musician * John Quarmby as Detective sergeant * John Rapley as Hearse driver * Harry Tardios as Manzella *

Francesca Tu Francesca Tu (born 1943) is a Chinese-born German film and television actress.Shelley p.35 Selected filmography Film * ''The Face of Fu Manchu'' (1965) * ''The Brides of Fu Manchu'' (1966) * '' You Only Live Twice'' (1967) * ''Lotus Flowers for Mi ...

as Japanese girl * Del Watson as Thug * Gabrielle Wheeler as Maid

References

Bibliography

*Baskin, Ellen . ''Serials on British Television, 1950-1994''. Scolar Press, 1996. * Reilly, John M. ''Twentieth Century Crime & Mystery Writers''. Springer, 2015.

External links

* {{IMDb title, 0396382 BBC television dramas 1966 British television series debuts 1966 British television series endings 1960s British drama television series 1960s British television miniseries English-language television shows Works by Peter O'Donnell