''Thorndyke'' is a 1964

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 1 BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...

in six episodes from 3 October to 7 November 1964, following on from a

pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...

broadcast on 6 July as part of the ''

Detective A detective is an investigator, usually a member of a law enforcement agency. They often collect information to solve crimes by talking to witnesses and informants, collecting physical evidence, or searching records in databases. This leads th ...

'' anthology series. It is based on the novels and short stories by R. Austin Freeman featuring the detective Doctor Thorndyke, a pioneer in using

forensic Forensic science, also known as criminalistics, is the application of science to Criminal law, criminal and Civil law (legal system), civil laws, mainly—on the criminal side—during criminal investigation, as governed by the legal standard ...

methods to solve cases.Weissmann p.119 All six episodes presumably still exist, but they have not been made available to the public.

Cast

Main

Peter Copley Peter Copley (20 May 1915 – 7 October 2008) was an English television, film and stage actor. Biography Copley was born in Bushey, Hertfordshire, son of the printmakers, John Copley and Ethel Gabain. After changing his mind about joining ...

as Doctor John Evelyn Thorndyke * Paul Williamson as Doctor Jervis *

Patrick Newell Patrick David Newell (27 March 1932 – 22 July 1988) was a British actor, known for his large size. Early life and education The second son of Eric Llewellyn Newell, of High Lodge, Hadleigh, Suffolk, an Oxford-educated physician who served ...

as Polton *

Glyn Owen Glyn Griffith Owen (6 March 1928 – 10 September 2004) was a Welsh stage, television and film actor, perhaps best known to British TV viewers for three roles: that of Dr Patrick O'Meara in ''Emergency Ward 10'' (ITV, 1957–61), Edward Hamm ...

as Superintendent Morton

Other

Actors who appeared in individual episodes of the series include: *

George A. Cooper George Alphonsus Cooper (7 March 1925 – 16 November 2018) was an English actor and voice artist. He died in November 2018 at the age of 93. Early life Cooper was born in Leeds, the son of William and Eleanor (née Dobson) Cooper. His father ...

as Pratt *

Ronald Leigh-Hunt Ronald Leigh-Hunt (5 October 1920 – 12 September 2005) was a British film and television actor. His father was a stockbroker and he attended the Italia Conti Academy. He began acting whilst serving in the army. Though never a major star, he ...

as John Simpson *

Jack May Jack Wynne May (23 April 1922 – 19 September 1997) was an English actor. Early life and education May was born in 1922 in Henley-on-Thames, and was educated at Forest School in Walthamstow. After war service with the Royal Indian Navy in Bri ...

as Percival Bland *

Stephanie Bidmead Stephanie Bidmead (29 January 1929 – 22 September 1974) was a British stage and television actress. Early life She was born in Kidderminster. She attended Kidderminster High School for Girls, a girls' grammar school, now part of King Charles ...

as Kathy *

Kenneth Colley Kenneth Colley (born 7 December 1937) is an English film and television actor whose career spans over 60 years. He came to wider prominence through his role as Admiral Piett in the '' Star Wars'' films ''The Empire Strikes Back'' (1980) and '' ...

as Ellis *

Jane Downs Jane Margaret Downs (22 January 1935 – 20 May 2015) was an English actress. Downs was born in Bromley, Kent, England. She started her career in the theatre, and later appeared on radio and in film, playing Kenneth More's wife in '' A Nigh ...

as Mrs. Crofton *

John Le Mesurier John Le Mesurier (, born John Elton Le Mesurier Halliley; 5 April 191215 November 1983) was an English actor. He is perhaps best remembered for his comedic role as Sergeant Arthur Wilson in the BBC television situation co ...

as Pembury *

Anthony Sagar Anthony Sagar (19 June 1920 – 24 January 1973) was an English character actor and a member of the Royal National Theatre, National Theatre. He was prolific screen performer and appeared in many films (including seven of the ''Carry On (franchi ...

as Ellis *

Royston Tickner Royston A. Tickner (8 September 1922 – 7 July 1997) was a British actor. Biography Born Roy A. Tickner in Leicester, a tailor's son, he trained as an actor at Scarborough repertory theatre. He served in the Royal Navy in World War II; howe ...

as Smith *

Patrick Troughton Patrick George Troughton (; 25 March 1920 – 28 March 1987) was an English actor who was classically trained for the stage but became known for his roles in television and film. His work included appearances in several fantasy, science fiction ...

as Frank Belfield * Rex Rashley as Amos Caldwell *

Harry Towb Harry Towb (27 July 1925 – 24 July 2009) was an actor from Northern Ireland. Early life and career Towb was born in Larne, County Antrim, to a History of the Jews in Russia, Russian-Jewish father and an History of the Jews in Ireland, Irish- ...

as Ambrose *

Wanda Ventham Wanda Ventham (born 5 August 1935) is an English actress with many roles on British television since beginning her career in the 1950s. She played Colonel Virginia Lake in the 1970s science-fiction television series ''UFO'' and had a recurring ...

as Maud * Peter Madden as Det. Supt. Martin * Kevin Brennan Sergeant *

David Nettheim David Cosman Nettheim (10 July 1925 – 11 March 2008) was an Australian actor and stage writer, he acted on stage and film, but was best known for his roles in numerous television series. Early life Born in Sydney, New South Wales, and broug ...

as Stalker *

Lennard Pearce Lennard Pearce (9 February 1915 – 15 December 1984) was an English actor who worked in theatre and television. He was perhaps best known as Grandad in the BBC television series ''Only Fools and Horses'', in which he starred from 1981 until ...

as Shenston *

Donald Bisset Donald Bisset (30 August 1910 – 10 August 1995), was an English actor. He also wrote stories for children which he mostly illustrated himself. They have been translated into 16 languages. Selected filmography * ''Murder in the Cathedral'' ...

as Sergeant Hawkins *

Hilda Fenemore Hilda Lilian Fenemore (22 April 1914 – 13 April 2004) was an English actress with a prolific career in film and television from the 1940s to the 1990s. Fenemore played mainly supporting roles which were characterised in her obituary in ''The ...

as Mrs. Brattle *

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 Stanton *

Edwin Brown Edwin Stanley "Nigger" Brown (1898–1972) was an Australian rugby league player who played in the 1910s and 1920s. A Queensland state and Australian international representative centre, he played club rugby in Toowoomba for Newtown. Brown, ...

as Brattle *

Vernon Dobtcheff Vernon Dobtcheff (born 14 August 1934) is a British actor, best known for his roles on television and film, he has acted in numerous stage productions. Biography Dobtcheff was born in Nîmes, France, of Russian descent. He attended Ascham Prep ...

as Coroner *

Aubrey Morris Aubrey Morris (born Aubrey Steinberg; 1 June 1926 – 15 July 2015) was a British actor known for his appearances in the films '' A Clockwork Orange'' and ''The Wicker Man''. Early life and career Morris was one of nine children born to Becky ...

as Julius Wicks

References

Bibliography

* Adam, Alison. ''A History of Forensic Science: British beginnings in the twentieth century''. Routledge, 2015. * Perry, Christopher. ''The British Television Pilot Episodes Research Guide 1936-2015''. 2015. * Weissmann, Elke. ''Transnational Television Drama: Special Relations and Mutual Influence Between the US and UK''. Palgrave Macmillan, 2012.

External links

* {{IMDb title, 0401072 BBC television dramas 1964 British television series debuts 1964 British television series endings 1960s British drama television series 1960s British television miniseries English-language television shows Television shows based on British novels British detective television series