Edward Boyd – författare

Gordon Jackson stars in this classic noir thriller, with the music of Miles DavisA man named Johnny Maxen reluctantly walks through the Gare du Nord on his way back to a life he thought he''d left behind. Summoned by a letter from his sometime mother-in-law, Helen Duncan, he returns to Glasgow and the news that his estranged wife has been missing for three months.As far as Johnny''s concerned, his dealings with Julia ended five years ago. He''s paid his dues and knows he should cut and run. But for Helen''s sake, he agrees to find her - alive or dead.Asking around, he gets some strange reactions to his enquiries. And when his search turns up the body of a girl, who has committed suicide in Julia''s flat, he faces his own deadly threat. Then the police start to take an interest in the case. It seems that wherever Johnny goes, violence follows - and as the corpses pile up, suspicion swirls around him.His attempts to clear his name lead him to a lochside cottage and a meeting with an old flame. Can Johnny find out the truth about Julia - and uncover the secret behind his daughter Sarah''s death?Created by Edward Boyd, whose credits include Castles in Spain and Z-Cars, this suspenseful crime drama was first broadcast on the Light Programme in 1966 before being adapted as a novel and BBC TV series under the title The Dark Number. It stars Gordon Jackson as Johnny Maxen, with Roddy McMillan as Inspector Wardlaw.Production creditsWritten by Edward BoydProduced by Eddie FraserMusical score by Miles Davis

Teddy Johnson stars in this atmospheric six-part radio thrillerKorean War veteran and hip Londoner Steve Gardiner arrives in a small Scottish seaside resort, looking for his old friend Jimmy Morton. But he''s picked the wrong time for a reunion. The sleepy town is being terrorised by a homicidal maniac dubbed ''the Kind Man'', and panic stalks the streets.Stepping off the train after dark, Steve is almost lynched by a terrified crowd, and at the gloomy Morton house he finds Jimmy and his father Wilfred behaving strangely. Then, waking in the night, he hears a voice whispering verses in his ear...Jimmy''s heard the voice too. He claims it belongs to a dead man: Francis Lennox. A local poet and his close friend, they were in the same prison camp in Korea - but only Jimmy made it home. But what really happened there, and could it be linked to the killings?Can the Kind Man be caught before he strikes again?First broadcast in 1954, this Chandleresque mystery was written by Edward Boyd, whose radio credits include Castles in Spain and The Same River Twice. Singer Teddy Johnsonstars as Steve Gardiner, with Jimmy Logan as Jimmy Morton.Produced by Eddie FraserCastSteve Gardiner - Teddy JohnsonMrs McGann - Helen NormanStella - Isobel GardnerAlbert - Paul YoungRailway porter - Eric WightmanMiss Wylie - Marjorie DalzielPC Mackenzie - John YoungPolice Sergeant/PC Robertson - Kalman GlassDetective Inspector Gordon - Moultrie R KelsallTramp/Romilly Foster - Douglas MurchieDelia Dewar - Effie MorrisonWilfred Morton - Leonard MaguireJimmy Morton - Jimmy LoganLibrarian - Leslie BlackaterLindy Marshall - Hannah GordonOld lady - Jean Taylor-SmithDrunk - Phil McCallBill Williams - Glenn MichaelDiana Wheeler-Sproat - Eileen McCallumMr Dunnsmuir - Michael ElderLouisa Matthews - Nancy MitchellFirst broadcast BBC Home Service, 29 March-3 May 1954

David Ashton stars in this six-part vintage crime dramaA small town in Galloway, on the south-west coast of Scotland. A house strangely unchanged since 1941. A dead nurse. And a lawyer with one million pounds in his bank account - and no idea how it got there...Peter Calman is in trouble. His legal firm is on the brink of bankruptcy, his secretary''s handed in her notice and his bank manager has cut off his credit. Just when he thinks things can''t get any worse, his ex-girlfriend Jenny calls, worried about her friend Tim Leighton. She''s received a note, supposedly sent by him from an exclusive private hospital - but Tim is a penniless hermit, and illiterate.Though the hospital denies all knowledge of Tim, Jenny''s sure they''re lying - and the mysterious caller on Peter''s answerphone agrees. But before he can meet her, she''s killed in a hit and run. Suspicion falls on Peter - and when a new German client arrives in town, offering him vast sums to buy a local cottage, the mutterings grow louder. And then Peter''s office is ransacked...As the mystery deepens, Peter''s investigations take him to moonlit Dungrennan Bay...Written by Edward Boyd (Castles in Spain, The Same River Twice, The Candle of Darkness), this tightly plotted thriller stars David Ashton, creator of the popular Victorian detective series McLevy, with a cast of veteran Scottish actors including Gregor Fisher (Rab C. Nesbitt).Written by Edward BoydDirected by Patrick RaynerCastPeter Calman - David AshtonJenny - Stella ForgeMagda - Vivienne DixonOld Hansford - Ian StewartConstable Archie Douglas/Elphinstone - Robert PatersonJock Matheson - John SheddenBank clerk/Hospital receptionist - Tamara KennedyPiggy Anderson/Donald McLeod/Chief Constable - John BuickNurse Nicolson - Anne CullenIsaiah Dunsmore - Gregor FisherScholl - Brown DerbyMary - Doreen CameronDr Webber - Sandy NeilsonSandy Brill/Clerk - Finlay WelshWalter Hansford - Ronald AitkenSupt. Bullivant - Arthur BolandTim Leighton - Tom CriddleFirst broadcast BBC Radio 4, 8 April-13 May 1984? 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd © 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

A collection of suspenseful standalone radio thrillers by Edward BoydScottish writer Edward Boyd was well known for his TV and radio plays, including The Corridor People and The View from Daniel Pike, and he also penned several episodes of Z-Cars. He specialised in the thriller genre, and this collection showcases six of his best radio crime dramas.The Wolf Far Hence – Steve Gardiner heads to the Highlands to try and locate his ex and her new fortune-hunting lover – only to find himself investigating a series of murders in a hotel beside a lonely Scottish loch. Teddy Johnson stars in this gripping serial, which won Edward Boyd a Writers’ Guild Award.The Candle of Darkness – Hardnosed investigator Steve Gardiner returns for another adventure, in which he goes looking for an old friend in a small Scottish seaside resort, but finds the town under threat from a serial killer dubbed ‘The Kind Man’. Starring Teddy Johnson as Steve, with Moultrie Kelsall as DI Gordon.The Same River Twice – Johnny Maxen reluctantly walks through the Gare du Nord on his way back to a life he thought he’d left behind. He’s looking for his missing wife – but is soon under suspicion for her murder… Gordon Jackson stars as Johnny Maxen, with Roddy McMillan as Inspector Wardlaw.Badger by Owl-Light – When a bomb explodes in the middle of London, Peter Talion is hired to uncover the secret cult responsible – and eliminate its leader. Starring Edward Judd as Peter Talion, with Tony Robinson as Simon.Curlew in Autumn – A small town in Galloway, Scotland. A cottage unchanged since 1941. A dead nurse. And a lawyer with one million pounds in his bank account, and no idea how it got there… These puzzling facts and events are explored in this atmospheric mystery, starring McLevy creator David Ashton.Castles in Spain – Grahame Mayer is a bookseller, not a private eye. Nonetheless, he''s being asked to investigate a military mystery connected to the Spanish Civil War – a mystery that almost every major intelligence agency in Great Britain and America wants solved. Starring Ray Brooks and Garard Green.NB: These vintage recordings contain language and attitudes from the time in which they were first broadcast. Due to the age of the recordings, the sound quality may vary.Production creditsWritten by Edward BoydProduced by Eddie Fraser (The Wolf Far Hence, The Candle of Darkness, The Same River Twice), Stewart Conn (Badger by Owl-Light) and Patrick Rayner (Curlew in Autumn, Castles in Spain)The Wolf Far HenceFirst broadcast BBC Home Service, 20 November-25 December 1953The Candle of DarknessFirst broadcast BBC Home Service, 29 March-3 May 1954The Same River TwiceFirst broadcast BBC Light Programme, 2 October-20 November 1966Badger by Owl-LightFirst broadcast BBC Radio 4, 24 October 1975Curlew in AutumnFirst broadcast BBC Radio 4, 8 April-13 May 1984Castles in SpainFirst broadcast BBC Radio 4, 25 October-20 November 1987© 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) © 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

A bookseller turns P. I. in this intriguing five-part BBC radio thrillerGrahame Mayer specialises in selling books, not solving mysteries. So when he’s asked to play private investigator and track down a soldier from the Spanish Civil War, he wonders if it’s some sort of test – and if so, what will happen if he fails...Armed with fresh information, he is sent to Glasgow on the trail of Jock Cameron, and a meeting with a former nurse who knew him back in Spain furnishes Grahame with further clues. But despite these new leads, the elusive Jock remains tantalisingly out of reach.Will a series of postcards, some holy pictures and an encounter with a pop star enable the reluctant sleuth to hunt Cameron down – or will it take a man’s death to release Mayer from his quest?Created by Edward Boyd, who wrote for a number of BBC TV shows including Z-Cars, this enthralling crime drama stars Ray Brooks, with a supporting cast including Garard Green, John Hannah and Alexandra Mathie.Written by Edward BoydProduced at BBC Scotland by Patrick RaynerCastGrahame Mayer……………………Ray BrooksColeman……………………John WestbrookTeresa……………………Alexandra MathieForrest……………………Garard GreenHemingway……………………William HopeCameron……………………John Hannah/Joseph GreigRainsford……………………Jonathan TaflerInspector McNeill……………………Carey WilsonNorah McGill……………………Sybil WintropeHenderson……………………Joseph BradyArnold……………………Ian ThompsonReceptionist……………………Jennifer PierceyMan on plane/Millhouse……………………William HopeMiss McLauchlan……………………Yvonne GilanPat……………………Richard JamiesonPaula……………………Caroline GuthrieWaiter/Taxi driver……………………Gordon ReidNuke……………………John McGlynnApollyon……………………Billy McCollDr Lovat……………………Roy HanlonFirst broadcast BBC Radio 4, 25 October-20 November 1987