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A
Man Called Harry Brent
BBC 1965
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TX
: 22nd March 1965
Publicity : A Man Called Harry Brent: The name
of Francis Durbridge, that prolific thriller-writer, is synonymous with
complex criminal conundrums, teasing suspense, sudden incredible revelations,
and a total mastery of the art of the cliff-hanger. A Man Called Harry
Brent, which begins tonight, is his twelfth serial for television. His
round dozen includes the three fast-moving Tim Frazer stories and the
baffling Melissa, seen recently on BBC-2. Much of the plot of that thriller
hinged on the real nature of Melissa, in this new serial the enigma
is Harry Brent, a travel agent. He comes into Carol Vyner's (Jennifer
Daniel) life in slightly unusual circumstances. She is engaged to Detective
Inspector Alan Milton (Gerald Harper) when she meets Brent. She is attracted
by him and eventually breaks off her engagement. But her involvement
with the equivocal Brent leads to steadily more alarming adventures.
In the first episode we see her trying to help her boss, the kindly
Mr Fielding (Gerald Young) to find a secretary to replace her when she
gets married. A Miss Barbara Smith (Audine Leith) is one of the applicants,
and her interview with Fielding produces a vintage Durbridge surprise.
The director of this six-part serial is Alan Bromly, who was in charge
of Melissa and who has directed eight other Durbridge thrillers. Inspector
Milton, Carol's ex-fiance, is played by Gerald Harper, who was last
seen on BBC Television in another Bromley-directed serial, The Sleeper.
The part of Carol is played by Jennifer Daniel, who has a role in the
recently released film The High Bright Sun. In the title role is Edward
Brayshaw. (Radio Times, March 16, 1965).
Notes : This
programme was transmitted on BBC-2 from 9:55pm to 10:20pm under the
banner title of Francis Durbridge Presents… on BBC 2.
TX
: 29th March 1965
Synopsis : When Carol's employer Tom Fielding is killed by a total
stranger, the police, led by Carol's ex-fiance, Alan Milton, find enough
evidence to involve her present fiancé, a man called Harry Brent.
Naturally, Alan is determined to find out more about him.
TX
: 5th April 1965
Synopsis : While trying to find out more about Harry Brent and his
connection with the man who was murdered, Tom Fielding, Alan discovers
Harry's friendship with Jacqueline Dawson. It is she who sends him to
the block of flats where he finds the dead body of someone he knows.
TX
: 12th April 1965
Synopsis : Hearing that Tolly is trying to acquire a fountain pen
off the late Tom Fielding, the police trace his connection with Kevin
Jason, the man who broke into Alan's flat. Holding him in custody, Alan
goes to Jason's address and discovers proof that Harry Brent has been
lying about his past.
TX
: 19th April 1965
Synopsis : Carol has told Harry that the police know of his friendship
with Tom Fielding. He refuses to explain. An attempt is made to kill
him, but he escapes to his flat with Carol. There she collapses after
he gives her a drink.
TX
: 26th April 1965
Synopsis : Harry has hidden Carol in Jacqueline Dawson's flat to
keep her out of danger. The police are still looking for her, but Harry
has been given permission to tell them the full story. His own predicament
grows more desperate as he races to join Carol.
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Characters
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Portrayed
By
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Harry
Brent
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Edward
Brayshaw
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Detective
Inspector Alan Milton
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Gerald
Harper
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Carol
Vyner
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Jennifer
Daniel
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Miss
Barbara Smith
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Audine
Leith
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Tom
Fielding
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Gerald
Young
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Jacqueline
Dawson
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Judy
Parfitt
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Tolly
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Brian
Wilde
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The series was created and written by Francis Durbridge. The series
was produced and directed by Alan Bromly.
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Marking a "Durbridge Dozen" for BBC Television,
A Man Called Harry Brent found its premise in the setting of a chance
encounter on a train. Attractive Carol Vyner (Jennifer Daniel)
meets a man called Harry Brent (Edward Brayshaw), a travel agent
with a keen eye on the main chance, and while she is already engaged
to Detective Inspector Alan Milton (Gerald Harper), an undeniable
chemistry is struck between them on this "chance" encounter.
After their meeting,
she breaks off her engagement to Milton and enters into a relationship
with Brent. However, her involvement with a man for whom she
knows very little leads her into unchartered territory. No sooner are
they a couple than her employer, Tom Fielding (Gerald Young),
is murdered, and when Milton is assigned to the case he immediately
believes that Brent was involved - the evidence appears to implicate
the travel agent, but before he makes an arrest he undertakes more detailed
and thorough investigations. He learns of Brent's connection
with Jacqueline Dawson (Judy Parfitt), a valuable lead in the
case who directs him to Brent's flat - where a second body is
discovered, that of Kevin Jason, an apparent "business contact".
However, when Milton pursues his investigations he rapidly
places both Brent and Carol in danger - particularly when
he unearths confirmation of Brent's friendship with Tom Fielding,
and discovers that the travel agency is a front for a covert intelligence
operation which he has inadvertently stumbled across. Realising the
connection between the surveillance operation, Brent's secretive
past and the two murders, he is drawn into a web which directly endangers
his ex-fiancee's life, and places Brent in an impossible situation
- for a man called Harry Brent does not exist, and in order to
save Carol's life he will have to emerge from cover to confront
Jacqueline Dawson and her criminal colleagues…
Nicely-woven
and highly entertaining, A Man Called Harry Brent was a collaborative
work between Durbridge, Roy Oxley and Alan Bromly, and
whilst not one of Durbridge's strongest contributions to the
thriller genre, is still highly regarded as a celebration of the best
elements of his work (at that time). Surprisingly, a novelisation of
this tale took five years to materialise rather than the customary twelve
months between transmission and novel, or vice versa. The serial was
globally exported but never commercially released. The fact that all
the episodes exist on 35mm black and white telerecording negatives seems
to have escaped the network's marketing arm to date.
Text
© Matthew Lee, 2004
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