Another entry in a long line of highly successful thriller serials, The Desperate People was one of the rare adaptations of a Francis Durbridge novel to be transmitted in the tea-time early-evening slot on BBC 1. The serial opened with Larry Martin (Denis Quilley) overjoyed that his brother Philip (Philip Guard) had returned home from the Army to see him. The pair were only briefly reunited before he received a mysterious telephone call from an army colleague's wife - who revealed that her husband had been killed in a road accident in Hamburg - and left shortly thereafter, apparently destined for Dublin.

Larry, a professional photographer, returned to his busy shooting schedule, but was shocked to learn from the police the following day that his brother's body had been found in a Maidenhead hotel room, and the authorities suspect he committed suicide. Larry cannot believe that his brother, a carefree man brimming with over-confdience, would commit suicide and suspects foul play. The situation becomes even more puzzingly when he receives a photograph of Philip in the post - a picture precisely the same as the one he used to display in the shop-front window of his photographic studio. Even more puzzling is the fact that Philip's picture in the window has been replaced by a photograph of his ex-Army colleague, Sean Reynolds, and his wife. When Larry is presented with his late brother's personal effects by the police, he finds a key which was apparently in Philip's clenched first when his body was found. Confused, he sets off to Arundel in Sussex (the scene of the crime) to investigate still-further, and it is here that he encounters two interested parties who are desperate to acquire the key: Mrs Curtis (the hotel owner) and her step-brother, Thomas Quayle. Their efforts to obtain the key from Larry leave him with yet another clue - a torn ticket to a local dance. In the company of his secretary Ruth (Renny Lister), the pair attend the dance and meet Norman and Freda Stansdale (John Flint and Hilary Crane), and Larry makes a startling connection - the pair are, in reality, Sean Reynolds and his wife.

The following morning, when Larry is presented with his late brother's attaché case (the contents of which are a large amount of German currency), he confronts a man posing as Inspector Hyde, who demands the return of the money (which he claims is forged). After a menacing encounter with the imposter and his accomplice, Larry later discovers the body of Philip's girlfriend, Clare Seldon (Shirley Cain), in a deserted alleyway, and upon returning to his hotel room he learns that his secretary has been kidnapped, and her safe return is upon the condition that the money is handed over to the man he only knows as Inspector Hyde…

The Desperate People, hailed in the novel as featuring the central character coming up "against those who cheat; who rob; those who will go to any lengths to achieve their aims. It brought him hard up against the desperate people: those to whom murder is a way of life", was a superbly scripted drama production will all the characteristic Durbridge hallmarks of suspense, a scattering of clues and red herrings combined, and a labyrinthine plot which took some hard navigation to unravel.

The programme featured notable supporting performances from newcomer Nigel Hawthorne (Cliff Fletcher), Barry Jackson and Desmond Cullum-Jones, and was produced and directed by the reliable Alan Bromly (a man almost singularly responsible for production of BBC Television's thriller output between 1962 and 1966). In an unusual move, the character of Larry Martin was originally known as Philip Holt in the novel from which the series was adapted (and his brother was known as Rex), and the story itself reached an entirely different climax to that which appeared in the book. The series was exported worldwide, and became popular in Germany and Australia, but has never been commercially exploited.

The first episode was publicised in the Radio Times with the following article by Francis Durbridge:
Publicity : The Desperate People - Francis Durbridge introduces his new six-part thriller serial: A considerable responsibility always rests upon the shoulders of an actor picked to play the lead in a television serial. He must have an arresting personality and be able to keep an audience's attention from one episode to the next, usually through a series of widely differing situations. It is understandable, therefore, that a writer is always on the look-out for a likely actor to tackle this demanding role. When I was in New York almost two years ago I was very impressed by the performance of Denis Quilley in the Broadway production of the musical play Irma La Douce.

I wrote a letter saying how much I had enjoyed Quilley's performance and what an excellent leading man he would make for one of my future serials. Having completed The Desperate People at the end of 1962 I was delighted to learn that Quilley was now in England, and was, indeed, excited at the thought of once again playing a straight part in a completely different type of entertainment. The Desperate People is a fast-moving action-suspense story in six episodes and does not feature either Tim Frazer or that even better-known character Paul Temple who appears in my radio serials.

Larry Martin, the main character in the story, is a professional photographer who earns his living by photographing beautiful girls for magazines and commercial advertisements. Larry becomes involved in a series of exciting events following the appearance of his younger brother, Philip, on leave from the army. The story unfolds against a typical English background and much of the location filming was done in and around that delightful town of Arundel in Sussex. During the showing of my previous serials I have frequently received letters from viewers complaining that they have missed a particular episode, and would I be kind enough to send them a detailed synopsis of the episode in question! On one occasion I even had to cable the denouement of one of my serials to a family on the way to Australia. The Desperate People, however, is being screened at a time when the whole family should be able to watch every episode of the entire serial - Sunday afternoon.

This time is considered to be ideal for serial viewers. Although I try to make each serial of mine as different as possible, I am confident that if you enjoyed my previous serials, The Scarf, A Time Of Day, The World Of Tim Frazer, and so on, you will enjoy following the adventures of The Desperate People right through to the end of the last episode.

Denis Quilley: He plays Larry Martin, a photographer with a studio in London. Larry is looking forward to spending some time with his brother Philip, a soldier, who is arriving on leave from Germany. But with Philip comes mystery …

Hugh Cross: He plays Detective Inspector Hyde, a shrewd policeman and one very much dedicated to his job. A couple of unusual and puzzling events in and near London soon bring Inspector Hyde into the life of Larry Martinh.

June Ellis: She plays Vanessa Curtis, the smart and attractive owner of the Royal Falcon, a pleasant riverside hotel on the outskirts of Maidenhead. Mrs Curtis manages her establishment well - but many strange things start to happen there.

Gerard Heinz: He plays Wolf Linderhof, a distinguished German doctor who is a guest at the Royal Falcon Hotel. Ostensibly in Britain on holiday, Linderhof is not all that he first seems. What is the real purpose of his visit? (Radio Times, February 21, 1963 - Article by Francis Durbridge).

Characters	Portrayed By
Larry Martin	Denis Quilley
Detective Inspector Hyde	Hugh Cross
Detective Sergeant Macey	Stuart Hutchinson
Detective Inspector Lang	Peter Ducrow
Detective Sergeant Harrison	Colin Pinney
Cliff Fletcher	Nigel Hawthorne
Vanessa Curtis	June Ellis
Philip Martin	Philip Guard
Andy Wilson	Barry Jackson
Man In The Street	Brian Proudfoot
Ruth Sanders	Renny Lister
Taxi Driver	Steve Kirby
Douglas Talbot	Gerard Green
Arthur	Artro Morris
Doctor Linderhof	Gerard Heinz
Doreen	Rosemary Rogers
Woman With The Pram	Thelma Holt
Model	Valerie Stanton
Postman	Stanley Walsh
Thomas Quayle	David William
Woman At The Accident	Diana Oxford
Policemen	Tony Poole and Peter Thornton
Police Sergeants	William Kendrick and Frank Dunne
Sergeant Wainwright	Michael Hunt
Sergeant Bellamy	Desmond Cullum-Jones
Clare Seldon	Shirley Cain
Model Girl	Yvonne Antrobus
Nurse	Leonie Forbes
Ticket Seller	Hugh Lund
Cloakroom Attendant	Edward Brooks
Luther Harris	Stanley Meadows
Peggy Grahame	Frances Collier
Norman Stansdale	John Flint
Freda Standale	Hilary Crane
Singer	Pam Reece
Eddie Meadows	Clifford Earl
Oscar Naylor	Kenneth Keeling
Joyce Naylor	Janet Davies

The series was created and written by Francis Durbridge, based on his novel of the same title. The series was produced and directed by Alan Bromly.