Private Eye Philip Odell: Lady in a Fog & Test Room Eight

Robert Beatty stars as the hard-nosed Irish-American PI in these two vintage crime serials Lester Powell's Chandleresque detective Philip Odell was a huge hit on the BBC Light Programme between 1947 and 1961, thrilling audiences with his crime-solving adventures in postwar London. This gripping collection brings together the only two surviving radio serials featuring the tough-guy investigator - one of which, Test Room Eight, is published here for the very first time. Lady in a Fog - En route from London to Dublin, Philip Odell meets an old friend, Heather McMara, who tells him that her brother has been found drowned and asks him to investigate. Against the backdrop of a thick, pea-soup fog, he probes a case of blackmail and murder, involving a racehorse owner, a newspaper editor and a mysterious lady in mink... Test Room Eight - Concerned that someone is trying to sabotage the production of his new influenza vaccine, millionaire industrialist Herbert Truscott hires Odell and Heather to go undercover at his state-of-the-art facility at Barton Medworth. They soon discover that all is not well at the plant - and when a staff member dies after inhaling a fatal dose of live virus, their search for a saboteur turns into a hunt for a killer... Starring Robert Beatty as Philip Odell and Sheila Manahan as Heather, with a supporting cast including June Tobin, Jeffrey Segal, David March, Hilda Schroder, Mary Wimbush, Beryl Calder, Trevor Martin, Hamilton Dyce and Rolf Lefebvre. NB: Due to the age of the recordings, the sound quality may vary Lady in a Fog Philip Odell - Robert Beatty Heather McMara - Sheila Manahan Marilyn Peters - June Tobin Christopher Hampden/Bookmaker's Clerk - James Thomason Parkin - Harold Reese Martin Sorrowby - John Bennett Barman - Ronald Baddiley Mrs Cantaloup - Betty Baskcomb Receptionist/Violet Levine - Joan Matheson Hector O'Gorman - David March Taxi Driver/Foreman - Will Leighton Narrator/Constable - Anthony Viccars Inspector Rigby - Edward Jewesbury Head Waiter/Sergeant Layton - Jeffrey Segal Telephone Operator/Rosie - Hilda Schroder Jay - Haydn Jones 1st Driver/Police Doctor/Voice - Hugh Manning Postman - Frank Partington Dr Alexander Frey - Trevor Martin The Lady in Mink/Kitty Stapleton - Mary Wimbush Receptionist/Shop Assistant - Beryl Calder Police Surgeon - John Graham 2nd Driver/Bandleader - David Spenser Doctor/Hotel Manager/Waiter - Peter Wilde Maid - Ann Rye Produced by Martyn C. Webster First broadcast BBC Light Programme, 29 April-17 June 1958 Test Room Eight Philip Odell - Robert Beatty Heather McMara - Sheila Manahan Herbert Truscott - Hamilton Dyce Hugh Chalk - David Spenser David Karswood - Frederick Treves Ken Armstrong - Duncan McIntyre Barbara Eurich - Stella Textor Wynn Craxton - Jeffrey Segal Martin Dersen - Rolf Lefebvre Colonel Guestling - Richard Williams Jill Guestling - Hilda Schroder Policeman - Will Leighton Coroner - John Cazabon Superintendent Manley - Edward Jewesbury Mr Twist - Frank Windsor Fred Fazackerly - David March Mr Russell - James Thomason Paula - Beryl Calder Dent - John Hollis Produced by David H. Godfrey First broadcast BBC Light Programme, 22 December 1958-26 January 1959 © 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd