2008-08-31 They're at it again!

Having listened to the surviving original BBC radio episodes for years. I welcome the decision to "revive" the lost radio episodes, and I look forward to more of them. Readers of this review will know that only about one third of the long radio Paul Temple broadcast series survives. This "revival" project seeks, by using contemporary microphones, sound effects and the original Francis Durbridge scripts, to recreate the original productions for today's audience.

Slight production differences are noticeable. Sound effects, crowd noises, etc. are suggested here rather than overplayed as they used to be. Sometimes a shock ending to an episode loses its effect when several seconds elapse before "Coronation Scot" breaks in. A smaller cast is engaged, doubling many of the parts. Just as Marjorie Westbury's contributions outshone all others in the original series, I find Eliza Langland's work to be the most effective here.

The plot is not one of Durbridge's best. After Paul and Steve are entrusted with a pair of spectacles to return to their owner as they depart for a holiday in Egypt, murders, deceptions, dodgey assignations and kidnappings follow at breath-taking speed.

This is a 2006 recreation of a 1947 original.