The Main Chance: Widow’s Mite (ITV 5 July 1972)

In Widow’s Mite David Main spends time in Switzerland with Sarah Radchester (their relationship is now purely platonic) trying to unravel the tangled will of a British business who may have half a million in a Swiss bank account rather than the hundred thousand noted in his will. Most of the money has been left to his much younger wife Gina much to the annoyance of his grown up children Robert and Mary. Especially as Robert was counting on a healthy chunk of the inheritance for a business deal.

Very much a tale of who is telling the truth about the assets in the case, the widow or the children. There was quite a bit of location shooting in Switzerland too which was something different for the series. The last time we saw David abroad was in season one episode The Privilege Of Justice and that was much done in the ITC studio style of “overseas” filming.

In a TV Times article for 1 July 1972 the production team spoke of the hectic schedule that the 3 days filming in Switzerland entailed. 20 minutes of the episode was devoted to David and Sarah in Switzerland. The principal location was the town of Villars (10 miles from Lake Geneva). One hiccup occured when neither Anna Palk and guest star Jacqui Chan couldn’t quite manage the skiing scenes and doubles had to be found at short notice.

Incidentally, the funeral scene which opens the episode was the last scene to be filmed in Switzerland.

classic quote
“you have an unpleasant habit of making every decent instinct sound nasty”

production details
UK / ITV – Yorkshire / 1×50 minute episode / Broadcast Wednesday 5 July 1972 at 9.00pm

Writer: John Batt / Production Design: Alan Pickford / Director: John Frankau

Series: The Main Chance Season 3 Episode 5

cast
John Stride as David Main
Estelle Kohler as Hilary Nash
Anna Palk as Sarah Radchester
Jacqui Chan as Gina Gordon
Gary Bond as Robert Gordon
Keith Marsh as Arthur Conway
John Wentworth as Henry Castleton
Heather Sears as Mary Wingrove
Peter Celliere as Lawrence Wingrove
Frank Duncan as Judge