Shoestring: Listen To Me (BBC-1 28 Oct 1978 with Brian Croucher)

UK / BBC One / 1×50 minute episode / Broadcast 28 October 1978

Writer: Terence Feely / Production Design: John Hurst / Director: Peter Smith

Series: Shoestring / Season 1 Episode 5

“A fence? This bloke is more like the bloody Berlin wall!”

In Listen To Me petty crook Harry Shepherd is languishing in prison convicted of the murder of an 18 year old jewelry shop assistant during a bungled robbery. Harry is adamant he has been stitched up by the police, his wife Mel decides to take matters into her own hands and stages a rooftop demonstration atop Radio West threatening to kill herself if the real killer isn’t brought to book. As Eddie begins digging he discovers that there was a lot more to the raid than previously realised and that the robbery may have just been a cover for something else.

An episode that builds very nicely with a tense moment when Eddie realises what is going on and has to pull out all the stops to save Harry’s wife before she jumps from the top of Radio West. Patrick Malahide is almost unrecognisable as the photographer who holds the key to solving the murder.

guest cast
SANDY RATCLIFF as Mel Shepherd
ROGER LEACH as D.J.
BRIAN CROUCHER as Harry Shepherd
TONY CAUNTER as Inspector Colston
JEFFREY SEGAL as Mr Marrick
JACK LYNN as Mr Landsman
LINDA ROBERTS as Mrs Landsman
ROGER SLOMAN as Freshfield
DOUGLAS BLACKWELL as Watson
EDWARD KELSEY as Det Ch Supt Roose
NICHOLAS DONNELLY as Insp Adams
PATRICK MALAHIDE as Photographer
JAMES MURRAY as Charlie
PAULA JACOBS as Manageress
COLIN MAITLAND as Studio Engineer
GEORGE IRVING as Stan Burnham
TOM McCABE as Johnny McGivern
JAMES MARCUS as Prison Officer
STACEY DAVIES as Prison Cook