Public Eye: A Mug Named Frank (ITV 7 Jul 1971, Barry Foster)

It’s 18 months since the end of season four and as A Mug Named Frank opens Frank Marker is still living and working in Brighton and lodging with Helen Mortimer.

He finds himself involved in the life of an elderly woman whose son has got himself into financial difficulty, the situation is made awkward by the fact that Frank came across the man, Gerald Gurney-Stuart, in prison.

In the end it’s Gerald’s wife who asks Marker to investigate officially which sees him travelling to Windsor where he discovers that Gurney-Stuart has sold off a valuable piece of silver belonging to his mother. It turns out that the item was stolen in 1947. It’s also the catalyst for Frank’s first meeting with Detective Inspector Firbank who despite an initially scratchy relationship with Frank ends up becoming a proper friend in later seasons.

What’s intereresting is that it’s Helen who seems to want him to move on telling Frank that thanks to his criminal record he will never make a go of it in Brighton. By the end of the episode Frank has spotted a shop in Windsor he likes the look of and has decided to move on.

Incidentally the title of the episode comes from a line of dialogue uttered by Marker after Helen buys him a mug with his name on it.

production details
UK / ITV – Thames / 1×50 minute episode / Broadcast Wednesday 7 July 1971 at 9.00pm

Writer: Michael Chapman / Production Design: Stan Woodward / Director: Quentin Lawrence

Series: Public Eye Season 5 Episode 1

cast
Alfred Burke as Frank Marker
Nora Nicholson as Mrs Stuart
Barry Foster as Gerald Gurney-Stuart
Pauline Delaney as Mrs Mortimer
Jennifer Daniel as Patricia Gurney-Stuart
Ray Smith as Inspector Firbank
Guy Deghy as Mr Hubermann
Brenda Cavendish as Nell Holdswprth
Andre Morell as Robert Stuart
Mohan Singh as Indian Waiter
Barbara Keogh as Store Detective