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Public Eye: I Always Wanted A Swimming Pool (ITV 28 Jul 1971, James Bolam)

Published

7 years ago

January 26, 2017

In I Always Wanted A Swimming Pool Frank is working two cases, both of them tricky in different ways. Mrs Willet is convinced her husband is having an affair and Swedish businessman Sven Gustafsson is convinced that a valuable painting he has purchased is fake.

As Frank digs into the Willet case he does discover that her husband is indeed up to no good and it’s not with a woman but with a young would be actor called Peter.

Meanwhile in the painting stakes Frank poses as a possible collector to try and uncover whether Charles Luce is using his patron Alan Grove to reproduce famous works by an English painter called Manton. The truth when it is revealed, that the supposed un-prolific Manton was in fact an obsessive painter (painting the same scenes hundreds of times), gives Frank an opportunity to come up smiling for once.

A nicely comedic touch hangs over most of the episode. James Bolam is the bolshy artist Alan Grove and the always excellent John Savident puts on his best Swedish accent to play Gustafsson.

Frank is also developing a nice friendship with Nell Holdsworth, the young girl who works in the antique shop a few doors down from Frank’s Office.

production details
UK / ITV – Thames / 1×50 minute episode / Broadcast Wednesday 28 July 1971 at 9.00pm

Writer: Philip Broadley / Production Design: Fred Pusey / Director: Dennis Vance

Series: Public Eye Season 5 Episode 4

cast
Alfred Burke as Frank Marker
Brenda Cavendish as Nell Holdsworth
John Savident as Sven Gustafsson
Cyril Luckham as Charles Luce
James Bolam as Alan Grove
Avril Elgar as Mrs Willet
Anthony Dawes as Mr Willet
Leon Vitali as Peter
Zeph Gladstone as Maggie