Francis Durbridge Presents: The Doll (BBC 1975, John Fraser, Anouska Hempel) 

In supremely enjoyable Francis Durbridge thriller The Doll publisher Peter Matty meets the enigmatic Phyllis Du Salle on a plane trip. Immediately smitten he arranges to meet up with her once they are back in London. Phyllis seems to be giving Peter the run around somewhat and things get murkier when he does finally spend some time with Phyllis. He lends her his car which is then found abandoned and with no sign of Phyllis.

It’s clear there is something highly mysterious going on and Matty is determined to discover just what is going on with Du Salle, where she has disappeared to, why she has been lying to him and just what is going on with the sinister doll found floating in Matty’s bath tub.

The Doll has a genuine air of mystery about it that’s for sure. In the opening episode Matty travels to the isle of Wight to meet Sir Arnold Wyatt who was supposed to get a visit from Phyllis before she vanished but he claims to know nothing about her. We know Phyllis exists but everybody else seems to think Peter may have invented her. Matty’s brother, Claude, a well known musician and journalist Max, seem to be only ones who believe him.

By the end of the second episode bodies are starting to pile up and the sinister Julian Osborne (William Russell with one of the most outrageous hair-do’s he’s ever had) has arrived on the scene. It soon becomes clear he holds the key to unlocking just what is going on with Phyllis.

Series: Francis Durbridge Presents Season 9 Episodes 1-3.

production details
UK / BBC One / 3×55 minutes /25 November – 9 December 1975

Writer: Francis Durbridge
Producer: Bill Sellars
Director: David Askey

cast
John Fraser as Peter Matty
Anouska Hempel as Phyllis Du Salle
Derek Fowlds as Max Lerner