Francis Durbridge is one of the great names in British crime and mystery. When he finally brought Paul Temple to life in 1938, he had no way of knowing that the name Paul Temple would resonate for decades on radio, in books, and on television. Most famous, however, were the radio escapades of mystery novelist Paul Temple. Beginning with Send for Paul Temple, the stylish world of sports cars, cocktail parties and elegant banter, mingled with intrigue and danger every week. Temple would quickly meet Steve in the series, and after marrying, the couple became the Jonathan and Jennifer Hart of their era, always getting involved in intrigue and danger. In fact, had Jonathan and Jennifer Hart been British, and that late 1970s and early ’80s television show set during an earlier time period, it probably would have been similar to the Paul Temple radio adventures.

Durbridge’s mysteries were always entertaining, with swiftly moving plots, unexpected twists, and a smashing ending. They were great fun, and one always knew that a cocktail or two would be had during the proceedings. Steve was often loathe for Paul to help out Sir Graham of Scotland Yard, because she wanted him around more. Once involved, however, she was just as eager — sometimes too eager — to help.

These full cast recreations by BBC-4 of the original radio shows are fabulous, and Paul Temple and Steve is one of the most enjoyable. Using the original music, including Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade, Crawford Logan and Gerda Stevenson make a wonderful Paul Temple and Steve. One of the only drawbacks to this one is that the famous Coronation Scot theme which became synonymous with the program wasn’t being used yet, so you only hear brief snippets when transitioning to a different scene once or twice during the production. Coronation Scot wasn’t used as the main theme for the popular show until 1947’s The Sullivan Mystery (East of Algiers in book form).

Running approximately four hours, it has 4 CDs, each with two episodes:

Disc 1) The Notorious Dr. Belasco — 27A Berkley House Place

Disc 2) Presenting Ed Bellamy — Mrs. Forrester is Surprised

Disc 3) David Nelson Explains — Steve’s Intuition

Disc 4) The Suspects — The Final Curtain

The only annoyance is that between the approximately thirty-minute episodes, it is as though a week has gone by, so if you listen to an entire disc in one go, smack in the middle you get a recap of the prior episode just ended, including the first minute or two that you just listened to. This was so the audience who had waited a week, could catch up on what was happening, and refresh their memories of the ongoing adventure. It’s unnecessary because of the format, but I understand they wanted to remain true to the show as it originally aired. If you’re not in a hurry, you can listen to one of the eight episodes one day or evening, then get a recap when returning to it the next, making it less annoying.

The story itself is breezy fun, with a few exciting moments interlaced with some genuine intrigue. It starts at a party at the Villa Rica on Steve’s birthday, when Paul runs into David Nelson, who seems to know him. But Paul can’t remember ever meeting the man before. Then Graham arrives with Philip Kaufman of the Special Bureau to ask for Paul’s help. Belasco is a notorious international black marketeer expanding into Britain, trying to organize all the crime under his umbrella. No one has any idea who he is, nor what he looks like. He could be anyone, and that’s the rub. There is a train wreck where Belasco’s right-hand man is killed, and Steve’s cigarette lighter has been switched. What can the lighter with the acorn symbol mean?

There is Henry Worth, and Mrs. Forrester, and a man named Harry Marks. Could one of them be the deadly Belasco? What about Bellamy, owner of the Machicha Night Club? A dangerous taxi ride that leads to murder, incriminating documents, false leads, a death which may not be a death at all, and flying bullets — not to mention some fun banter and a few cocktails — make for great fun, as this one rushes toward a very exciting conclusion.

This is a wonderful production by Patrick Rayner. Because he’s kept most of the original trappings, it feels old yet absolutely new again. The cast is terrific, the recording splendid. If you enjoyed Paul Temple back in the day, or just want to see what the fuss was about, Paul Temple and Steve is a marvelous way to find out. Highly recommended! ( )