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Send for Paul Temple cover art

Send for Paul Temple

By: Francis Durbridge
Narrated by: full cast, Bernard Braden, Peggy Hassard
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Summary

Bernard Braden stars in an original 1940 full-cast production of the very first Paul Temple adventure.

Between 1938 and 1968, the exploits of amateur detective Paul Temple and his wife, Steve, enthralled generations of BBC radio listeners. Theirs was an exciting world of violence and glamour - car bombs and cocktail parties.

In Paul and Steve’s very first adventure, starring Bernard Braden as Paul, with Peggy Hassard as Steve, a spate of jewel robberies in the Midlands has left the police baffled. They are the work of a shadowy criminal mastermind known only as The Knave of Diamonds. But who is the Knave? And can he be stopped?

All but one episode of the original 1938 BBC production of Send for Paul Temple are lost from the archives. However, this complete recording of a 1940 production - made for Canadian radio and based on the original BBC radio scripts - was recently rediscovered in the national Library and Archives of Canada. Digitally restored, all six episodes are now available for the very first time. Two bonus features are also included: the sole surviving sixth episode of the original 1938 production, starring the original Paul Temple, Hugh Morton, and an unbroadcast interview with the longest-running Paul Temple actor, Peter Coke.

©2015 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2015 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

What listeners say about Send for Paul Temple

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Missing 2 episodes

What would have made Send for Paul Temple better?

This version only has episodes 1-6.Episodes 7 and 8 are missing

What was most disappointing about Francis Durbridge’s story?

The story is great. Unfortunately Audible's version is incomplete

What didn’t you like about the narrators’s performance?

A good full cast dramatisation

Any additional comments?

This is not the first time I have found the Audible approach to book production slipshod. Users need proper chapter headings, and these need to relate to the original production format. Content quality control needs to be improved.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

An historic curio for Paul Temple fans

Paul Temple stories were popular in the 1940’s, 50’s and 60’s. They involve an author/amateur sleuth, who is so effective at detective work that Scotland Yard regularly ask for his help in solving criminal mysteries. Paul Temple’s lifestyle is upper middle class with live-in servant, foreign travel, posh cars, evening cocktail parties and night clubs. It seems rather suave and sophisticated. The plots often involve cryptic clues and are well constructed, however, they can seem quite clichéd, but in a charming and lost era kind of way.

If you are a Paul Temple fan then this will be a curio that may interest you. It is the first Paul Temple story and involves his meeting with Steve prior to their marriage. It is in the same vein as later radio plays in this series, but the characters seem even more wooden than expected. It also includes an insightful interview with Peter Coke (in his later years) where he reminisces about the Paul Temple radio series that he starred in.

If you are not a Paul Temple fan then I would advise listening to any of the Peter Coke and Marjory Westbury radio plays before listening to this one. Coke and Westbury are the definitive interpreters of the Paul and Steve Temple characters and if they cannot entertain you then this historic recording probably will not either.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Not Paul Temple.

I was disappointed in this version. mainly because of the voices and over acting. The voice of Paul Temple was totally wrong. He sounded too old, older than Sir Graham Forbes. The actor who played Dale would have been better suited to play Paul. The actor playing Miss Parchment over acted it and ruined the performance. The sound effects were of the period, as was the music. I love Francis Durbridge plays and it was the story that kept me listening not the actors. listen to Anthony Head's version instead, you'll enjoy it far more than this one.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

brilliant!

I love Paul Temple, it's just a pity it's not a Peter Cook dramatised version.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent

Was really happy to hear it. Bonus fun was I live in the Simon's Town area mentioned in the play lol.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Very poor editing!

The editing is awful... duplication of chapters and odd inclusions of music, adverts for other programmes. Very disappointed

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

Confusing

Perhaps because I'm so used to hearing Peter Coke, Westbury et al i find it very hard to follow the characters in this dramatization. The actor playing Temple lacks gravitas and Steve has too much. Similarly, the other characters seem poorly cast and it just renders it a disappointment. It's almost as though one is hearing the audio track taken from a version made for TV and left to work the rest out as best as one is able. As I say, i found it very confusing and difficult to construct a coherent whole. Perhaps I just can't be bothered to concentrate without the more familiar casr?!

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars
  • JP
  • 21-08-17

Well worth a listen for die hard fans!

Definitively 'of an era', but nevertheless an enjoyable listen. This is the story of how Paul met Steve, right back at the beginning. Good stuff.
Great quality sound reconstruction, dubious acting abilities and quick paced story.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Great don't miss it.

Where does Send for Paul Temple rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

this was good as the rest relax sit back and enjoy

What was one of the most memorable moments of Send for Paul Temple?

when you think i have it wrong its not them.

Which character – as performed by the narrators – was your favourite?

Steve is great backing up Paul

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Good Old British Drama - Original Oldie

A nice edition to own in ones Paul Temple collection. Nostalgic old style early original. However; this is not as funny as the later versions staring Marjory Westbury as Stevie and Peter Cook the chauvinist hilarious Paul. I have them all and each and every one is ideal for curling up and listening on a cold windy Sunday afternoon. Do not miss out on this one, it is still good old British drama with Bernard Braden & Peggy Hassard (I know nothing about these old actors) their style is much more tapered down than Westbury & Cook and more serious. But still good.

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