Francis Henry Durbridge (; 25 November 1912 – 10 April 1998) was an English dramatist and author, best known for the creation of the character

Paul Temple Paul Temple is a fictional character created by English writer Francis Durbridge. Temple is a professional author of crime fiction and an amateur private detective. With his wife Louise, affectionately known as 'Steve' in reference to her jo ...

, the gentlemanly detective who appeared in 16

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

multi-part radio serials from 1938 onward.

Biography

Durbridge was born in

Hull Hull may refer to: Structures * The hull of an armored fighting vehicle, housing the chassis * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a sea-going craft * Submarine hull Ma ...

East Riding of Yorkshire The East Riding of Yorkshire, often abbreviated to the East Riding or East Yorkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and west, S ...

, and educated at

Bradford Grammar School Bradford Grammar School (BGS) is a co-educational private day school located in Frizinghall, Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. Entrance is by examination. For the sixth form admission is based on GCSE results. The school gives means-tested ...

, where he was encouraged to write by his English teacher. He continued to do so while studying English at the

University of Birmingham The University of Birmingham (informally Birmingham University) is a Public university, public research university in Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Queen's College, Birmingham (founded in 1825 as ...

. After graduating in 1933, he worked for a short time as a stockbroker's clerk before selling a radio play, ''Promotion'', to the

at the age of 21. Durbridge created the character of Paul Temple, a crime novelist and detective, in the 1930s. With Louise "Steve" Trent, a

Fleet Street Fleet Street is a street in Central London, England. It runs west to east from Temple Bar, London, Temple Bar at the boundary of the City of London, Cities of London and City of Westminster, Westminster to Ludgate Circus at the site of the Lo ...

journalist who would later become his wife, Temple solved numerous crimes in the glamorous world of the leisured middle classes, at first on radio. In addition to the Paul Temple series, Durbridge wrote other mysteries for radio and television, many of which were also produced for Dutch, German and Italian television and radio. Durbridge also forged a successful career as a writer for the stage with seven plays, the last of which, ''Sweet Revenge'', was written in 1991. He also wrote 43 novels, many of which were adapted from his scripts, sometimes with the help of others.

Work for radio

''Paul Temple'' in the United Kingdom

Durbridge wrote 20 Paul Temple serials for radio. The first was ''Send for Paul Temple'', broadcast in eight episodes on the

Midland Regional Programme from 8 April 1938. Hugh Morton played Paul, and Steve was played by Bernadette Hodgson. Carl Bernard took over the part of Paul in 1939.

Peter Coke Peter John Coke ( "cook"; 3 April 1913 – 30 July 2008) was an English actor, playwright and artist. Early life Peter John Coke was born in Southsea, Hampshire on 3 April 1913.

took over the part from the 1954 serial, ''Paul Temple and the Gilbert Case'', onwards.

Marjorie Westbury Marjorie Westbury (18 June 1905 – 16 December 1989) was an English radio actress and singer. Her career lasted for more than fifty years. Born in Oldbury, Worcestershire, she studied Voice at the Royal College of Music in London between 1927 ...

took over the part of Steve from the fifth serial, ''Send for Paul Temple Again'' (1945). She remained as Steve for the rest of the radio run. To many people, Coke and Westbury are most firmly identified with Paul and Steve. Francis Durbridge grave Putney Vale 2015

Francis Durbridge grave Putney Vale 2015

The original signature tune was taken from ''Scheherazade'' by

Rimsky-Korsakov Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov. At the time, his name was spelled , which he romanized as Nicolas Rimsky-Korsakow; the BGN/PCGN transliteration of Russian is used for his name here; ALA-LC system: , ISO 9 system: .. (18 March 1844 – 2 ...

, with incidental music taken from the works of other composers, including ''

Tintagel Tintagel () or Trevena (, meaning ''Village on a Mountain'') is a civil parishes in England, civil parish and village situated on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The village and nearby Tintagel Castle ...

'' by Sir Arnold Bax. The signature tune was later changed to '' Coronation Scot'' by

Vivian Ellis Vivian John Herman Ellis, CBE (29 October 1903 – 19 June 1996) was an English musical comedy composer best known for the song " Spread a Little Happiness" and the Paul Temple theme " Coronation Scot". Life and work Ellis was born in Hampste ...

. The BBC licensed the serials to broadcasters in

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

countries, where they were transmitted long after their original runs in the UK.

''Paul Temple'' in Germany

In the 1960s, German radio adapted twelve Paul Temple serials. Like the BBC originals, each part ended with a

cliffhanger A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious situation, facing a difficult dilemma or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode of serialized fiction or bef ...

, making them ''Strassenfeger'' ("street-clearers"), which were so popular as to leave the streets deserted. The actors were of national renown, with Paul Temple played by

Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...

-born

René Deltgen Renatus Heinrich Deltgen (30 April 1909 in Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg – 29 January 1979 in Cologne, West Germany) was a Luxembourgish stage and film actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who port ...

, and supported by

Gustav Knuth Gustav Knuth (7 July 1901 – 1 February 1987) was a German film actor. He appeared in more than 120 films between 1935 and 1982 and starred in the TV series ''Alle meine Tiere''. He was married to the actress Elisabeth Lennartz. Selected ...

Paul Klinger Paul Karl Heinrich Klinksik (14 June 1907, Essen – 14 November 1971, Munich) was a German stage and film actor who also worked in radio drama and soundtrack Dubbing (filmmaking), dubbing. Family life His father, a civil engineer, was Karl Heinr ...

and others. All of these German radio serials are, like the BBC originals, available on CD. The

European Broadcasting Union The European Broadcasting Union (EBU; , UER) is an alliance of Public broadcasting, public service media organisations in countries within the European Broadcasting Area (EBA) or who are member states of the Council of Europe, members of the ...

invited Durbridge in 1967 to write an original radio serial for the international market, ''La Boutique''. This was broadcast in more than 15 countries.

Work for television

Between 1952 and 1980, Durbridge wrote 17 TV serials for the BBC. Until 1959, they were shown under the umbrella title ''A Francis Durbridge Serial'', which was then changed to ''Francis Durbridge Presents''. Versions were also made in the Netherlands, Italy, France and Germany; some serials were re-made in the 1980s and 1990s. ''The Scarf'' was a six-part serial starring Stephen Murray and

Donald Pleasence Donald Henry Pleasence (; 5 October 1919 – 2 February 1995) was an English actor. He was known for his "bald head and intense, staring eyes," and played more than 250 stage, film, and television roles across a nearly sixty-year career. Pleas ...

, and was aired by the BBC in February and March 1959. The theme music was ''The Girl from Corsica'' by

Trevor Duncan Trevor Duncan (27 February 1924 – 17 December 2005) was an English composer, particularly noted for his light music compositions. Born in London, and largely self-taught, he originally composed as a sideline while working for the BBC. In th ...

. There were objections in Germany in 1962 when comedian Wolfgang Neuss revealed in a newspaper who would turn out to be the murderer in the last episode of a German version called '. In 1960–61, ''The World of Tim Frazer'' was broadcast as an 18-episode serial featuring three adventure

with Jack Hedley in the title role. They attracted almost 80% of all TV viewers—partly because, at that time, many European countries had one TV station each. In the sixties and seventies, many mini-series adapted from Durbridge's works were produced in Italy by RAI-TV. They featured some of the best Italian actors, among them Aroldo Tieri, Giuliana Lojodice, Nando Gazzolo, Ugo Pagliai, Luigi Vannucchi, Alberto Lupo and

Rossano Brazzi Rossano Brazzi (18 September 1916 – 24 December 1994) was an Italian actor, director and screenwriter. He was known for playing roles that typified the suave, romantic leading man archetype, both in his native country and in Hollywood. ...

. In France, TV scriptwriter and director

Abder Isker Abder Isker (born Abderrahmane Isker; 11 December 1920 – 14 December 2010), was a French-Algerian film director, screenwriter, and television producer. He was the first Algerian director whose work was screened on French television, and also p ...

produced some of Durbridge's adaptations for ORTF. In the mid-1960s, mini-series based on the Paul Temple novels appeared on TV in Europe. The 1969–1971 television series ''

'' ran for 52 episodes over four seasons, with the last 39 episodes (seasons 2–4) being the first international television co-production, made by the BBC with Taurus Films of Munich, West Germany. Paul Temple was played by British actor Francis Matthews, with Ros Drinkwater playing Steve.

Films

''Calling Paul Temple'' is a 1948

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

crime film Crime film is a film belonging to the crime fiction genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and fiction. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine with many other genres, such as Drama (film and television), dr ...

directed by

Maclean Rogers Maclean Rogers (13 July 1899 – 4 January 1962) was a British film director and screenwriter. Selected filmography Director * ''The Third Eye (1929 film), The Third Eye'' (1929) * ''The Mayor's Nest'' (1932) * ''Up for the Derby'' (1933) * ...

and starring John Bentley,

Dinah Sheridan Dinah Sheridan (born Dinah Nadyejda Ginsburg; 17 September 1920 – 25 November 2012) was an English actress with a career spanning seven decades. She was best known for the films ''Genevieve (film), Genevieve'' (1953) and ''The Railway Children ...

and

Margaretta Scott Margaretta Mary Winifred ScottBrian McFarlane, "Scott, Margaretta Mary Winifred (1912–2005)", ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, Jan 201available online Retrieved 30 August 2020. (13 February 1912 – 15 Apr ...

. It was the second in a series of four

films distributed by

Butcher's Film Service Butcher's Film Service was a British film production and distribution company that specialised in low-budget productions. The company was founded by William Butcher, a chemist from Blackheath. The company survived through several production slump ...

. The first was ''

Send for Paul Temple ''Send for Paul Temple'' is a 1946 British crime film directed by John Argyle and starring Anthony Hulme, Joy Shelton and Tamara Desni. Paul Temple is called in by Scotland Yard after a major diamond theft. It was the first of four film adap ...

'' (1946), with Anthony Hulme as Paul Temple. John Bentley then took over the role in ''Calling Paul Temple'', continuing for two further films: ''

Paul Temple's Triumph ''Paul Temple's Triumph'' is a 1950 British second feature ('B') crime film directed by Maclean Rogers and starring John Bentley, Dinah Sheridan and Jack Livesey. It was the third in the series of four Paul Temple films made at Nettlefold S ...

'' (1950) and '' Paul Temple Returns'' (1952).Paul Temple on Film
/ref> It was produced by Ernest G. Roy at the Nettlefold Film Studios in Walton On Thames.

Novels

Durbridge wrote many Paul Temple novels, but mostly worked with a co-author because Durbridge regarded himself as a writer of dialogue, a scriptwriter rather than a novelist.Barnes, Melvyn. Introduction to ''Beware of Johnny Washington,'' Harper Collins, 2017
/ref> The first was ''Send for Paul Temple'' (1938), written in collaboration with the pseudonymous John Thewes. He is thought to have been Charles Hatton, with whom Durbridge collaborated on the following four Temple novelisations up until 1948. All of these were rapidly adapted from Durbridge's original radio scripts in order to capitalise on the popularity of the radio serial. Publicity for ''Send for Paul Temple'' described it as "the novel of the thriller that created a BBC fan-mail record". The two novels with Douglas Rutherford (The ''Tyler Mystery'', 1957 and ''East of Algiers'', 1959) appeared under the Paul Temple pen name. ''The Tyler Mystery'' is unusual in giving Temple's wife, Steve, a more central role. ''East of Algiers'' was partly based on the 1947 radio serial ''Paul Temple and the Sullivan Mystery''. From ''The Kelby Affair'' (1970) on the novels are credited to Francis Durbridge alone. Durbridge wrote three Tim Frazer novels: ''The World of Tim Frazer'' (1962), ''Tim Frazer Again'' (1964) and ''Tim Frazer Gets the Message'' (1978). ''Beware of Johnny Washington'' (1951, reissued by HarperCollins in 2017) was a substantially re-written version of the first Paul Temple novel, ''Send for Paul Temple'', and there were three others based on Paul Temple scripts that were recycled as non-Temple books. Two titles, ''Back Room Girl'' (1950) and ''The Pig-Tail Murder'' (1969) were written as original novels, but most of the later books were adapted from the television plays of the 1960s and 1970s.

Personal life

Durbridge married Norah Lawley in 1940. They had two sons. He died at his home in

Barnes Barnes may refer to: People *Barnes (name), a family name and a given name (includes lists of people with that name) Places United Kingdom * Barnes, London, England ** Barnes railway station **Barnes Bridge railway station ** Barnes High Stree ...

, London, aged 85, in 1998.

List of radio plays and serials

The dates given are those of the first broadcast (and, in the case of serials, of the first episode):

Paul Temple

*''Send for Paul Temple'' – 8 April 1938 *''Paul Temple and the Front Page Men'' – 2 November 1938 *''News of Paul Temple'' – 13 November 1939 *''Paul Temple Intervenes'' – 30 October 1942 *''Send for Paul Temple Again'' – 13 September 1945 *''A Case for Paul Temple'' – 7 February 1946 *''Paul Temple and the Gregory Affair'' – 17 October 1946 *''Paul Temple and Steve'' – 30 March 1947 *''Mr and Mrs Paul Temple'' – 21 November 1947 *''Paul Temple and the Sullivan Mystery'' – 1 December 1947 *''Paul Temple and the Curzon Case'' – 7 December 1948 *''Paul Temple and the Madison Mystery'' – 12 October 1949 *''Paul Temple and the Vandyke Affair'' – 3 November 1950 *''Paul Temple and the Jonathan Mystery'' – 10 May 1951 *''Paul Temple and Steve Again'' – 8 April 1953 *''Paul Temple and the Gilbert Case'' – 2 April 1954 *''Paul Temple and the Madison Mystery'' – 20 June 1955 (new production) *''Paul Temple and the Lawrence Affair'' – 11 April 1956 *''Paul Temple and the Spencer Affair'' – 13 November 1957 *''Paul Temple and the Vandyke Affair'' – 1 January 1959 (new production) *''Paul Temple and the Conrad Case'' – 2 March 1959 *''Paul Temple and the Gilbert Case'' – 22 November 1959 (new production) *''Paul Temple and the Margo Mystery'' – 1 January 1961 *''Paul Temple and the Jonathan Mystery'' – 14 October 1963 (new production) *''Paul Temple and the Geneva Mystery'' – 11 April 1965 *''Paul Temple and the Alex Affair'' – 26 February 1968 (revised version of ''Send For Paul Temple Again'') *''Paul Temple and the Sullivan Mystery'' – 7 August 2006 (new production)

Other radio plays and serials

*''Promotion'' – 3 October 1934 *''Information Received'' – 25 February 1938 *''We Were Strangers'' – 9 July 1940 *''And Anthony Sherwood Laughed'' – 20 December 1940 *''Mr Hartington Died Tomorrow'' § – 9 February 1942 *''The Essential Heart'' ‡ – 6 February 1943 *''Farewell Leicester Square'' § – 8 February 1943 *''Over My Dead Body'' – 11 April 1945 *''John Washington Esquire'' – 16 September 1949 *''What Do You Think?'' – 12 September 1962 *''La Boutique'' – 2 October 1967 :§ as Lewis Middleton Harvey :‡ as Nicholas Vane

List of British TV series

None of the episodes of ''The Francis Durbridge Serial'' are believed to have survived. All episodes of ''Francis Durbridge Presents'' survive except for ''The World of Tim Frazer'' of which only episode 3 and 10 (out of 18) are thought to still exist. *''A Francis Durbridge Serial'' **'' The Broken Horseshoe'' (1952) **''Operation Diplomat'' (1952) **''The Teckman Biography'' (1953–54) **'' Portrait of Alison'' (1955) **''My Friend Charles'' (1956) **''The Other Man'' (1956) **''A Time of Day'' (1957) **''The Scarf'' (1959) *''Francis Durbridge Presents'' **''The World of Tim Frazer'' (1960–61) **''The Desperate People'' (1963) **''

Melissa Melissa is a feminine given name. The name comes from the Greek language, Greek word μέλισσα (''mélissa''), "bee", which in turn comes from μέλι (''meli''), "honey". In Hittite language, Hittite, ''melit'' signifies "honey". Meliss ...

'' (1964) **''A Man Called Harry Brent'' (1965) **''A Game of Murder'' (1966) **''

Bat Out of Hell ''Bat Out of Hell'' is the debut studio album by American rock singer Meat Loaf and composer Jim Steinman. The album was developed from the musical ''Neverland'', a futuristic rock version of '' Peter Pan'' which Steinman wrote for a worksho ...

'' (1966) *''

'' (52 episodes) (1969–71) *''Francis Durbridge Presents'' **''The Passenger'' (1971) **''Melissa'' (1974) **''The Doll'' (1975) **''Breakaway – The Family Affair'' (1980) **''Breakaway – The Local Affair'' (1980) In 1997, Channel 4 broadcast a version of ''

'', adapted by

Alan Bleasdale Alan George Bleasdale (born 23 March 1946) is an English screenwriter, best known for social realist drama serials based on the lives of ordinary people. A former teacher, he has written for radio, stage and screen, and has also written novels ...

from the Francis Durbridge novel.

Jennifer Ehle Jennifer Anne Ehle (; born December 29, 1969) is an American actress. She received the British Academy Television Award for Best Actress for her role as Elizabeth Bennet in the BBC miniseries ''Pride and Prejudice'' (1995). Ehle started her car ...

played Melissa.

List of German TV adaptations

*''Der Andere'' (1959, based on ''The Other Man'') *''Es ist soweit'' (1960, based on ''A Time Of Day'') *' (1962, based on ''The Scarf'') *' (1963, based on ''The World of Tim Frazer'') *' (1964, based on ''Tim Frazer: The Salinger Affair'') *' (1965, based on ''The Desperate People'') *' (1966, based on ''Melissa'') *' (1968, based on ''A Man Called Harry Brent'') *' (1970, based on ''Bat Out of Hell''), with

Paul Hubschmid Paul Hubschmid (; 20 July 1917 – 1 January 2002) was a Switzerland, Swiss actor. He was most notable for his role as Pygmalion (play), Henry Higgins in the German stage production of ''My Fair Lady''. In his Hollywood films he was billed as Pa ...

*' (1971, loosely based on ''Tim Frazer: The Mellin Forrest Mystery''), with

Hardy Krüger Hardy Krüger (; born Eberhard August Franz Ewald Krüger; 12 April 1928 – 19 January 2022) was a German actor and author who appeared in more than 60 films from 1944 onwards. After becoming a film star in Germany in the 1950s, Krüger increas ...

*' (1977, based on ''A Game Of Murder'')

List of Italian TV adaptations

*' (1963, based on ''The Scarf'') *' (1964, based on ''A Time of Day''), with

Massimo Girotti Massimo Girotti (18 May 1918 – 5 January 2003) was an Italian film actor whose career spanned seven decades. Biography Born in Mogliano, in the province of Macerata, Girotti developed his athletic physique by swimming and playing polo. While ...

*' (1966, based on ''Melissa''), with

*' (1969, based on ''A Game of Murder'') *' (1970, based on ''A Man Called Harry Brent'') *' (1971, based on ''Bat Out of Hell'') *' (1973, based on ''The Other Man'') *' (1976, based on the stageplay ''Suddenly at Home''), with

Nino Castelnuovo Francesco "Nino" Castelnuovo (28 October 1936 – 6 September 2021) was an Italian actor of film, stage and television, best known for his starring role as Guy Foucher in the French musical film ''The Umbrellas of Cherbourg'' (1964). Castelnu ...

*' (1976, based on ''The Doll''), with

Marilù Tolo Marilù Tolo (born Maria Lucia Tolo; 16 January 1944) is an Italian film actress. She appeared in more than 60 films between 1960 and 1985. Life and career Tolo was born in Rome, and at a very young age worked as an assistant of Mario Riva in ...

*' (1977, based on ''The World of Tim Frazer'') *' (1980, based on the stageplay ''The Gentle Hook'')

List of French TV adaptations

*''L'Écharpe'' (1966, based on ''The Scarf''), directed by

, with

Raymond Pellegrin Raymond Pellegrin (1 January 1925 – 14 October 2007) was a French actor. Born in Nice, Pellegrin made his screen debut in the 1945 French feature ''Naïs (film), Naïs''. He was also famous in France for dubbing Jean Marais for the voice ...

*''Mélissa'' (1968, based on ''Melissa'') *''À corps perdu'' (1970, based on ''Bat Out of Hell''), with

Danièle Delorme Gabrielle Danièle Marguerite Andrée Girard (9 October 1926 – 17 October 2015), known by her stage name Danièle Delorme (), was a French actress and film producer, famous for her roles in films directed by Marc Allégret, Julien Duvivier an ...

*' (1972, based on ''A Game Of Murder''), with

Marie-France Pisier Marie-France Pisier (10 May 194424 April 2011) was a French actress, screenwriter, and director. She appeared in numerous films of the French New Wave, and twice earned the national César Award for César Award for Best Supporting Actress, Best ...

*''Un certain Richard Dorian'' (1973, based on ''A Man Called Harry Brent''), directed by Abder Isker *''La Passagère'' (1974, based on ''The Passenger''), directed by Abder Isker *''La Mort d'un touriste'' (1975, based on ''Tim Frazer: The Salinger Affair'')

List of Polish TV adaptations

*''Szal'' (1970, based on ''The Scarf'') *''Melissa'' (1970, based on ''Melissa'') *''W biały dzień'' (1971, based on ''A Time Of Day'') *''Harry Brent'' (1972, based on ''A Man Called Harry Brent'') *''Jak błyskawica'' (1972, based on ''Bat Out of Hell'') *''Desperaci'' (1974, based on ''The Desperate People'') *''Brutalna gra'' (1976, based on ''A Game of Murder'') *''Odwet'' (1985, based on ''Murder With Love'')

Other TV adaptations

Sweden *' (1962, based on ''The Scarf'') Finland *''Huivi'' (1962, based on ''The Scarf'') Netherlands *''Paul Vlaanderen''

List of plays

*''Suddenly at Home'' (1971) *''The Gentle Hook'' (1974) *''House Guest'' (1976) *''Murder with Love'' (1976) *''Deadly Nightcap'' (1983) *''A Touch of Danger'' (1987) *''The Small Hours'' (1991) *''Sweet Revenge'' (1993) *''Fatal Encounter'' (2002-posthumous)

List of films

* 1946 ''

'' (with Anthony Hulme as Paul Temple) * 1948 ''

Calling Paul Temple ''Calling Paul Temple'' is a 1948 British crime film directed by Maclean Rogers and starring John Bentley, Dinah Sheridan and Margaretta Scott. It was the second in a series of four Paul Temple films distributed by Butcher's Film Service. The ...

'' (based upon ''Send for Paul Temple Again'', with John Bentley as Paul Temple) * 1950 ''

'' (based upon ''News of Paul Temple'', with John Bentley as Paul Temple) * 1952 '' Paul Temple Returns'' (based upon ''Paul Temple Intervenes'', with John Bentley as Paul Temple) * 1953 '' The Broken Horseshoe'' (based on the 1952 BBC TV series) * 1953 '' Operation Diplomat'' (based on the 1952 BBC TV series) * 1954 '' The Teckman Mystery'' (based upon ''The Teckman Biography'') * 1955 '' Portrait of Alison'' (U.S. title: ''Postmark for Danger'') (based upon ''Portrait of Alison'') * 1957 '' The Vicious Circle'' (based upon ''My Friend Charles'') * 1963 '' Piccadilly Zero Hour 12'' (based upon ''Step in the Dark'') * 1964 ' / ''Case 33: Antwerp'' is an Austrian/Belgian co-production based on the Tim Frazer character

List of novels

Paul Temple novels

*''Send for Paul Temple'' (1938) (with John Thewes, aka Charles Hatton?) *''Paul Temple and the Front Page Men'' (1939) (with Charles Hatton) *''News of Paul Temple'' (1940) (with Charles Hatton) *''Paul Temple Intervenes'' (1944) (with Charles Hatton) *''Send for Paul Temple Again!'' (1948) (with Charles Hatton) *''The Tyler Mystery'' (1957) by 'Paul Temple' (with Douglas Rutherford) *''East of Algiers'' (1959) by 'Paul Temple' (with Douglas Rutherford) *''Paul Temple and the Kelby Affair'' (1970) *''Paul Temple and the Harkdale Robbery'' (1970) *''The Geneva Mystery'' (1971) *''The Curzon Case'' (1971) *''Paul Temple and the Margo Mystery'' (1986) *''Paul Temple and the Madison Case'' (1988)

Tim Frazer novels

*''The World of Tim Frazer'' (1962) *''Tim Frazer Again'' (1964) *''Tim Frazer Gets the Message'' (1978)

Other novels

*''Back Room Girl'' (1950) *''Beware of Johnny Washington'' (1951) (a re-writing of ''Send for Paul Temple'') *''Design for Murder'' (1951) (based on ''Paul Temple and the Gregory Affair'', 1946) *''The Other Man'' (1958) *''A Time of Day'' (1959) *''The Scarf'' (1960) *''Portrait of Alison'' (1962) *''My Friend Charles'' (1963) *''Another Woman's Shoes'' (1965) (based on ''Paul Temple and the Gilbert Case'', 1954) *''The Desperate People'' (1966) *''Dead to the World'' (1967) (based on ''Paul Temple and the Jonathan Mystery'', 1951, 1963) *''My Wife Melissa'' (1967) *''The Pig-Tail Murder'' (1969) (based on ''Step in the Dark'', the screenplay for '' Piccadilly Zero Hour 12'', 1963) *''A Man Called Harry Brent'' (1970) *''Bat out of Hell'' (1972) *''A Game of Murder'' (1975) *''The Passenger'' (1977) *''Breakaway'' (1981) *''The Doll'' (1982)

References

External links

*
The Francis Durbridge Homepage
(German)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Durbridge, Francis 1912 births 1998 deaths Alumni of the University of Birmingham English crime fiction writers English dramatists and playwrights People educated at Bradford Grammar School Writers from Kingston upon Hull 20th-century English novelists 20th-century English dramatists and playwrights English male dramatists and playwrights English male novelists 20th-century English male writers Scriptwriters of Sexton Blake