A DISTURBING CASE • REVIEW

A DISTURBING CASE • DECLASSIFIED

• Pre-Titles Teaser... A black, chauffeur-driven limousine parks up outside Albert Phillips' house after dark. In the back of the car, Smart checks his watch. They have arrived on time, doubly evidenced when he hears the distant ringing of a telephone. Inside, Phillips answers the call and raises the receiver to his ear. He hears a strange electronic tone followed by three beeps, causing him to involuntarily enter a trance. He answers a knock at the door. It is Smart, who just strolls in as if he owns the place, briefcase in hand. Phillips does not react. Instead he silently leads Smart to the safe and twists the turn dial back and forth to open it for him. Seated in Phillips' armchair, Smart watches on intently as Phillips retrieves the contents of the safe and places them on the desk. Smart opens his briefcase and proceeds to sift through the booty. He is looking for some specific files, which he finds inside a large manilla envelope which he tears open, pouring its contents into the case. He is about to go when he notices Phillips' gold-plated pocket watch - which ends up slipped into Smart's own coat pocket. He then blows a whistle and Phillips autonomically returns the unwanted items to the safe and relocks it while Smart calls his boss to report on his successful mission. Smart departs, leaving Phillips standing like a statue, still hypnotised. The telephone rings again. Phillips hears another tone and another three beeps and suddenly awakens. A voice on the other end of the phone asks for Albert Phillips. "Speaking," booms Phillips. "246-8090?" asks the voice. "Wrong number!" Phillips declares, putting the receiver back in its cradle...

• Production Brief... A Disturbing Case was the twenty-second episode to go before the cameras. It was the only episode of the series to be written by Jeff Randall actor Mike Pratt and Ian Wilson and the sixth to be directed by Ray Austin.

• Ian Wilson was, like his writing partner, also an actor. He had worked with Mike Pratt previously on Dave's Kingdom, an ATV comedy vehicle for Dave King, then a top comedy and recording star. Mike Pratt wrote for this series and Ian Wilson acted in it.

• It would seem that Pratt and Wilson were not formally commissioned to write this episode. In conversation with Mike Richardson for Time Screen magazine, co-creator Dennis Spooner recalled that Mike Pratt had written a script for the series "and just put it on my desk". Indeed, he had kept quiet about it all with his co-stars too, as Kenneth Cope revealed to Steve O'Brien in SFX (April 2000): "I was writing for LWT at the time, sketches and stuff. He didn't even tell me he was writing [a Randall and Hopkirk]. He was so shy. He used to closet himself in his dressing room with his guitar when he had a bit of time off. He was an exciting man to work with, though." Cope had earlier spoken to Annette Buckley about A Disturbing Case, their discussion appearing in Time Screen (#11, Spring 1988): "Mike wrote an episode which was very good and it was received very well. Of course, Michael wrote for the film Tommy the Toreador as well as composing the song Little White Bull."

• Judith Arthy, who had stepped into the breach when Annette André had been too unwell to take part in The House on Haunted Hill (see Production Brief for that episode), was asked to film a further episode alongside André. This was partly designed as a show of gratitude to the actress, and partly to make her sudden subsitution in that episode seem less jarring in terms of the running narrative. However, André's return meant that Arthy's caption did not feature in the opening titles for this episode, though she was credited with the three regulars at the end of the episode.

Image © ITV Studios, 1969

• ITC documentation states very strongly that A Disturbing Case should be transmitted before The House on Haunted Hill. When DVD and Blu-ray releases follow the series' production order, this episode is indeed usually swapped to precede that episode, as A Disturbing Case serves as the better introductory vehicle for Arthy's character. Also, it is revealed in this episode that Jeff needs reminding who Jenny is and that he has not seen her for "a long time", which would stand out as strange were the episode to follow The House on Haunted Hill instead of precede it.

• A Disturbing Case witnessed the welcome return of Michael Griffiths as Inspector Nelson, previously seen in That's How Murder Snowballs. Confusingly, the character was given as 'Inspector Nolan' in publicity materials for this episode.

• As originally filmed, Kenneth Cope mimicked Dr. Conrad's vocal delivery when giving instructions to the hypnotised Jeff Randall. However, a different choice was made in post-production, as Cope explained to Annette Buckley of Time Screen magazine (#11, Spring 1988): "The script that Michael did when they had... me using the psychiatrist's voice to give him orders - 'Hit him, Jeff! Hit him!'. It was so funny. The other actor [David Bauer] dubbed my voice. I was supposed to be copying him, but he dubbed me. So all that bit with 'Hit him with the right, hit with the left', I said the lines, but he came along and redubbed it in his own voice."

• Brian Elvin returned to his familiar role as director of photography for this episode, with one-shot DOP Gerald Moss going back to his regular position as 2nd unit cameraman.

• Exact filming dates for this episode are unknown, but it is believed to have been filmed in May 1969. A fully edited version of this episode was completed by late August 1969.

• On Location... Aside from sequences that were filmed in Jean Hopkirk's locality of Maida Vale and very short hikes to the ABPC Elstree Studios backlot, A Disturbing Case is based almost exclusively in and around the picturesque Hertfordshire village of Letchmore Heath. More details in Locations: A Disturbing Case.

• The name on the gates of Whitty's property is the real-life name of the house at the location - Aragon. This is unusual in TV programmes of the time, where real names would ordinarily be hidden or replaced with fictional ones. Aragon had featured twice previously in Department S, in Handicap Dead and The Bones of Byrom Blain.

• Haunting Melodies... Edwin Astley was not asked to compose any new music cues for A Disturbing Case, with its score coming entirely from stock. There is, however, an interesting consideration here, in that the music cue sheets for this episode indicate that the cues relating to Jeff's actions under hypnosis were specially recorded - though these were not recorded by Edwin Astley, at least not specially for Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased). As such, the true source of these cues remains mysterious. One library cue was brought into service in A Disturbing Case, namely Flute in Desolation by Robin Stephenson, as the sound with which Dr. Conrad hypnotised his victims.

• Seeing Things... A Disturbing Case received its first UK broadcast on Sunday 28th September 1969 at 7.25pm when it aired in monochrome in the London Weekend Television ITV region.

• It was first shown in colour on ITV on Sunday 26th July 1970 at 9.05pm in the Tyne Tees region.

• Trivia... Just two episodes after Could You Recognise the Man Again? we have another episode where the scriptwriters have named a character 'Hales'. Since the episodes do not have scriptwriters in common this was most likely a coincidence.

• When Leonard Whitty drives up to the gates of his home, he does so in a vehicle very similar to Jeff's Vauxhall Victor. In actuality, it was the Vauxhall Ventora regularly seen in Department S as the regular vehicle driven by Stewart Sullivan.

• Jeff's Vauxhall has been stolen (by the Department S 2nd unit, no doubt!) so Jean has promised to lend him her Mini. Marty is unhappy with this, not least because he still considers it his car as much as his widow's. After all, the last time that Jeff borrowed it, just two days driving and it ended up in a garage with one of the doors off. Jeff tells him it needed a service. Later, after Jeff is conditioned by Conrad, Jeff escapes from the nursing home directed by Marty. In a trance, he drives to Whitty's under Marty's instruction. "You see, you can drive a car safely and quietly. Why don't you drive the car like this all the time, Mr. Randall," says Marty impersonating Dr. Conrad's voice.

• The theft of Jeff's car led to it being used in a 1.00am robbery at the premises of Goldhart and Appleby in which valuables worth £15,000 were stolen. This crime appears to have been separate to the series of robberies perpetrated by Dr. Conrad and Smart. Jeff's car was found by the police and checked over by forensics before being returned to Jeff.

• The ITC synopsis of this episode suggests that Dr. Conrad's cohort Smart (Patrick Jordan) is an ex-prisoner who is one of Conrad's "human robots". This idea appears to have been partly dropped by the time the episode went before the cameras as Smart is clearly in control of his actions - an operative of Conrad's rather than his slave. However, he does have a police record - Inspector Nelson notes that he is a burglar who later tried his hand as a conman and that he left prison three years previously.

• This episode was used as the basis for an episode of the Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) revival series starring Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer. Written by Charlie Higson, it was produced as You Don't Have To Be Mad To Work Here in 1999, it was ultimately screened on BBC1 on 25th March 2000. By this time it had been retitled Mental Apparition Disorder.

• Only You, Jeff? Marty appears to have lost his ability to converse with hypnotised people, an ability with a 100% hit rate in When Did You Start to Stop Seeing Things? as when in a trance Leonard Whitty appears not to hear him.

• When Dr. Conrad conditions Jeff, Jeff can hear Marty but only if Marty impersonates Conrad's voice.

• Ghosts and Ghoulies... Just Marty in this one, but we love Marty, so who's complaining?

• The Vehicles... Appearing in this episode were the following wonders of transport...

	1965 Humber Super Snipe Series V Registration HPP 1C Driven by Hales
	1964 Austin Mini Super Deluxe Mk I Registration BAP 245B Driven by Jean Hopkirk and Jeff Randall	Also appeared in: Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) - 'My Late Lamented Friend and Partner', 'You Can Always Find A Fall Guy', 'All Work and No Pay', 'Never Trust a Ghost', 'Vendetta for a Dead Man', 'Just for the Record', 'Could You Recognise the Man Again?', 'Somebody Just Walked Over My Grave', 'The Ghost Talks' Department S - 'The Man from X' The Saint - 'The Time to Die' The Persuaders! - 'Greensleeves'
	1968 Vauxhall Ventora 3300 Registration RXD 997F Driven by Leonard Whitty	Also appeared in: Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) - 'Money to Burn', 'The Ghost Talks' Department S - used extensively in the series (Stewart Sullivan's car)
	1968 Ford Zephyr Deluxe MkIV Registration PXD 976F Driven by Jeff Randall, directed by Marty Hopkirk	Also appeared in: Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) - 'My Late Lamented Friend and Partner', 'A Sentimental Journey', 'You Can Always Find A Fall Guy', 'Who Killed Cock Robin?', 'The Trouble With Women', 'Whoever Heard of a Ghost Dying?', 'Never Trust A Ghost', 'Vendetta for a Dead Man', 'Somebody Just Walked Over My Grave'  Department S - 'The Bones of Byrom Blain' and other episodes

• Seen It All Before? The backlot facade that doubled as Albert Phillips home was a familiar sight in ITC shows filmed at ABPC Elstree at this time. Most notably it had previously featured in The Saint: The Time to Kill as Simon Templar's London home.

• The much-used drawing room and hallway sets were redressed for A Disturbing Case to become rooms in Leonard Whitty's home.

• Jenny (Judith Arthy) wears the red coat previously worn by Mrs. Roden (Madge Ryan) in Could You Recognise the Man Again?

Images © ITV Studios, 1969

• Dr. Conrad's thefts are clearly not restricted to the contents of people's safes as he has also stolen the metal desk calendar and pen holder from Jeff's office desk...

Images © ITV Studios, 1969

• Cock-ups... At 20 minutes and 41 seconds, nurses Phillip and Andrew restrain Jeff on a bed at the Lambert Clinic Nursing Home. Andrew gives Jeff a sedative with a hypodermic needle while his colleague holds Jeff down. A close up shows us that they have pulled back his jacket and shirtsleeve and the needle hovers over bare skin. The shot cuts to a wider shot and Andrew delivers the injection through Jeff's jacket, much further up his arm.

Images © ITV Studios, 1969

• In the end titles, Charles Morgan's character, who is referred to in the episode as Albert Phillips is credited by Chambers + Partners as Arthur Phillips. Possibly they were working from outdated information.

• And Finally... When most people hear the name Mike Pratt, they'll think of Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) if they know of him at all, but Mike had more than just this string to his bow. A Disturbing Case proves this to be the case, since he co-wrote its script with Ian Wilson - no mean feat, writing one of the most popular and entertaining episodes of the whole series. Mike had previously been successful as a songwriter, penning songs for the likes of Tommy Steele (including Little White Bull which was a chart hit and Songwriters Guild Ivor Novello Award winner in 1959). This association and Mike's friendship with Lionel Bart led to a co-writing credit for him on the Tommy Steele film The Duke Wore Jeans (1958) and a music credit on Tommy the Toreador (1959), again with Bart and Steele. In the early 1960s, Mike speculatively wrote several stage and television scripts and sent them to a variety of companies, but none were commissioned or produced. Mike's acting career, of course, took off at around this time, but he kept his hand in his writing, penning a script for Dave's Kingdom, a 1964 situation comedy starring Dave King, and another for Pardon the Expression, a comedy featuring Arthur Lowe as Leonard Swindley, spun off from Coronation Street. A Disturbing Case would prove to be Mike's final scriptwriting commission, but it's one that proves that he was just as good a writer as he was an actor...

  Read more about Mike Pratt in our Who's Who? section

Plotline: Scoton Productions / ITC • UK Transmissions by Simon Coward and Alan Hayes
Review by Alan Hayes • Declassified by Alan Hayes
with thanks to Vince Cox, Alys Hayes, Annette Hill, John Holburn,
Anthony McKay, Mike Richardson and Andrew Pixley

All timings given on this page relate to the Blu-ray editions of this episode