Dover and the Poison Pen Letters - starring Paul Dawkins, James Cosmo & Denise Coffey (1968)

Det. Chief Insp. Dover (Paul Dawkins) is fat, lazy and useless. Dame Alice Stote-Weedon(Ruth Kettlewell) demands that Scotland Yard put their best man on the case to help with a campaign poison pen letters, but they end up sending Dover. When Mrs Tompkins is murdered, Dover is finally forced investigate....
Broadcast 24th May 1968

[@teagunn]

Never seen these before. Heard the modern radio plays but never realised there was a show! Thank you!

[@derekeaton-yl9ni]

I loved the radio series with Kenneth Grantham so what a surprise to find a TV show before. Great character Dover 😂

[@flapjackfae]

OMG, this show is bonkers! I've never heard of it, and I love it! Thank you!

[@jenniferpierno6108]

I've listened to the audio stories and found them hilarious. About to watch this. Thanks for posting.

[@peterdavy6110]

Never knew they made a TV show of the Dover books. The casting is brilliant. Thank you so much!

[@mahaswelem4120]

The great gem finder… wonderful as usual…thank you so much 😊

[@chriswinwood6501]

Oh wow! I’ve just read a Joyce Porter and was really taken with it. And now I find this!

[@angelsone-five7912]

Enjoyed that, good story with a bit of fun thrown in, wicked.

[@LorrieBrady]

Good one ! Love the intrigue and comedy.

[@Pamela-pm9hn]

Sooooooo Good! Thank you CBT

[@machfiver753]

I hope there's more episodes of this show. Awesome black comedy.

[@Ubique2927]

33:00 pictures of match stickmen on the radio!!! Made my day.

[@nickyfasey7243]

Loved Joyce Porter's books! One of my favourites, though, was one of her 'spy' novels, 'Neither a Candle nor a Pitchfork'

[@patriciagleve4784]

Thanks for posting! A host of well-known faces (Rita Webb on classic form). I always thought James Cosmo appeared on screen in the 90s(?) in Braveheart & similar. He's so young here.

[@63mckenzie]

I thought the same about John Inman. I was amazed to see him in a 60's drama.

[@chriswinwood6501]

Loved this. Exactly in keeping with the tone of Joyce Porter’s writing: a genuine decent whodunnit, hidden behind OTT characters and lots of laughs. I haven’t read any Dover but the Hon Con had me hooked and I wondered who might play her on tv. I really didn’t know there had been any tv adaptations. I would really like to see more. James Cosmo so young! Amazing cast. Patsy Smart! Produced by Verity Lambert!

[@robertsmith-qb2ke]

Lovely to have a chance to watch this. Have read most, if not all of the 'Dover' novels and was wondering how it would transfer. Different, but enjoyable. 😸 Looks like there was just the one... 😿

[@Baskerville22]

Ballard Berkeley as the Assistant Commissioner. He's better known these days as The Major from the Fawlty Towers TV series

[@shelbynamels7948]

my first introduction to him was as the FIL on Fresh Fields, with Julia McKenzie - one among many Miss Marples - and Anton Rodgers.

[@StevenSmolak]

What a comedic, wild, and entertaining fiasco! Clever too... "She didn't commit suicide. Get me her underwear." Her underwear? Here they are, and yes inspector, they are dirty. "Of course they are; nobody who knows they're going to die goes out with dirty ones!" Hilarious and then some!¡! 😂 🎉 🏆

[@Tesserae]

The Major, from Fawlty Towers. “Don’t mention the war.”

[@patriciagleve4784]

Ballard Berkley - good spot!

[@BennyTheBall8899]

Lovely to see Denise Coffey in another great upload.❤️ Can't find out much about Paul Dawkins who plays Dover, other than he died in 1979 at the relatively young age of 60.

[@LONDONGUY100]

Between 1960 and 1979 Mr Dawkins appeared on many popular shows of the time including No Hiding Place, Coronation Street, Armchair Theatre, Sergeant Cork, Z-cars, Softly Softly, Emergency-Ward 10, The Avengers, Crossroads, Public Eye, Dixon of Dock Green, On the Buses, Nearest and Dearest, The Professionals, Dads Army, All Creatures Great & small.....and very many others.

[@BennyTheBall8899]

@LONDONGUY100 Thank you 😀👍

[@Super241946]

I 😂felt that Dover was going to keel over at any minute!

[@charangosurf]

Wonderful story line, characters & humour - surprised it got past the censors even in 1968

[@LONDONGUY100]

I really enjoyed this. Very good. Dover is quite a funny comic creation, but a good copper underneath it all. Would have been good to see more of him but I think they made just the one.

[@faykaradoukas50]

😁😁😁 Smashing 💝💝💝

[@nickalina]

Such a delight to see this. Are there more?

[@betsya7054]

So good ❤ ty

[@cindysecker3028]

Hysterical 😂

[@richardenders6606]

Great, are there any more?

[@wearegoingtocatalina]

Brilliant.

[@JamesSimmons-d1t]

BALLARD BERKELEY. Hatchplot's "Stage fright", with Alastair Sim and Joyce Grenfell !!! and 'Fawlty Towers" >>> the Major. THANK YOU. just saw BB in a 60s Brit sci-fi.

[@nickwalter9630]

Thats the major from Fawlty Towers

[@geoffreybloomfield3936]

no it's not

[@lilliankeane5731]

Yes, the assistant commissioner played the major, geez he was a good character!

[@Stiffd1]

This is Glorious..good old Dover-Vision..well played! Any Buns or Sandwiches?

[@tomatenpaprika6323]

Mrs. Potesnki is also in Dad`s Army and Are you being served

[@LynneSorensen]

Laurel and Hardy in Scotland Yard🤣

[@shelbynamels7948]

is there more, or was this a one-off??

[@ClassicBritishTelly]

@@shelbynamels7948 Just this one unfortunately

[@EdelweisSusie]

This would have been a great drama if it weren’t filmed like a ‘French farce’ a la Brian Rix - but I guess that’s how it was originally written?

[@chriswinwood6501]

I’ve only read one Joyce Porter, and this adaptation is in the right spirit

[@jenniferpierno6108]

Hilarious

[@brianmac8260]

Tenniel Evans the grocer.

[@kennyguitarallen5662]

rita webb, cafe