The House of Unspeakable Secrets
A Vintage BBC Comedy Thriller
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The House of Unspeakable Secrets
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Narrated by:
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Leslie Philips
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Ian Thompson
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full cast
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By:
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Ernest Dudley
About this listen
Leslie Phillips stars in this eight-part radio comedy thriller
Famous Mayfair hairdresser Hilaire knows all the secrets of feminine beauty. His VIP clients trust him implicitly and take him into their confidence, telling him things they wouldn’t dare tell their husbands or lovers. But unbeknownst to them, he leads a double life as a secret agent, working for London’s top man, Major Selby.
Sent to Hamburg on a mysterious mission to steal an important tape recording from an opera singer’s dressing room, Hilaire soon finds himself in a dangerous predicament. In the course of one eventful evening, he is arrested, confronted by a knife-wielding maniac and beguiled by an attractive blonde. And when the lovely Caresse ends up half-strangled in his sleeping compartment on the Nord Express, he realises his straightforward assignment has just turned deadly.
Who is the would-be killer on the train, and how is he connected to the mysterious ‘Josef’? What is the significance of the red carnation? And what part does Selby’s arch-rival, Lord Dulane, have to play in the affair? Hilaire must comb through the clues and tease out the truth – or it will be a case of hair today, gone tomorrow…
Written by Ernest Dudley, the creator of the popular radio crime series A Case for Dr Morelle, this fast-paced tale of murder, blackmail and wigs stars Leslie Phillips as Hilaire, with Irene Sutcliffe as Caresse and Simon Lack as Selby.
Cast and credits
Written by Ernest Dudley
Produced by Guy Vaesen
Hilaire – Leslie Phillips
Erich/Francois-Jules/Airport officer/Policeman/Newsreader/Detective Sergeant – Ian Thompson
Second detektiv/First night porter/Hotel receptionist – David Brierley
Selby – Simon Lack
Weber/Waiter/Stranger – Leroy Lingwood
Stage doorman/Taxi driver/Sleeping-car atttendant/Airport announcer/Judo instructor/Dining-car attendant/Second night porter – Michael Harbour
Brigit – Hilda Schroder
First detektiv/Barman – John Wyse
Caresse – Irene Sutcliffe
Nicolette – Ann Murray
Agent – James Beattie
Lady Dulane – Carol Marsh
Lord Dulane – Henderson Tate
First detective – Nigel Graham
Second detective – Malcolm Young
Hall porter – Graham Armitage
Driver – Ronald Herdman
Zoe Bellamy – Barbara Mitchell
Hotel detective – Denis McCarthy
Drunk – Ralph Truman
Detective Inspector – Geoffrey Wincott
First broadcast BBC Radio 2, 27 Nov – 21 Dec 1967
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