1 9 5 9 (UK)
5 x 30 minute episodes
Down at heel private detective Gordon Stewart (Donald Churchill) is on the verge of going broke until one day a mysterious client appears with a job for him.
The job is not without its hazards and Stewart soon finds himself wanted for a murder he didn’t commit. He makes his way to Hull to investigate the case, with the police and three shady figures on his tail. But who are the Man in Black, the Little Man and the Tall Man?
‘King Billy’ is a golden statue of King William which stands in the market square in Hull and marks the centre of a smuggling ring. It’s up to Stewart to find out what’s going on and clear his name.
What might have appeared a radically adult tale of gumshoes and murder was, beneath the surface, just another smuggling tale – albeit a slightly more credible one than the Blyton-style adventures that were prevalent at the time.
Gordon Stewart
Donald Churchill
Connie
Gillian Barber
The Client
Philip Ray
Tall Man
Peter Thomas
Little Man
Wolfe Morris
Man in Black
Peter Bull
Mike Wadham
Colin Spaull
Alan Brookes
Anthony Woodruff