Debuting on Monday 9 April 1956, this weekly educational children’s adventure series was written by Newton Branch and based on his Bulldog book, Calling All Boys To Spot Criminals.
The boys in question – Bill (Fella Edmonds), Dan (Glyn Dearman), Phil (Michael Maguire), Mike (Jonathan Swift) and Bash (Leo Phillips) – learned from Bill’s dad, Inspector Hawke (Alan Robinson), about the intricacies of detective work: how to trail suspects, dab for fingerprints, make plaster casts of footprints and use disguise effectively in the pursuit of criminals – in this case, Mr X (Ian Hendry).
Bill’s ‘Special Investigation Squad’ learned how to make deductions based on personal observation backed by scientific proof – not on flashy guesswork or brilliant hunches.
Bill
Fella Edmonds Phil
Michael Maguire Dan
Glyn Dearman Mike
Jonathan Swift Bash
Leo Phillips Inspector Hawke
Alan Robinson Inspector Blake
Ralph Nossek Constable Smith
Ronald Wood Mr X
Ian Hendry Paddy
Michael Corcoran The Kid
John Sherlock
The boys in question – Bill (Fella Edmonds), Dan (Glyn Dearman), Phil (Michael Maguire), Mike (Jonathan Swift) and Bash (Leo Phillips) – learned from Bill’s dad, Inspector Hawke (Alan Robinson), about the intricacies of detective work: how to trail suspects, dab for fingerprints, make plaster casts of footprints and use disguise effectively in the pursuit of criminals – in this case, Mr X (Ian Hendry).
