A welcome diversion from more typical BBC home counties fare, this adventure thriller was set in the heart of London’s docklands long before its redevelopment in the 1980s.
Sam Leigh (Simon West) was the story’s hero, a boy who lived above a pub, bringing a working-class touch to an otherwise predictable tale of crooks undone by a young boy’s ingenuity and the help of a trusty coastguard.
Written and produced by Peggy Miller, more usually responsible for buying in and adapting European imports for the department, the story seems to have been built around whatever interesting locations were convenient for filming.
The plot takes in an old sea fort overlooking the Thames estuary, Greenhithe, Greenwich and a trip by hydrofoil.
Sam Leigh
Simon West Katie Leigh
Jo Rowbottom Patrick Flint
Harry Markham Alan Flint
Bryan Marshall John Taylor
Christopher Coll Smithy
Peter Woodthorpe Paul Redmond
Mark Dightam Bill
Billy Cornelius Mr Ashton
Donald Churchill Lt. Hodges
Ben Aris George Warren, Coastguard
Myles Hoyle Captain André
George Mikell Alison
June Page Mrs Redmond
Sally Horne Mrs Warren
Diana Rayworth
