Armchair Thriller continues its second series as a naval officer’s death raises suspicions. RICHARD PHILLIPS-JONES looks at Dead Man’s Kit
BROADCAST: in four parts 27 January – 07 February 1980
STARRING: Larry Lamb (CPO Chalkey White), Philip Locke (Cmdr. Lloyd), Maurice Colbourne (Lt-Cmdr. Kobahl), Clive Merrison (Cmdr. Maybury), Robert Oates (Dave), Paul Kember (Peters), Freddie Fletcher (MAA Toberman), Nell Campbell (Zoe Summers), Mick Ford (Drunken Duncan), Jamie Foreman (First operator), Cheri Lunghi (Stephanie)
WRITER: Tom Clenaghan
DIRECTOR: Colin Bucksey
Armchair Thriller: Dead Man’s Kit Review
Toby, a master-at-arms with the Royal Navy is missing, presumed dead after he goes overboard from his ship on the way back to home dock. An enquiry declares it an accidental death, but his best friend, CPO Chalky White thinks Toby was pushed by person or persons unknown.
Just before his disappearance, Toby had raised concerns about an officer he had spotted in a casino in Lisbon, behaving untypically. When Chalky returns Toby’s belongings to his widow, and a diary is missing it only raises Chalky’s suspicions further…
Armchair Thriller creator Andrew Brown left Thames Television after the first series to join the drama department at Southampton-based Southern Television who, despite having what was considered the most lucrative region for advertising revenue were a smaller presence on the ITV network, struggling to get their shows in prime network slots which were predominantly monopolised by the “big five” ITV companies (see footnote).
The recruitment of Brown may have been part of a drive to increase Southern’s primetime presence, and his role as Armchair Thriller’s creator must have been a factor in his new employers getting two four-parters included in the second run.
Whilst Southern rose to the occasion by shooting both of their stories entirely on location, and on film, devotees of the show’s more macabre elements would likely have been disappointed by Dead Man’s Kit, a comparatively conventional conspiracy thriller which, if I’m honest would fall outside of this site’s remit in most circumstances (a grisly discovery at the end of episode 3 notwithstanding).
Still, this is primarily a series of thrillers after all, and Dead Man’s Kit makes great use of its Portsmouth naval locations. Indeed, the Royal Navy co-operated with the production, allowing their vessels to be used for some scenes.
If taken on its own merits, Dead Man’s Kit makes for an entertaining and engaging entry in series two. However, for those who preferred the show’s more off-beat tales (i.e. Spooky Isles readers), Armchair Thriller would be back at Thames next time, on more familiar, horror-tinged territory.
TRIVIA POINTS: Clive Merrison (here as Commander Maybury) makes his second Armchair Thriller appearance, returning from series one’s The Girl Who Walked Quickly.
The inclusion of Southern’s entries in series two was considered a big enough event to garner a fair bit of coverage in the local press at the time. It may well also have been the reason for one of Thames’ own stories being pulled – I’ll come onto that in more detail later…
FOOTNOTE: The “big five” on the ITV network at the time were Thames (London, Monday to Friday), London Weekend (as the name implied: London, Saturday/Sunday), ATV (Midlands), Yorkshire (additionally serving Lincolnshire) and Granada (Manchester and the North West). The remaining ITV broadcasters were often limited to networked shows in daytime or children’s slots, plus their own regional programming although they would occasionally get a show into a more desirable and lucrative primetime slot. For those wanting further details on how ITV was organised at the time, read more here.
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Read our Armchair Thriller Episode Guide: 1978-81 Anthology Series
