Philip Odell
Philip Odell was the protagonist of a number of serialised radio mysteries broadcast on the BBC Light Programme between 1947 and 1961. Created by Lester Powell, Odell was an Irish private investigator played by Canadian actor Robert Beatty.
Premise
Originally from Dublin, Odell was employed as a secret service agent in America during World War II. At the start of the first serial Lady in a Fog, he is in London, preparing to depart back home to Ireland. He stops off to share a drink with his old friend Heather McMara who beseeches him to investigate her brother's mysterious death. Following this investigation, he sets up shop as a private detective in London, with Heather becoming his assistant.Episodes
Beatty appeared across all the episodes, whilst Heather was played by five different actresses. A majority of the programmes are missing from the BBC archives. The sole serving serials are the 1958 version of Lady in a Fog and Test Room Eight, both of which have since been rebroadcast and released on BBC home media.Lady in a Fog An Assassin for Christmas The Odd Story of Simon Ode Spot the Lady The Night of the Twenty Seventh Love from Leighton Buzzard The Lady on the Screen Lady in a Fog Test Room Eight- ''Tea on the Island''
Novels
Powell penned a set of Odell novels. Some were novelisations of the serials, others were original stories.A Count of Six Shadow Play Spot the Lady Still of Night- ''The Black Casket''