The show:  'Public Eye' is a British series starring Alfred Burke as private detective Frank Marker. A total of 87 episodes over
seven seasons were broadcast on ITV1 between 23 January 1965 and 7 April 1975. This is a gritty series that is far removed
from the glamorous lifestyles that are often led by private detectives in American shows. Frank Marker is a loner with few friends
and even fewer people he can trust. He is hardworking, cynical and unscrupulously honest, and would never think of cheating his
clients - which is one reason why he is always broke and has to take any case just to survive. Marker's work typically involves
mundane jobs such as locating missing persons, acting as a bodyguard or gathering evidence of infidelity to use in divorce
proceedings, often leads him into the seediest parts of town and some very dodgy villains. Marker formed partnerships with other
private detectives on two occasions during the show's long run, but he did not like the methods one of them used and ultimately
decided that he preferred working alone. The final episode of the third season saw Marker arrested and jailed for receiving stolen
jewellery, but he had been set up by a corrupt solicitor who was working with the gang that had stolen the jewels. The first three
seasons were made by ABC Television, and only five of these episodes are known to survive. ABC merged to become Thames 
Television, which commissioned new episodes that picked up the story after Marker's release from prison.

The episode:  'The Man Who Didn't Eat Sweets' was the ninth episode of the fifth season, and was broadcast on 1 September
1971. The episode featured Peter Sallis as a travelling salesman named Eddie Meadows, whose wife suspects him of infidelity 
after she finds a photo of a young woman in his coat pocket. She hires Marker to follow Eddie and confirm her suspicions. However,
the truth is not something Marker or Mrs Meadows had expected - Eddie turns out to be a bigamist and has three wives, while the 
young woman in the photo is in fact his daughter. He spends several days a week with each of his wives, and uses his cover as a
travelling salesman to spend time with each one without raising suspicions. Marker has the unenviable task of telling the first Mrs 
Meadows the truth about her husband, but in keeping with the style of the series, he elects not to ruin her life and keeps the secret
to himself. Colin Baker has a very brief scene as a town hall clerk at the Registrar of Births, Deaths & Marriages, where Marker
goes to do some background checks on Meadows. It was only his third acting role, and it must be said that he looks very young! 
Fans of classic British science fiction will also recognise Gareth Thomas in an even briefer scene as the manager of a car hire firm,
some years before 'Blake's 7'.

The verdict:  'Public Eye' is very different in style and substance to most privare detective shows, and for this reason alone is worth
watching for fans of the genre. Given that the earliest surviving episodes are now over 40 years old, it has dated somewhat, but the
acting and the storylines make up for this. And as usual with old TV shows, part of the enjoyment is spotting actors who went on to
bigger and better things.

               Video Clip:  A visit to the Town Hall 4.5mb
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