THE PRIVATE EAR.
Original title
Shoestring
Released
9/30/1979
Origin country
GB
Genre
Crime, Drama
Production companies
BBC
Status
Ended
Number of seasons
2
Number of episodes
21
Shoestring is a BBC detective drana set in Bristol and starring Trevor Eve as private detective Eddie Shoestring, who operatee his own show on Radio West, the local radio station. The programme ran between 30 September 1979 and 21 December 1980, in two series with 21 hour-long episodes. Eve opted not to return after two series, as he wanted to diversify into theatre, so the production team changed the setting to Jersey and created Bergerac, also following a detective returning to work after a bad period in his life.
Series which unearths the history and anecdotes behind cult British Sunday night drama series looks at downbeat maverick Bristolian detective and radio DJ, Eddie Shoestring. The programme gives clues as to why the slouching man with a moustache and an on-off relationship with his landlady drew audiences of 20 million, explains the role the aristocracy played in it finding a home on Sunday nights, and uncovers what actor Trevor Eve was thinking when he called time on the role after two series.
Private detective Eddie Shoestring is asked by Radio West to look into the life of Sarah Marshall, a prostitute who has committed suicide. She died in a Rolls Royce belonging to David Carn, the station's most popular disc jockey, immediately after she had desperately tried to see him, and Radio West wants Eddie to show Sarah had no connection with their man.
Eddie nervously does his first ""Private Ear"" program and tries to locate the drivers of a van who are responsible for killing a young woman's husband in a car accident.
Eddie goes to work for Jean, the wife of Major Hansford, a tough prep school headmaster (and retired Army officer) whose small school is being threatened by a series of nasty pranks.
Marion Cutler, a social worker, asks Eddie to look for Nick Forrest, one of her charges who has gone missing. Nick is a remarkable fellow who had been living in a hut on the beach. But Steve, the owner of the hut, tells Eddie he's never heard of him. The mystery begins to centre on some aerial photographs of the coast-line taken by Nick, and Eddie soon finds he is onto a dangerous gang of drug-smugglers.
Mel Shepherd threatens to throw herself off the roof of the Radio West building unless Eddie investigates her claim of a miscarriage of justice. Her husband Harry was jailed for killing a shop assistant while robbing a local jeweller's shop — but did he do it?
A distraught woman asks Eddie to find her daughter, who she is sure has been kidnapped by her ex-husband.
After Molly Tasker, director of a local women's refuge, accuses Radio West of ignoring domestic violence, Eddie investigates why the late Jackie Craig, whose wife is in the hostel, was unaccountably wealthy when he drowned. Eddie traces Craig's belongings to his ex-employer Jimmy Colefax, who is sailing round the world and whose wife Val is providing a daily link-up with him. However, a local radio ham alerts Eddie to the fact that Jimmy is apparently broadcasting from a nearby location, rather than thousands of miles away. He may be a fraud but is he also a murderer?
Stamp dealer Joss Hargreaves collapses and dies whilst being bundled into a car by heavies working for Strickland, a corrupt businessman whom Eddie is trying to expose. Milkman Andy Stapleton witnesses everything but is spotted and goes on the run, having told Eddie. Knowing Andy's reputation as a liar when they were psychiatric patients together, Eddie is unconvinced until he himself is attacked and thrown from a car. Having discovered Hargreaves' double life and his connection with Strickland, Eddie sets a trap.
Rock singer Toola asks Eddie to dissuade her sacked bass player Mole from his belief that his beauty queen girlfriend Chrissie was killed out of jealousy by the band's manager, Malcolm Kenrick. Mole is persistent despite a beach photographer showing Eddie a recent picture of Chrissie and the lady herself. When Mole is killed, apparently the victim of a drug overdose, Eddie sees that he stumbled on something Kenrick wished to keep quiet and that he was right in his accusation.
Sonia is concerned for her friend, travel agent Jenny Kelson, whom she sees apparently being threatened by a young man. Eddie follows him, leading to a remote country house owned by a couple of dog breeders, where he discovers that they're burglars, tipped off by Jenny as to when householders will be on holiday and their homes empty.
When Maddy Hopkins joins religious cult, The Starshiners, her anxious mother, convinced that the group is out to get her trust fund money from her 21st birthday, asks Eddie to investigate. Maddy will hear nothing against the group but Eddie suspects a racket and meets the apparently sincere cult founder Stephen Steele. However, forging an uneasy alliance with reporter Felicity Lamb, Eddie sets out to expose a conspiracy.
Retired music hall singer Lettie Ross witnesses a murder in the empty house opposite her flat, but when police and her daughter are dismissive, she calls in Eddie. His investigations lead to Duke Winsor, a slum landlord who has just purchased the house, and Alan Fuller, another potential buyer - who proves to be the victim. In the event the basement flat in Lettie's block, leased to concert performers, is the key to the affair.
While out fishing, Don sees a thief rob a young couple of the woman's handbag but the couple themselves flee and fail to report the theft. Don retrieves the bag and Eddie traces it to Christine Page, who eventually admits that she and her married lover, Ken Bailey, are being blackmailed. However, the blackmailer is not after money...
Young women are being mugged around the city and the perpetrator, a caller with an Ulster accent, keeps ringing Eddie and taunting him for his inability to catch him. Police are called in but smug inspector Healey is little help. After Sonia is attacked, Tom, a security guard at the station and former policeman, recognizes the caller's voice from his days as a hospital DJ and points Eddie towards him.
Don asks Eddie to locate Jody Brent, a once-popular singer whose big hit 'Lazy Daisy' is enjoying a revival on Radio West's easy listening show. Though Miriam, Jody's manager, claims he is in America, Eddie hears that he is living in Wales in seclusion. Mike Frewin, Jody's former bandmate, asks the station for royalties as he part wrote the song but is refused, after which he visits Vera who has requested it under the name of a girl who died twenty years earlier.
To encourage more human interest stories, Don persuades Eddie to help watercress farmer David Mortimer, whose wife Rosemary has disappeared for a second time, and is being accused by other villagers of murdering her, to try and locate her. The trail leads to ex-doctor Knightley in whom she confided about her husband's jealous, controlling nature and with whom she had a child, now nine years old and adopted.
After her debt-ridden husband Tim has killed himself, Mary Reynolds asks Eddie's help in discovering why her credit facilities have been stopped when the debt concerned was twelve years earlier and apparently cancelled. Eddie discovers that Tim was working on a computer which diagnosed faults in cars and that the debt collection firm harassing Mary is linked to a large computer company anxious to bankrupt small firms like the Reynolds'. By leaning on a former colleague who has joined the debt collectors through fraudulent means Eddie is able to help Mary but not, apparently, his own credit rating.
Erica's secretary Lois meets charming Clive Wright through a dating agency but he disappears whilst they are in a restaurant and the staff and dating agency workers are equally unhelpful as to whether he existed.
Whilst Philip and Diana Hoskens are moving house the van containing all their furniture is stolen by a shady landlord called Terry Bowen to furnish a property he is letting to a young couple. One of them, Cleo, sells the colour television, which brings her into contact with Eddie, who's investigating the stolen furniture.
Family man Keith Amery goes camping on the moors alone and sees a helicopter land but falls and hits his head, bringing on amnesia. On the advice of Eddie's old psychiatrist, Keith's wife asks Eddie to help Keith recall events, but with little success. Simultaneously, an Australian girl named Denise arrives at Radio West, claiming to be a presenter seeking tips from Eddie. Whilst Eddie is occupied with Denise, her associates track down and abduct Keith.
Market trader Pete Johnson deals in stolen goods, gives his young son Mike an early Christmas present, an electric racing game, but it's faulty and blows up, hospitalising the boy. Pete initially lies to hospital staff over the cause of his son's injuries but eventually produces a replacement, which indicates the game is manufactured by the Wings' toy company. However, Mr Wing informs Eddie that it was withdrawn because of the fault and stored in the warehouse. On examination, it's found that ten copies have been stolen. Eddie must track them down to ensure a merry Christmas.
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