Dr Finlay's Casebook on BBC7 in 2003
Dr. Finlay's Casebook
On  - Oct/Nov 2003
First Uploaded 11 October 2003

Based on the characters created by A. J. Cronin
Background to the Series Radio Listing Black Bag Listing BBC7 - 2003 Link to BBC Archives  TV

 
Bill Simpson as Dr Finlay  Dr Finlay's Casebook returns to the BBC on digital radio station BBC7 for a 20 episode series during October and November 2003. While it is many years since either the original television or the radio series were on air, anyone who heard the recent Dr Finlay: Adventures of a Black Bag or its sequel series on Radio 4, will have a very good idea as to what to expect. Below is an article from the Radio Times where original radio producer - Peter Titheradge talks about the production of the first radio series in 1970.
    The radio series had two distinct phases, firstly the adaptation of 50-minute television episodes into 30-minute radio plays. This lasted for 6 series and covered 104 episodes. Sadly, this period does not appear to be well represented in the BBC archives, and only makes up the first 5 episodes of the BBC7 run. The second phase covered series 7, 8 & 9 and consisted of new stories not related to the television scripts. 27 of the 40 were written by Donald Bull. As with the original television series, the radio series starred Andrew Cruickshank (Dr. Cameron), Barbara Mullen (Janet) and Bill Simpson (Dr Finlay).
Ist episode 1962   BBC7 broadcasts Monday 13 October to Friday 7 November 2003
  S/E Episode TX Episode Title Writer TV episode
1 s01e13 13 02/06/70 Out of the Blue Pat Dunlop 143
2 s04e11 62 19/02/73 The Comical Lad Pat Dunlop * 107
3 s05e02 73 04/12/73 The Honours List Donald Bull 151
4 s06e10 101 14/01/75 Charlie Is My Darling Pat Dunlop ** 30
5 s06e13 104 04/02/75 The Burgess Ticket Donald Bull 191
6 s07e07 111 15/09/76 The Trouper Pat Dunlop
7 s07e08 112 22/09/76 The Curing of Jock McGregor Donald Bull
8 s07e09 113 29/09/76 The Rebel  Donald Bull
9 s07e13 117 27/10/76 A Liberated Woman Donald Bull
10 s08e02 120 17/10/77 Pedlar's Pie Donald Bull
11 s08e07 125 21/11/77 Old Bones Donald Bull
12 s08e08 126 28/11/77 The Daftie Donald Bull
13 s08e12 130 26/12/77 The Fast Set Donald Bull
14 s09e02 133 02/10/78 Love's Sweet Old Song Donald Bull
15 s09e03 134 09/10/78 A Gift of Love Donald Bull
16 s09e05 136 23/10/78 A Tea Shop In Mentone Donald Bull
17 s09e07 138 06/11/78 Hostage Donald Bull
18 s09e08 139 13/11/78 A Matter of Some Delicacy Donald Bull
19 s09e09 140 20/11/78 The Brodie Affair John Graham
20 s09e13 144 18/12/78 Going Home Pat Dunlop
  adapted from the television script by: * Elwyn Jones; ** Alistair Bell.
RT cover 1967
Radio Times 5 March 1970
Dr Finlay's Casebook begins a radio series this week. The producer, Peter Titheradge, talks to Tony Aspler about the transition

Vintage noises-off bring Tannochbrae to the air

Dr Finlay's Casebook: Tuesday 12.25 Radio 4

    Select an episode of Dr Finlay's Casebook, remove 20 minutes, and what have you got? The Radio Doctors? Hardly. But you do have potentially a fine radio script. You've lost the landscape, the faces, and the 1930 artifacts - but the anatomy of Tannochbrae and its natural aristocrats, Dr Cameron and Dr Finlay and their wise and faithful dram-dispensing Janet, are so familiar now that the mention of their names is enough to conjure them to mind.
    `It sounds ruthless to cut the stories down to half-an-hour for radio says the producer, Peter Titheradge. `But we've concentrated on the plots without losing the Tannochbrae ambience and the pleasant atmosphere in Arden House.' Riffling through the casebook, the producer has selected 13 episodes for the first series - from the television scripts dating from August 1962.
    His choice was governed by the popularity of individual episodes with viewers, and their adaptability to sound. Wherever possible the original writers have re-worked their stories for radio, beginning on Tuesday with Pat Dunlop's `Free Medicine' (Dr Finlay anticipates a form of state medicine and Dr Cameron astutely puts it into practice).
    Andrew Cruickshank, Barbara Mullen and Bill Simpson recreate their Arden House roles on radio, together with other ubiquitous Casebook characters like Eric Woodburn as Dr Snoddie and Effie Morrison as the gossipy midwife, Mistress Niven. The sense of period, scrupulously observed in the television series, tends to get lost when translated into radio terms, although the flavour of the 1930s is maintained by the use of vintage sound effects of telephones and cars.
    The producer has used 46 actors in the series and he has found the transition from one medium to another a delightfully uncomplicated business. `I couldn't say to Andrew Cruikshank "This is my conception of Cameron's character" - not after he's been playing the man for eight years. You'd think after that time the principals would be weary of their parts, but they came to them as fresh as daisies. When you have expert actors it's astonishing how you don't miss their faces. Andrew Cruikshank can convey with his voice a sardonic expression or a twinkle in the eye.'
    The role of Dr Cameron is rather like a comfortable old dressing gown for Andrew Cruikshank - something he can slip in and out of with ease. `Part of my environment,' he says. And his close identification with the pragmatic Scottish medic gives him an almost autobiographical sense of pleasure in delving back into past Casebook episodes.
If the radio version of Dr Finlay's Casebook unduly taxes the imagination - take heart! Twenty six new television episodes are produced in Scotland in April.

  Back to Top

Page Prepared by Greg Marshall 11 October 2003
Thanks to BBC7 & Ian Beard

Hosted by www.Geocities.ws

1