Melissa - 1964 TV review

Melissa is perhaps the most famous of all the many TV serials written by Francis Durbridge. I've seen two versions of it, both remakes, one from the 1970s (good) and one written by the talented Alan Bleasdale (poor) and I've also read the book of the show, My Wife Melissa. But until recently, I'd never seen the original series, which dates from 1964.

I've now repaired that omission, and I enjoyed doing so. This is a six-part series, but since each episode is only 25 minutes long, it never outstays its welcome. And it is very rich in plot development (character development? not so much). All Durbridge's strengths, as well as some of his weaknesses, are on display here. Above all, the regular cliff-hangers are very cunningly contrived.

Tony Britton gives a solid, low-key performance as Guy Foster, a struggling writer whose marriage to the glamorous Melissa (Petra Davies) is fraying at the edges. The first of many shocks that he receives comes with the news that Melissa has been murdered, after attending a party with their friends the Hepburns and racing driver Don Page. Chief Inspector Carter investigates, and Brian Wilde is marvellously impish as the softly-spoken cop. 

When a doctor and his secretary insist that Foster has been seeking medical help - something he vehemently denies - the plot really starts to thicken. A mysterious note that suggests Melissa was involved with someone called Peter Antrobus causes Foster to go in search of Antrobus, only to discover that Peter is actually a twelve-year-old boy. It's all very baffling. But Carter gets to the bottom of it, and I can see why this show was such a hit in its day. Yes, there are lots of cliches, but there's also a good deal of entertainment to be had. To write a TV serial that is remade twice and spawns a novel is quite something, and the simple secret of Melissa's success is that Durbridge never lets the pace slacken for a moment. There's a lesson there for modern TV writers.