Laurence ‘Lol’ Mason’s spin-off homage to Dick Barton, following the adventures of the unretirable special agent and his doctor son

A thrilling saga of criminal masterminds, espionage and adventure, Edward J. Mason’s Dick Barton: Special Agent was a huge hit on the BBC Light Programme between 1946 and 1951. Together with his mates Jock Anderson and Snowy White, ex-Commando Dick faced dastardly villains and deadly peril – but always triumphed (‘With one bound, Dick was free!’) Half a century later, Edward J’s son Lol paid affectionate tribute to the much-loved radio hero with this sparkling pastiche, featuring the joint escapades of father-and-son duo Dick and Richard Barton.

Recuperating after an operation, the elderly crimefighter comes to stay with his GP son and daughter-in-law Sally in their sleepy rural village. Peace and quiet is what the doctor orders, so Dick settles down to get some rest and write his memoirs. But soon, mysterious parallels emerge between past and present, as Dick’s old adventures start to echo events in Appledon…

Robert Bathurst stars as Richard Barton, with Sally Phillips and Matilda Ziegler as Sally, Moray Watson as Dick Barton, Julian Dutton as his younger self and Iain Cuthbertson as Jock.