Frederick Peisley
Dean has a rare talent. He can be made happy. He exudes happiness and confidence like a rare blossom. Both Sarah in the past, and Julia now, could do this for him. But where are they now that he is alone in Battersea Park with two suitcases and no memory?
Writing for ITV's SATURDAY NIGHT THEATRE series, Dennis Potter introduced the notion that popular music expresses the yearning of the human spirit for a better world. A troubled young man, David Peters (Ian Holm), claims, "Once dreams were possible, that's what the popular songs told us." Rejecting rock music of the day, Peters is immersed in the tunes of Thirties crooner Al Bowlly (killed during the London blitz). He collects Bowlly memorabilia, publishes the Bowlly fan-club newsletter, and finds pleasure in lip-synching Bowlly records but his obsession with Bowlly masks certain darker events in his past.
During the War seven women from very different backgrounds find themselves together in the Auxiliary Territorial Services. They are soon drilling, driving lorries, and manning ack-ack batteries.
"The Common Touch" tells of an elderly headmaster (George Zucco) whose Christian beliefs are re-affirmed when he hears news from two of his ex-pupils who are working as missionaries in Africa.
Commander Stevenson, suffering from unrequited love drives to the coast while very drunk and interrupts some smugglers and informs Scotland Yard.
A young doctor realises that his father is a quack and changes places with a down-and-out.
George Smith, a mild-mannered clerk with a crush on his boss's daughter, is led astray by an old friend of his father. A midday sojourn to a public bar results in him insulting his boss, getting sacked and enlisting in the Navy. Will he still remain a feeble second-best, or will active service make a man of him?
A doctor uses his unique medical knowledge to mastermind a lucrative life-insurance scam; in a rare film role, legendary thespian Gerald du Maurier stars as the Metropolitan Police Commissioner who sets out to uncover the secret of five empty coffins and catch the villainous swine responsible for such depravities.
A batty Scottish professor attempts to prove the existence of the Loch Ness Monster, but everyone thinks he's crazy. Meanwhile, a foolish young reporter attempts to get a scoop on the story.
