Daunt & Dervish by Guy Meredith

London,1953. Josephine Daunt and Susan Dervish both worked for the Ministry of Defence during the Second World War, doing top-secret, highly dangerous espionage work. But in peacetime, they find themselves without a job and feeling useless. Determined to put their talents to good use, they decide to set up a detective agency, with the help of former private eye Bill Mackie.

From their Covent Garden office, they handle a steady flow of business. But the ladies’ lives really become exciting when they rescue a woman from drowning – only to discover that she’s not what she seems. Soon, the daring duo are caught up in all manner of challenging cases, including a sporting assignment involving a priest and an Olympic boxing hopeful, a request to bid on a Monet that takes them on a trail across the Channel, a commission to investigate film actress Belinda Lane and a theft at a fashion designer’s workshop that leads them into a world of Teddy boys, political machinations and murder....

Guy Meredith's light-hearted crime series stars Anna Massey as Josephine Daunt, while Imelda Staunton, Frances Barber and Sylvestra Le Touzel play Susan Dervish. Bill Paterson and Sean Scanlan co-star as Bill Mackie.

Episode 1 00:00
After the Ball is Over
Feeling useless after both working for the Ministry of Defence during the Second World War, two women set up their own detective agency.

Guy Meredith's comedy thrillers star Anna Massey as Josephine Daunt and Imelda Staunton as Susan Dervish.

With Bill Patterson as Bill Mackie, Kate Buffery as Elizabeth Vavasseur, Rupert Vansittart as James Vavasseur, Beth Chalmers as Daisy, Ben Crowe as Waiter, Andrew Harrison as Customs Official and Stephen Critchlow as Salesman.

Director: Cherry Cookson

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2003.

Episode 2 43:53
South of the Border

Daunt and Dervish have established their detective agency and there's a steady flow of business, in the days just after the end of the Second World War.

But their lives really become exciting when they rescue a woman from drowning, discover she is not at all what she seems, and find themselves involved in the more shady side of life at the race track.

Episode 3 1:27:29
A Question of Class

The detective duo return to their Covent Garden office in London early one morning to discover an Oxford undergraduate slumped on the doorstep wanting them to find the wallet he left in a Soho house of ill repute.

Daunt's knowledge of his past makes her very suspicious of later accusations that he's beaten a woman up.

Episode 4 2:11:18
Games of Chance

The detective duo are called in on a 'sporting' assignment to keep a 24 hour watch on a young East End boy who's about to fight for a place in the 1948 boxing team. The local Catholic priest has been taking a special interest in the boy's progress, but why?

Episode 5 2:55:03
The Singer Not the Song

When a newspaper magnate is murdered, the obvious suspect is his much younger wife, but when the police discover that Daunt and Dervish were actually in the grounds of the house that evening - they're not only under suspicion, but their licence is suspended. The only way to get it back will be for them to beat the police to the discovery of the real murderer...

With the Second World War over, former spies Josephine Daunt and Susan Dervish are running their own detective agency.

Stars Imelda Staunton as Josephine Daunt, Anna Massey as Susan Dervish, Bill Patterson as Bill Mackie and Nicky Henson as Daniel Slater.

Format by Imelda Staunton and Anna Massey. Written by Guy Meredith.

Producer: Cherry Cookson. Director: Janet Whitaker.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2003.

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