Confined to a hospital overnight after a minor accident, teenager Emily (Maxine Gordon) glimpses a man with a dead woman in an adjacent room. Her attempts to alert the authorities are dismissed, forcing her to investigate independently with the help of Charles (David Parfitt), a boy she meets at her hotel. They discover that the incident is linked to a smuggling operation on the coast of Drumincombe, which serves as a cover for a right-wing group’s plan to assassinate a visiting African dignitary.
The serial modernises the conventions of the children’s adventure story by incorporating elements of the conspiracy thriller. Its narrative is distinguished by the inclusion of a formidable female antagonist, Charmaine, within the criminal gang. While the plot involving a right-wing conspiracy was contemporary for its time, the fundamental structure remains true to the genre’s traditions, featuring resourceful young protagonists who must solve a mystery that adults refuse to acknowledge.
Broadcast: BBC One, Wednesdays, 5×25 minute episodes, 20 September – 18 October 1978
Based on the novel by: Josephine Poole
Dramatised by: Josephine Poole
Director: Jonathan Ingrams
Executive Producer: Anna Home
Main Cast: Maxine Gordon (Emily). David Parfitt (Charles). Aubrey Morris (Willy). Sandy Ratcliff (Charmaine). Shane Briant (Adam). Nigel Lambert (Mr Denman). Anne Cunningham (Emily’s mother).
