Richard Barton: General Practitioner!

Laurence 'Lol' Mason's spin-off homage to Dick Barton, following the adventures of the unretirable special agent and his doctor sonA 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.Production creditsWritten by Lol MasonProduced by Jo CleggFirst broadcast BBC Radio 4, 18 October 1997 (Pilot), 17 April-15 May 1998 (Series 1)CastRichard Barton - Robert BathurstOld Dick/Old Leslie - Moray WatsonJock - Iain CuthbertsonYoung Dick/Young Leslie - Julian DuttonSally Barton - Sally Phillips/Matilda ZieglerMrs Cadwalladder - Ann Beach/Doreen MantleFassbinder - Kim WallColin Meadows - Wayne Forester/Julian DuttonKenwood-Gore/Gordini - David DakerDr Willoughby - Joss AcklandMarge - Carolyn JonesDr Adebile - Adjoa AndohWith Roger Blake, Tim Whitnall and Fiona Allen(c) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd