No Hiding Place
 ITV's best new series of 1959 was No Hiding Place - son
of Crime Sheet and grandson of Murder Bag.
Raymond Francis as Superintendent Lockhart was still the
central character, but Sergeant Harry Baxter (Eric Lander) built
up such a strong female following that he was promoted to his own
series, Echo Four Two, in 1961.
Unfortunately an Equity
strike meant that only seven of the intended thirteen programs
were recorded and Echo Four Two died a quick death.
At first No Hiding Place was filmed live, which meant
that even car chases were done in the studio. As the series
progressed, Lockhart was joined by two more detectives, played by
Michael McStay and Johnny Briggs.
The latter, who went on to find
fame in Coronation Street as Mike Baldwin, joined the force
in 1964 as Detective Sergeant Russell; but he nearly didn't
measure up to the part.
Briggs is relatively short, and Raymond
Francis - who was 6' 1" - advised him that he stood a better
chance of getting the part if he wore lifts in his shoes. So
Briggs did just that. Once he had got the part he had a pair of
shoes specially made to make him three inches taller.
While filming on the Embankment in London, Michael McStay (in
plain clothes) was leading two uniformed policemen in a chase for
an unseen villain.
A passer-by witnessed this, thought McStay was
trying to escape from the officers and whacked the actor over the
head with a silver-knobbed cane, and McStay had to be taken to
hospital.
No Hiding Place never lost its appeal, and when in 1965
it was announced that the series was to be dropped, both the
public and the police protested. So it was brought back for two
more years before Lockhart finally laid his snuffbox to rest.
|
