| Genre | Legal drama |
|---|---|
| First aired | 24 December 1956 |
| Last aired | 23 September 1964 |
| Runtime | 60 minutes |
| Num episodes | 80 (66 missing, 5 incomplete) |
| Starring | Michael Denison Charles Leno |
| Executive producer | Caryl Doncaster |
| Writer | Jack Roffey |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Company | Associated-Rediffusion |
| Network | ITV |
Boyd Q.C. is a British legal television programme transmitted from December 1956 to September 1964 by the ITV franchise holder Associated-Rediffusion. It focused around a barrister in a London courtroom and the cases in which he was involved. It ran for seven series in total.[1]
Cast
- Michael Denison – Richard Boyd Q.C.
- Russell Waters – Albert
- Charles Leno – Narrator
Reception
The show was reportedly so accurate that Denison was invited to speak at Law Society of England and Wales dinners.[2]
Archival status
Most of the series was lost. Of the eighty episodes produced, nine episodes survive as recordings; five others survive incomplete; and four have been rediscovered since 2022.[3]
In March 2022, "Sunday's Child", a missing episode from the fifth series, turned up on an eBay auction and sold for £310. It is unknown who the successful bidder was, or if the episode is being negotiated for return to the archives.[4]
On 16 September 2024, it was announced by the Film is Fabulous initiative that three episodes had been found in a private collection:
"The Balance of Her Mind" (Broadcast: 30 April 1958)
"Findings Keepings" (Broadcast: 6 July 1961)
"Sunday's Child" (Broadcast: 20 July 1961)
It is unknown whether the copy of "Sunday's Child" is the one from the aforementioned eBay listing.[5] A fourth episode "Messing About In Boats" (Broadcast: 29/06/1961) has since been recovered.[6]
References
- ^ Jeff Evans, The Penguin TV Companion (Penguin Books, 2001)
- ^ Joseph, Michael (1980). 25 Years on ITV. London: Independent Television Books Ltd. p. 18. ISBN 0 900727 81 0. Retrieved 2025-02-22.
- ^ Conflicting evidence. "thiswaydown.org". Archived from the original on 17 September 2013. is more pessimistic as to the survival rate than lostshows.com
- ^ "Boyd Qc – Sundays Child – 1961 S5 Episode 9 16Mm B/W Sound 800Ft Cine Film Itv"[dead link]
- ^ "Boyd Q.C. Episodes Recovered!". Film is Fabulous. Retrieved 2024-09-18.
- ^ https://filmisfabulous.org.uk/recapping-the-television-festival/