When Buster worked with Lennard Pearce
I wrote this almost 20 years ago, so it’s a little dated in some of its references, back then hardly anyone had heard of Ebay
So please take it in the spirit it was written, the product of a much gentler time ……….
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Now I know this will impress you! Or as Del Boy would say ‘a coup, a genuine coup!’ We at the Society have managed to dig up an extremely rare video featuring both Buster Merryfield and Lennard Pearce in the same drama show.
This must surely be one of Lennard’s last ever appearances before his untimely death and also a very early showing of Buster before he became Uncle Albert.
It all started quite a few years ago when we all went down to Guildford to help Buster at one of his book signing sessions. Whilst mingling with a real life Trotter he happened to mention that he had met Lennard Pearce in the early 1980’s while filming a drama show for Anglia Television.
Immediately impressed I pressed him on the subject but alas he knew no more other than they met briefly in a hospital car park and that it was called ‘Shroud for a Nightingale.’ He didn’t have a copy of the show and hadn’t even seen it himself.
This set me off on a 4 year long search through various video companies, retailers, internet sites, secondhand shops boot fairs and so on – but, as they say in Calais, ‘nitto.’ The only lead I had was that the show was deleted on video soon after its release and that the initial story was written by P D James. ‘Not a lot to go on!’
My break finally came when I spotted the elusive video on an internet auction site called ebay. There was a chap in Dover selling the double pack for a ridiculously small starting bid. The only problem was the auction ended at 3am in the morning! So there I was with trembling hands sitting by my computer screen trying to act ‘nice and cool’ while waiting for the allotted hour. 5 minutes to go and we had activity, someone had bid £10. What! Surely someone else can’t know the importance of this show. So we had a fight on our hands did we? Now I don’t know if you’ve ever been involved in an internet auction but they can be pretty nerve racking things. At least with a live auction you can see you’re opponent and gauge if they are serious or not. But sitting blind the only option you have is panic. The sense of relief is fantastic when you realise you’ve won – you really should try it.
The tape, or tapes as I should say because it is actually a double pack, duly arrived within a week and mission was finally accomplished. Another victory, after such renowned victories such as tracking down Christmas Trees, The Gulf War Special, Royal Variety and New Zealand advert. Only the North Thames Gas Special to go. Aha that woke you up didn’t it! More of that another time.
The show basically revolves around murders at a local hospital. Lennard plays the gate security guard. We only see him twice when cars are entering the hospital. He only has one piece of dialogue but that voice is immediately recognisable. Buster plays the local coroner; his part is much bigger with quite a few speaking scenes. It was strange seeing him with a very trimmed beard. He literally had to turn up and says ‘yes that girl with her head twisted all the way around is dead.’
Roy Marsden also featured as the detective, a far cry from a Driscoll Brother
There is a nice scene where Buster arrives at the hospital and drives to the security gate. Unbelievably the angle of the car blocks Lennard’s face and we are cheated out of seeing two of the famous Trotter brothers together. To be honest I ended up using the good old fast forward button waiting to get a glimpse of either Buster or Lennard for the rest of the episode. I still don’t know who did the murders – a rhino probably.
For those of you who are interested the video was made by Watchword Video in 1984. Total running time is 250 minutes – yes 250! Directed by John Gorrie. Produced by John Rosenberg. Catalogue numbers are WW8122 & WW8123.
Perry
You can get this story very easily now on dvd its in a collection with all the PD James stories with Roy Marsden as Adam Dalgleish.
They come in a box set with 10 stories that was made for Anglia tv.
Shroud for a Nightingale is 2nd in the collection and is in 5 episodes.
It is available on Network dvd.
I often watch all these stories and i started watching Shroud for a Nightingale again last night.
I am a massive fan of Roy Marsden and love his character of Adam.
never heard about a New Zeland commercial ,is there some free way to see that ? I have seen most of the “sketches” where they appeared ,but never this one ,I would be glad if i saw this one,Thank you.
Thank you for reposting this, it was a very interesting read