News: Series 5 now on general release

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Occasionally Frank would happen upon a lighter case, maybe even something with the prospect of real reward at the end. However his world was largely a mundane one, and he was a very necessary part of it.

One of the dominating aspects of Marker is his sense of principle and fair play. He would always be working for the best solution. He was scrupulously fair and unlike other inquiry agents - including those he worked with such as Rylands in Series 4 and Ron Gash in Series 7 - he would never milk a client. Others would be less than frank with clients, building up their hopes by taking on hopeless cases just for the money. They would drag enquiries out to build up fees and expenses. Frank could never bring himself to act in such a way, even if he were poorer as a result.

Nor would Frank betray the confidence of a client, no matter how odious or unhelpful they may be. It would never cross his mind, even when there was a financial inducement to spill the beans. Living on the breadline he could not be fussy about his cases and if that required working for unpleasant people he had to do it. He also sometimes had to do work others might see as unsavoury such as debt-collecting or snooping. Unpleasant jobs - but necessary ones, not just to him but to society.

Another major departure from the detective stereotype concerned violence. Unlike the cliched stereotype Frank did not solve problems with his fists, nor was he involved in fights routinely. On the rare occasions of violence he was on the receiving end. Instead of the neatly choreographed swapping of punches seen in other shows he might succumb to a very brief outburst of punches or kicks, never fighting back. Again this is remarkably realistic. Violence thankfully in society is still uncommon. When it does occur it is often short, sharp and nastily one-sided. Those who dish out violence are usually very careful to make sure the odds are stacked overwhelmingly in their favour. Frank was maybe a "hard man" though in its true sense of being someone prepared to be brave and face danger. He would not be scared off by threats. Once he was on the case he would see it through. 

The show did not shirk the fact that often injustice prevails. Life is not always about happy endings. Criminals go unpunished. Manipulators and bullies get their way. Deserving, honest people can end up with nothing. Public Eye reflected such unpalatable realities. Frank did his best to help those who came to him but success was not guaranteed. Sometimes carrying out an enquiry properly would take it in unforeseen and not not wholly desirable directions. Unlike other investigators he could make mistakes. He was fallible, like all of us. He was not Superman - simply a very skilled, principled, caring person, always doing his best and usually making things better for those he helped.

Throughout the long history of the show he remained an enigma. Nothing was revealed of his interests or activities outside of work, except for his visits to the pub. However even these did not fit the mould. Frank was not the stereotypical hard-drinking detective - his drinking was almost exclusively moderate and sensible. Often his pub visits were to some degree work-related, for example discussing cases with Percy Firbank or Ron Gash. His opinions and attitudes were another secret, save for his obvious determination to do his job well and see justice done - as far as he could.

Relationships were also a closed book. Marker had no close friends. He had quite warm relationships with Mrs. Mortimer, Nell Holdsworth, Percy and Ron Gash but full friendship never developed. With the latter two their connection with work added a further restriction. He had no wife, no girlfriends, not even casual flings or one-night stands, unless one counts one ill-fated encounter in Welcome To Brighton. This absence of womanising was an even greater departure from the cliched norm.

Frank was often popular with women. Maybe this was because, unlike the stereotypical detective, he wasn't a womaniser. He didn't have an instrumental attitude to women - or any other person. He wasn't looking to get them into bed as soon as possible or disrespected them. He was a thoroughly decent, unthreatening man and that encouraged others to open up to him. However there was a boundary that he would not let others cross and rarely opened up to others.

The quality of the show, like any other, lies chiefly in brilliant writing. Co-creators Roger Marshall and Anthony Marriott had a great concept but then fine writing was needed to sustain it. Many other writers contributed over time and inconsistency could have crept in but skilful oversight, not least by the story editors, prevented this. All facets of production were handled with great care, not least the design of the show which maintained an authentic plain, rather battered look.

Alfred Burke's part was huge. He was perfect for the part. This inspired casting was the work of director Don Leaver. Very humbly he said, "I just say the words," and "the interesting people were always the other characters" but he offered so much more than that. When speaking about the show he has always been very insightful. In a 1969 TV Times interview (quoted by Adrian Petford) he said of his character, "Marker just wants to be left alone." This did not mean he was anti-social - quite the opposite as he was very socially skilled. However Marker felt no urge for relationships, he was remarkably self-reliant: the perfect example of someone who was alone, but not lonely.

The show first aired in January 1965, produced by ABC. The first season, set in London, ran for 15 episodes and made a solid impression. Compared to later series these shows were almost entirely studio bound, which is unfortunate as the later location filming was a real strength and it would have been great to see Marker exploring London. Only two of these exist, and only one has been seen in recent times - the second story Nobody Kills Santa Claus which appeared on the Series 4 DVD. What is striking about this promising and professional, if not top-line, outing is the relatively low profile of Marker. However some hallmarks are there, including Frank having to help unlikeable characters and being beaten up! Although none of the other episodes from this run have been seen in recent times, and only one of them exists, the story descriptions issued by ABC indicate that realistic, downbeat and mundane cases were Frank's stock-in-trade from the beginning. The show's identity was clear and consistent from the outset.

The second series from 1966 is also almost entirely lost. The main shift was a move to Birmingham - a welcome focus on the provinces - and a greater use of outside filming, especially for a video-tape production. It seems this move was in part motivated by ABC's desire to use studio facilities in the midlands, while opening up the opportunity for outside scenes. This use of location filming, wherever Marker was based, remained a key feature in the show's history and was very refreshing. Marker remained in Birmingham in Series 3 from 1968. This ended with Marker being unfairly convicted of receiving stolen goods and sent to prison for two and a half years. Sadly this story "Cross That Palm When We Come To It" is not one of the surviving shows.

More details on the show's early years can be found in Adrian Petford's article Hitting the Marker.