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The Expert
1968 - 1976 9.5 (2 votes) 4 Seasons
Genres
Drama
Networks
BBC Two
BBC One
Created By
Gerard Glaister
N.J. Crisp

The Expert

Overview

The Expert is a British television series produced by the BBC between 1968 and 1976. The series starred Marius Goring as Dr. John Hardy, a pathologist working for the Home Office and was essentially a police procedural drama, with Hardy bringing his forensic knowledge to solve various cases. The Expert was created and produced by Gerard Glaister. The series was also one of the first BBC dramas to be made in colour, and throughout its four series had numerous high quality guest appearances by actors such as John Carson, Peter Copley, Rachel Kempson, Peter Vaughan, Clive Swift, Geoffrey Palmer, Peter Barkworth, Jean Marsh, Ray Brooks, George Sewell, Anthony Valentine, Bernard Lee, Lee Montague, Geoffrey Bayldon, Mike Pratt, Edward Fox, André Morell, Brian Blessed, Nigel Stock, Philip Madoc and Warren Clarke.

Key Crew

Producer: Gerard Glaister

Top Cast

Marius Goring
Marius Goring

Dr John Hardy

Jeremy Sinden
Jeremy Sinden

Price

Virginia Stride
Virginia Stride

Susan Bartlett

Seasons

Season 1 poster
Season 1 (1968)

No overview available.

13 episodes

Episodes
Episode 1: The Unknown Factor
1968-07-05

Three bullets, a dead man, and £50,000 in insurance. Troubles arise when Dr. Hardy discovers the Unknown Factor.

Runtime: 50 min
Episode 2: It Can't Be Done
1968-07-12

Penny Goodwin shoots her husband in cold blood and there appears to be no motive. Why she has killed him is far from clear. When Hardy starts an investigation, he uncovers a most ingenious plot which even Fleming will not believe.

Runtime: 50 min
Episode 3: Liars, Damn Liars
1968-07-19

Actual causes of death and accurate timing of the death can be essential to a defense in a trial. Dr. Hardy appears as the expert witness for the defense and finds himself opposed by his former professor.

Runtime: 50 min
Episode 4: Miss Daley
1968-07-26

Miss Daley has given up working because her old boss is leaving. She finds out that he is still with the firm and becomes very ill. She goes to see Jo Hardy and tells her that she's convinced she has heart trouble.

Runtime: 50 min
Episode 5: Nice Day
1968-08-02

A girl is assaulted in a park and the only witness is her young daughter. The police are certain they know who did it, but the girl cannot identify the man in an identity parade.

Runtime: 50 min
Episode 6: The Long Hate
1968-08-09

Mr. Toller is a who has no time for the weak or the idle, without humour. Jo Hardy is treating him, he is arrogant and she patiently tries to diagnose what is causing his illness, which becomes more and more serious.

Runtime: 50 min
Episode 7: Nobody's Going to Hurt You
1968-08-16

A woman is found dead by the side of a railway line. Hardy is brought in to help the police. The woman has been murdered, and as they investigate, the police and Hardy realise that they have a dangerous psychopath loose in their area.

Runtime: 50 min
Episode 8: Here Lies
1968-08-23

An old man dies. When his housekeeper returns some unused tablets to the chemist, suspicion clouds the issue. Dr. Hardy is brought in to conduct various tests and he questions the principals in the case.

Runtime: 50 min
Episode 9: The Contact
1968-08-30

A man falls overboard from a ship near Hull and washed ashore dead. Injuries sustained in the water means he is unrecognizable. The most careful planning can go awry and only an expert can interpret the facts with which he is presented.

Runtime: 50 min
Episode 10: He's Good for It
1968-10-04

A safe is blown. The job has all the trademarks of a known criminal. Fleming pulls in two men in for the crime but forgets he needs concrete information to pin the crime on them both.

Runtime: 50 min
Episode 11: Fire Without Smoke
1968-09-13

The death of small children is always tragic. The tragedy is increased by unspoken prejudices and the possibility that one of the parents may be to blame.

Runtime: 50 min
Episode 12: Full Choke
1968-09-20

The Hardys are enjoying the peace of a summer evening. There is the noise of a shotgun. A man is brought to Dr. Jo's surgery with a non-fatal shotgun wound but John decides that this is a case for the police.

Runtime: 50 min
Episode 13: And So Say All of Us
1968-09-27

A drunken driver is responsible for the death of his brother-in-law and business partner and for the death of the driver of the second car involved in the accident. Hardy's concern for the facts leads to an exciting conclusion.

Runtime: 50 min
Season 2 poster
Season 2 (1969)

No overview available.

26 episodes

Episodes
Episode 1: The Visitor Part 1: Hypothesis
1969-04-04

Murders take place and each crime is similar to the last. One person must have committed them; but who? Another attack. The victim survives but has amnesia and is the only person who can make an identification. A suspect is arrested.

Runtime: 50 min
Episode 2: The Visitor Part 2: Hard Facts
1969-04-11

Hardy is trying to piece together the burnt pieces of paper found in the suspect's room. Jo has been asked to try and break the surviving victim's amnesia by hypnosis. The suspect is questioned at length. The case builds up against him.

Runtime: 50 min
Episode 3: The Visitor Part 3: Judgement
1969-04-18

Martin Ingram, who has been arrested for assaulting Vivien, stands trial for his alleged crime. He is defended by a brilliant woman Q.C. The result of the trial remains in doubt until almost the last moment.

Runtime: 50 min
Episode 4: The Yellow Torrish
1969-04-25

A smashed lock, a bloodstained jacket, a drifting boat and a takeover bid. Dr. Hardy with the aid of a few bright feathers and silk thread solves the mystery of a disappearing man.

Runtime: 50 min
Episode 5: The Gun That Walked
1969-05-02

When violent death strikes down a pretty farm girl, Dr Hardy and Inspector Fleming come up against a wall of stubborn reserve. Persistence at last brings Dr Hardy to a 'not inconsiderable suspicion' of the killer's identity. But proof.

Runtime: 50 min
Episode 6: One Life: More or Less
1969-05-09

Illegitimate babies present problems. Bringing one up in an atmosphere of disapproval can be harder than the alternative. To some, the decision is easy; a matter of practical common sense. To others it's life and death.

Runtime: 50 min
Episode 7: A Question of Guilt
1969-05-16

A man is found guilty of murdering his wife and sentenced to life imprisonment - could he be innocent? Unquestionably, the facts prove him guilty. Or do they?

Runtime: 50 min
Episode 8: A Family Affair
1969-05-23

Estate Duties - a curse to be avoided? When a businessman is found drowned it could mean ruin for his family.

Runtime: 50 min
Episode 9: Death in the Rain
1969-05-30

That little Lucille died a violent death was certain; how she died was more obscure. Dr. Hardy's painstaking research and insistence on accuracy finally establishes the truth.

Runtime: 50 min
Episode 10: Protection
1969-06-06

Protection: you can refuse to pay, you can go to the police for their protection - or you can stand the risk yourself.

Runtime: 50 min
Episode 11: Post-Mortem on Harry Kirby
1969-06-13

A grocer, Harry Kirby, lies dead - poisoned, electrocuted, and gassed. If suicide can be established, surely this is gilding the lily. Why was a large sum of money found laid out neatly beside the body? And if it wasn't suicide.

Runtime: 50 min
Episode 12: Do Not Go Gentle
1969-06-20

An old man relies upon his daughter to look after him during convalescence but she has her own life to lead.

Runtime: 50 min
Episode 13: Playing with Fire
1969-06-27

A hospital ward is destroyed by fire. Could it be deliberate - and if so, who would want to burn down a hospital and why?

Runtime: 50 min
Episode 14: The Sardonic Smile
1969-07-04

There are classic symptoms of strychnine poisoning when a wealthy landowner dies after eating a trout, freshly caught, the question is who poisoned him? And how?

Runtime: 50 min
Episode 15: The Witness: Part 1: Threats
1969-07-11

Jo's car is run off the road by a lorry. The driver may be guilty of dangerous driving. Dr Hardy receives a letter threatening his wife's life and demanding he change his evidence. Hardy refuses but it is at the risk of his wife's life.

Runtime: 50 min
Episode 16: The Witness: Part 2: Involvement
1969-07-18

Dr. Hardy is involved in tracing a ruthless psychotic killer who is employed by the accused in an attempt to suborn witnesses. He is determined to give his evidence, but the police issue firearms to protect his life.

Runtime: 50 min
Episode 17: The Blue Spot
1969-07-25

A doctor may reasonably diagnose a brain tumour as the cause of death of his first wife. But when his second wife dies in similar circumstances and both are known to have been wealthy women.

Runtime: 50 min
Episode 18: Lethal Weapon
1969-08-01

A woman lies dead in a country road, apparently the victim of a hit-and-run driver. But something doesn't quite fit. She lived in the town. Why would she be in the country at that time - in those shoes? And what about the tyre marks?

Runtime: 50 min
Episode 19: Lie Down, You're Dead
1969-08-08

A man is shot three times in front of witnesses. When the police arrive there is no body. Has he been shot? Is he really dead?

Runtime: 50 min
Episode 20: Eddie
1969-08-15

Eddie spends much of his time in a betting shop. After a win of forty pounds he is found strangled in his own home. His grandson, who lived with him, is missing. Why is he trying to leave the country with forty pounds in his pocket?

Runtime: 50 min
Episode 21: No Home in the City
1969-08-22

While its owner is on holiday an abandoned dog wanders the streets and becomes savage, causing the death of a derelict meths-drinker. Could there be some similarity in the lives of man and dog?

Runtime: 50 min
Episode 22: Your Money for My Life
1969-08-29

Why should a businessman crash into a bridge support at 80 m.p.h.? When the post-mortem reveals him to have died as a result of the impact, and not from physical causes. What other reason could there be for the accident?

Runtime: 50 min
Episode 23: Dependence Part 1: A Life Saved
1969-09-05

Drug addiction is an increasing problem in our society. In the first episode of a two-part story, the hopelessness of the addict is matched against the efforts of doctors to control the terrible effect of the drug.

Runtime: 50 min
Episode 24: Dependence Part 2: A Life Lost
1969-09-12

It is said that drug addicts make poor parents. How do a young couple, both of whom are addicts, cope with attending to the needs of their small baby?

Runtime: 50 min
Episode 25: Flesh and Blood
1969-09-19

Once a man suspects that his 10-year-old son is not in fact his, he cannot rest until he has discovered the truth.

Runtime: 50 min
Episode 26: Sufficiently Loved and Cared For
1969-09-26

Threatening suicide is often a cry for help, sometimes that cry is heeded, sometimes assistance is too late.

Runtime: 50 min
Season 3 poster
Season 3 (1971)

No overview available.

13 episodes

Episodes
Episode 1: A Way to Die
1971-01-03

The body of a student is found in a pig-fattening shed. Hardy has to establish the cause of death.

Runtime: 50 min
Episode 2: Where Are You Going?
1971-01-10

The body of an attractive young girl is found by the roadside. Who was she? How did she get there? How did she die? Hardy and Fleming are faced with finding the answer.

Runtime: 50 min
Episode 3: The Man on My Back
1971-01-17

Fleming and Hardy are used to hit-and-run cases where they find a body but no car. In this curious case the situation is reversed: a blood-stained car but no body.

Runtime: 50 min
Episode 4: Go Somewhere Else
1971-01-24

Gypsies led by Samuel Brown arrive in the Hardy neighbourhood - to the horror of many residents. A public meeting is called to discuss the 'problem.' But protest can go too far.

Runtime: 50 min
Episode 5: Whose Child?: Part 1: The Wife
1971-01-31

After fifteen years of childless marriage, Ruth Fletcher has a son. But she has a problem which she takes to Jo Hardy: is it possible that her husband is not the father?

Runtime: 50 min
Episode 6: Whose Child?: Part 2: The Husband
1971-02-07

Dr Hardy has told Harry Fletcher that he could not be the father of his wife's child. Harry confronts his wife's lover, Michael Jackson.

Runtime: 50 min
Episode 7: Cedric
1971-02-14

Cedric Lambert, a lonely 54-year-old bachelor, visits Dr Jo Hardy in her surgery. But apparently there is nothing wrong with his health - all he wishes to do is to show her an antique book.

Runtime: 50 min
Episode 8: A Scientific Fact
1971-02-21

Hardy is much possessed by the problems surrounding the scientific fact of death. And in this story of an elderly retired Major, his wife and son, the police become totally involved as well.

Runtime: 50 min
Episode 9: The Coat
1971-02-28

Early one morning a young Maltese girl is found stabbed to death. Fleming is immediately convinced that her ex-boyfriend is guilty. Hardy has other ideas.

Runtime: 50 min
Episode 10: True Confession
1971-03-07

A young librarian finds a body in the woods. He does not tell the Police but the Press - which for Hardy and Fleming adds confusion to an already confusing case.

Runtime: 50 min
Episode 11: Smithereens
1971-03-14

The milkman pays his morning call on Mrs Carr, and finds her lying unconscious on the conservatory floor. She is surrounded by fragments of a milk bottle - which lead to several sleepless nights for Hardy and Sandra.

Runtime: 50 min
Episode 12: Hothouse
1971-03-21

Two young boys have their day's fishing disturbed when they find a body in the river. The question facing Fleming and Hardy: did he fall or was he pushed?

Runtime: 50 min
Episode 13: A Clear and Easy Duty
1971-03-28

In the last of this series, Hardy and Fleming are faced with the kidnapping of a son of wealthy parents - not so unusual for them but strange and unfortunate for Jo when she becomes involved.

Runtime: 50 min
Season 4 poster
Season 4 (1976)

No overview available.

10 episodes

Episodes
Episode 1: Second Appeal
1976-09-24

Hardy is asked to do a further post mortem by the defense in the second appeal of a man convicted of the murder of his wife. The first post mortem was done by an old colleague and Hardy's findings conflict, straining their friendship.

Runtime: 50 min
Episode 2: Blood Line
1976-10-01

An Arab ruler suddenly dies in London and Hardy is caught up in a situation of political intrigue.

Runtime: 50 min
Episode 3: Inheritance
1976-10-08

Motive, opportunity, possession of the weapon and an alibi that won't stand up. Who wants more to prove guilt of murder?

Runtime: 50 min
Episode 4: Prejudice
1976-10-15

A headless skeleton is found. The bones indicate one solution and the clothes another. Proffesor Hardy sorts it out.

Runtime: 50 min
Episode 5: A Family Affair
1976-10-22

An elaborate plan goes wrong because of a woman's intuition.

Runtime: 50 min
Episode 6: Suspended Verdict
1976-10-29

Many things can go awry when the law is exercised by the wrong people.

Runtime: 50 min
Episode 7: Suspicious Death
1976-11-05

The police and Hardy are greatly puzzled by the death of a mortuary attendant.

Runtime: 50 min
Episode 8: Fail Safe
1976-11-12

Did evidence Hardy gave in a murder trial 12 years ago result in a miscarriage of justice?

Runtime: 50 min
Episode 9: Hour of the Snake
1976-11-19

A spell is cast which results in a death at ' The Hour of the Snake'. Is it murder - or what?

Runtime: 50 min
Episode 10: Tainted Money
1976-11-26

One can legislate for most things - but how do you cope with human frailty and greed?

Runtime: 50 min

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