Dial 999 is a British television series that ran for one series of 39 episodes from 1958 to 1959.[1] [2]
The series was a co-production between ITV contractor ABC Weekend TV, and American television producer Ziv Television Programs.
Named after the emergency telephone number for the United Kingdom, Dial 999 stars Robert Beatty as Canadian Mountie Mike Maguire, and follows his work fighting crime alongside London's police. Beatty was essentially reprising his role in the 1946 film Appointment with Crime, in which he played Detective Inspector Rogers, a Canadian police officer attached to Scotland Yard. The show contrasted Beatty's muscular brand of policing with that of his British colleagues, but failed to sell to North American markets.
Each episode had a different supporting cast. Notable actors who appeared include Michael Balfour, Adrienne Corri, Vera Day, William Hartnell (who had appeared in Appointment with Crime), Arthur Lowe, Patrick Magee, Sidney Tafler, and Patrick Troughton.
| Episode | Title | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Killing Job | Alvin Rakoff |
| 2 | Special Edition | Bernard Knowles |
| 3 | Illegal Entry | Terence Fisher |
| 4 | The Great Gold Robbery | Terence Fisher |
| 5 | Thames Division | Alvin Rakoff |
| 6 | Missing Persons | Bernard Knowles |
| 7 | Honeymoon | Bernard Knowles |
| 8 | Commando Crook | Terence Fisher |
| 9 | 77 Bus | Terence Fisher |
| 10 | Night Mail | Bernard Knowles |
| 11 | Escape | Bernard Knowles |
| 12 | The Big Fish | Don Chaffey |
| 13 | Special Branch | Terence Fisher |
| 14 | The Mechanical Watchman | Bernard Knowles |
| 15 | Ghost Squad | Terence Fisher |
| 16 | 50,000 Hands | Terence Fisher |
| 17 | Fashions in Crime | Terence Fisher |
| 18 | Rolling Racketeers | Bernard Knowles |
| 19 | 24 Hours a Day | Alvin Rakoff |
| 20 | Hunter, Hunted | Robert Lynn |
| 21 | A Mined Area | Robert Lynn |
| 22 | The Barge Burglars | Robert Lynn |
| 23 | Old Soldiers Sometimes Die | Bernard Knowles |
| 24 | Extradition | Bernard Knowles |
| 25 | Gun Rule | Bernard Knowles |
| 26 | Key Witness | Bernard Knowles |
| 27 | Down to the Sea | Bernard Knowles |
| 28 | The Exception to the Rule | Bernard Knowles |
| 29 | Deadly Blackmail | Bernard Knowles |
| 30 | Payroll Job | Robert Lynn |
| 31 | The Motorbike Bandits | Robert Lynn |
| 32 | Living Loot | Bernard Knowles |
| 33 | An Inside Job | Bernard Knowles |
| 34 | Picture Puzzle | Robert Lynn |
| 35 | Rat Trap | Robert Lynn |
| 36 | Heads or Tails | Charles Saunders |
| 37 | Radio Active | Robert Lynn |
| 38 | Robbery with Violence | Alvin Rakoff |
| 39 | Death Ride | Bernard Knowles |
Dial 999 was filmed at Elstree Studios, and on location in London. The programme credits acknowledge the cooperation of the Metropolitan Police.
In 2021, Network DVD released all the episodes of the series on DVD in a five disc set.