User Reviews

Philip Yale Drew leaves behind a successful stage career in The USA, for a life in England, a diminishing career leads Philip to turn to drink. One day he's accused of murdering tobacconist Andrew Oliver in Reading, identified by a distinctive blue suit.

First of all, credit to them for casting Michael Shannon, too often Brits would play Americans (and vice versa) and not quite get the accent right. Shannon is excellent as Drew.

Amazing to hear the legal side of this case, the power that The Coroner had, even more so the power that The Public had, hearsay could quite literally convict a man.

Did he kill Andrew Oliver? What possible reason could all those people have had for accusing him?

Excellent production values, the sets and costumes look marvellous.

It's a real shame to think that this is the first half of the final installment of the show, but it gets off to a fine start here.

Ann Bell and Robert Laing are excellent in support, Laing had such an unmistakeable voice.

8/10.

Philip Yale Drew was an American actor who made two reel westerns in the early days of cinema.

He toured Britain in plays but a fondness for booze saw him relegated to minor theatrical productions.

In June 1929, Alfred Oliver was attacked in his tobacconist shop. He would later die.

Philip Yale Drew was appearing in a nearby theatre in a production called The Monster.

Over the coming days the police received a description of the assailant that matched Drew. Soon Drew became the main police suspect but he himself had no idea where was at the time of the attack. Maybe Drew was just very drunk that evening.

At a Coroner's inquest, Drew was confronted by many witnesses who claimed to have seen Drew. In or around Oliver's shop.

Although Drew was never charged for killing Oliver. The innuendo and accusations finished his career. Even though it had come to light that some of the eyewitness testimony were unreliable and even contradictory.

I thought the production was unsatisfactory as there were no alternative suspects offered. Presenter Edward Woodward stated that Drew was in the wrong place and at the wrong time. Drew had no history of violence.

What the program failed to mention that there was another possible suspect. George Charles Jeffries was a young man who had once attacked his sister with a blunt instrument. He had been seen near the shop on the day Oliver had been attacked. Jeffries later admitted that he went to the shop to buy cigarettes. He claimed that he spotted Oliver lying on the floor and he did not inform the police.

The police did not pursue Jeffries further, maybe they should have.