The Mayfly Dance

Ageing DJ Jake Rivere's cynical, sarcastic broadcasts have proved a surprise hit with
younger Radio West listeners - so much so that a single from 1960, "Lazy Daisy", has
become a surprise chart hit.

As a result of this, Don Satchley asks Eddie to find Jody Brent, who sang "Daisy". Eddie
duly travels to London to talk to Brent's ex-manager, Miriam Mitchelson, who tells him that
she has no further contact with the pop world. Eddie finds that she is still linked to a
management consortium and Mitchelson repents, asking Eddie to meet him for a drink.

Brent, she says, is now a recluse, living in the USA. Mitchelson hand Eddie a tape of a
phone call she had with him the previous night, after Freddie, the group's ex-drummer,
gave her his phone number.

Jake Rivere proves the tape is a fraud - Freddie was killed in a car crash three years ago,
and Mitchelson's conversation with Jody has been pieced together from old interview tapes
designed to be sent to radio DJs in the early 1960s.

Visiting another surviving member of the band, Harry, now a farmer, Eddie learns that a
very anti-social Jody was seen in Cardiff in the recent past.

Mike Frewin, the final surviving band member, arrives in Bristol as a stand in for a cabaret
band and arrives at Radio West, demanding royalties for "Lazy Daisy". Don Satchley turns
him away, but Eddie visits him. Frewin states that he wrote the song but has never
received a penny in royalties.

Frewin visits Vera, who has just posted a letter to Radio West, in the name of a girl who
was found dead nearly twenty years earlier. The girl was found drowned in a canal, and
Eddie spots her in the studio, during a taped TV performance of "Lazy Daisy".

In turn Eddie visits Vera, having matched the recent letter with an earlier filed one written
in her own name and address. She has been murdered.

Maurice Gilray, Radio West's legal adviser, is an associate of Miriam Mitchelson's. When
Eddie learns that he can't attend a Radio West meeting because he had to go to Cardiff,
Eddie drives to the city and, after a brief search, finds Jody living under an assumed name
on a barge.

Vera and the drowned girl had left with Jody and another band member after the TV
appearance. High on alcohol and pills, the girl had fallen into a swimming pool and
drowned, unnoticed by the others. Gilray and Mitchelson hushed it up, whilst Frewin
independently visited and murdered Vera.

"THE MAYFLY DANCE"

written by BILL CRAIG

directed by HENRY HERBERT

Series 2, Episode 4:

Original BBC1 tx:

Sunday 26 October 1980

2105 - 2205hrs,

watched by 10.2 million

Filming dates:

2 - 17 June 1980

(drn. 53'56")

A record request from a dead girl and a mysterious cover-up in
the music business are among the off-key notes Eddie strikes
when he tries to trace a missing 1960s pop star�

A "Shoestring" episode that begins off with light
moments, notably Lance Percival's wry performance
as Jake Rivere, "The Mayfly Dance" has many dark
undercurrents which surface as the plot progresses. In
many respects this fits in well with the script's look at
the sour background behind an apparently saccharine
pop song enjoying a new wave of popularity.

With trips to London and Cardiff, the episode has
plenty of scope. Eddie is at his most subtly eccentric
here - my favourite moment in the episode is his
handing over of a crumpled set of "expenses" from his
London trip to Sonia. These turn out to be not several
sheets, but one bill for a curry in Bristol! More good
Eddie moments are provided when he tries to bluff his
way as a Japanese translator, and as a ministerial
agricultural adviser.

Another dark and bitter ending, with an icy climax
during the flashback sequence as the girl drowns
alone. Downbeat, but compelling.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS BY DENE:

Alan Bridgeman (ROBERT WALKER)

in "NINE TENTHS OF THE LAW",...

...Alan Cording (PAUL CHAPMAN) in
"STAMP DUTY"...

and Maurice Gilray (MICHAEL CRAIG)
in "THE MAYFLY DANCE".

The Radio West Lawyers

"THE MAYFLY DANCE" contains what can be seen as
either a marvellous piece of continuity, or a wonderful in-
joke. Over the course of the series, presumably due to the
vagaries of actors' availability, we actually separately meet
these three Radio West lawyers, all of them thorns in
Eddie's side (and vice versa!). No mention is made about
why it isn't always the same lawyer.

I know what you're thinking. Trivial, maybe, but we watched Shoestring very closely
indeed putting this site together, so please indulge us!

However, early in this episode Maurice Gilray (seen right, above) is doorstepped by a
photographer outside his office, and we get a brief glimpse of a sign saying CORDING,
GILRAY & BRIDGEMAN SOLICITORS!

A colourful episode this, with Eddie enlisted by Don to locate one Jody Brent, singer of
1962 hit 'Lazy Daisy', which Radio West has been instrumental in initiating a revival in
popularity of.

60s stalwart Lance Percival contributes an excellent cameo here as Jake Rivere,
whimsical, tomato juice-drinking DJ host of the 'Golden Oldies' slot responsible for the
record's current popularity (possibly ad-libbed, he amusingly calls Eddie variously
'bootlace', 'toecap', 'waistband' and 'tie clip'!). There is consequently a nostalgic element to
"THE MAYFLY DANCE" which usually adds a nice flavour to proceedings in films &
television series and no exception here - plus the fact that the radio station is so very
integral to the story is a nice touch.

Mike Frewin's memory is triggered by
hearing the song Lazy Daisy played
by Radio West

60s pop star Brent is
finally located

LANCE PERCIVAL as Radio
West D.J. Jake Rivere

In this episode Eddie is enlisted
by Don to find Jody Brent

Miriam Mitchelson, Brent's former
manager, who informs Eddie that her
ex-client resides in California

Eddie & Erica's scenes together
are one of the highlights of

"THE MAYFLY DANCE".

Eddie and Erica's trip to London in this
episode (Eddie to do some investigating
naturally, Erica for a legal conference) works
well. Their scenes both going and coming
back are a delight, written, acted and edited in
a very breezy, warm manner. One minor
change in Series 2 is that the relationship
between Eddie & Erica is more subtly
ambiguous (the one exception being in "THE
TEDDY BEARS' NIGHTMARE"), perhaps even
reminiscent of that between Steed & Mrs Peel
in The Avengers in its mix of affectionate put-
downs (usually on Erica's part) and vaguely
suggestive banter!

When the truth about Jody Brent's disappearance and its connection with the
drowning of local 16-year-old girl Penny Billington finally comes out (after 18 years),
Eddie cannot keep quiet: her mother deserves some peace of mind about her death,
and Gilray & company do not deserve to be allowed to protect their reputations any
further. A solidly satisfying episode by Bill Craig.