h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

What a pleasure to read the story behind The Toff from someone who really does know!! I have been a fan for years but lost touch when suddenly Creasey books seemed to go out of fashion and off the bookshelves. Thanks to the internet I have re-discovered the books and have managed to aquire some - I had no idea they had become so collectable and in some cases very expensive.

All I want to know is why The Toff never made it to the screen. His time may yet come as the original stories are now old-fashioned enough to be classed as 'period' or even 'costume' drama and good clean fun for all of that. There are plenty of stories to make a series and I'm sure there is a good looking male lead waiting in the wings to become a star. I always thought Gerald Harper aka Adam Adamant would have been perfect in the role.

I think it is a shame that John Creasey was never considered as a serious author because he gave and indeed still gives much pleasure to ao many readers. Surely we can't all be wrong??

Hello. I am appalled that I haven’t answered this great post before now. I must check everything more often.

The Toff on the silver screen: Just as an aside, back in 1952, Hammer Films produced Hammer the Toff. I remember it well and can see myself, aged six screaming my head off, tugging Dad’s arm to get him to take me out of the totally frightening darkened cinema where the film felt so real. It was the Bournemouth premier, that's where we lived, and indeed I was born. And yes Dad took me out.

I’ve never liked scary moves since!

But that’s an aside. The film was shot in black and white, and to the best of my knowledge you can’t get hold of it. Although you can still find a comment of it via a search engine.

The Toff almost made it big a litle over a decade later when Lew Grade, a British television mogul, rang Dad saying he wanted to put the Toff on television with Roger Moore as the star. Dad said YES! And two days later Lew rang back with good news bad news. He needed three television detective series and had decided to ditch the Toff in favour of the Saint (that was the bad news) but agreed to produce The Baron and Gideon’s Way – two of Dad’s other series (the good news). Because of Roger Moore the Saint went onto become the big winner although in their time The Baron and Gideon’s Way did well.

And for the last 25 years I’ve been trying to gently trying to persuade television companies that the Toff’s time has come again. For the last five years I’ve been aggressively pushing: And its nearly worked. ABC said ‘yes’ about five years ago to a series for their cable channel, commissioned a script and turned it down. Three years ago the BBC was interested, but those discussions came to nothing. I now have the Toff's foot in the door with another broadcaster. Each time I am convinced that this will be it - the Toff will be on television, back on the bookshelves and I will have achieved a dream that Dad so richly deserves. So watch this space …