# Dial 999 (TV series)

Dial 999 is a British television series that ran for one series of 39 episodes from 1958 to 1959.
The series was a co-production between ITV contractor ABC Weekend TV, and American television producer Ziv Television Programs.

## Synopsis

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.

## Cast

* Robert Beatty – Detective Inspector Michael McGuire
* Duncan Lamont – Detective Inspector Winter
* John Witty – Detective Sargeant West
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, Patrick Troughton and Sam Kydd

## Episodes

| Episode | Title | Writer | Director |
| 1 | "The Killing Job" | Ted Willis | Alvin Rakoff |
| 2 | "Special Edition" | Tony O'Grady | Bernard Knowles |
| 3 | "Illegal Entry" | Brock Williams | Terence Fisher |
| 4 | "The Great Gold Robbery" | Peter Holiday | Terence Fisher |
| 5 | "Thames Division" | Brock Williams | Alvin Rakoff |
| 6 | "Missing Persons" | Ken Taylor | Bernard Knowles |
| 7 | "Honeymoon" | Neville Dasey and Ken Taylor | Bernard Knowles |
| 8 | "Commando Crook" | Gil Winfield | Terence Fisher |
| 9 | "77 Bus" | E.J. Mason | Terence Fisher |
| 10 | "Night Mail" | Jack Pulman | Bernard Knowles |
| 11 | "Escape" | Gilbert Winfield | Bernard Knowles |
| 12 | "The Big Fish" | Peter Holiday | Don Chaffey |
| 13 | "Special Branch" | Jack Rock | Terence Fisher |
| 14 | "The Mechanical Watchman" | Ken Taylor | Bernard Knowles |
| 15 | "Ghost Squad" | Neville Dasey and Peter Yeldham | Terence Fisher |
| 16 | "50,000 Hands" | Ian Greaves | Terence Fisher |
| 17 | "Fashions in Crime" | Ken Taylor | Terence Fisher |
| 18 | "Rolling Racketeers" | Tony O'Grady | Bernard Knowles |
| 19 | "24 Hours a Day" | Edward J. Mason | Alvin Rakoff |
| 20 | "Hunter, Hunted" | Gilbert Winfield | Robert Lynn |
| 21 | "A Mined Area" | Tony O'Grady | Robert Lynn |
| 22 | "The Barge Burglars" | Paul M. Jack | Robert Lynn |
| 23 | "Old Soldiers Sometimes Die" | Neville Dasey | Bernard Knowles |
| 24 | "Extradition" | Neville Dasey and Peter Yeldham | Bernard Knowles |
| 25 | "Gun Rule" | Peter Yeldham | Bernard Knowles |
| 26 | "Key Witness" | Tony O'Grady | Bernard Knowles |
| 27 | "Down to the Sea" | Ken Taylor | Bernard Knowles |
| 28 | "The Exception to the Rule" | Tony O'Grady | Bernard Knowles |
| 29 | "Deadly Blackmail" | Paul M. Jack | Bernard Knowles |
| 30 | "Payroll Job" | Gilbert Winfield | Robert Lynn |
| 31 | "The Motorbike Bandits" | B.P. Royle | Robert Lynn |
| 32 | "Living Loot" | Edward J. Mason | Bernard Knowles |
| 33 | "An Inside Job" | Gil Winfield | Bernard Knowles |
| 34 | "Picture Puzzle" | Peter Yeldham | Robert Lynn |
| 35 | "Rat Trap" | Frank White | Robert Lynn |
| 36 | "Heads or Tails" | Neville Dasey | Charles Saunders |
| 37 | "Radio Active" | Tony O'Grady | Robert Lynn |
| 38 | "Robbery with Violence" | Peter Yeldham | Alvin Rakoff |
| 39 | "Death Ride" | Philip Monroe | Bernard Knowles |

## Production

Dial 999 was filmed at Elstree Studios, and on location in London. The programme credits acknowledge the cooperation of the Metropolitan Police.

## Home media

In 2021, Network DVD released all the episodes of the series on DVD in a five disc set.