Penny for the Guy (9 Feb. 1997)

A manpower shortage and a rash of child kidnapped for ransom force a vacationing Frost back to work partnering with beautiful but ambitious DS Liz Maud.

Director:

Paul Seed

Writers:

R.D. Wingfield (novels), Malcolm Bradbury (screenplay)

Stars:

David Jason, Bruce Alexander, Susannah Doyle

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
David Jason	...	D.I. Frost
Bruce Alexander	...	Supt. Mullett
Susannah Doyle	...	D.S. Liz Maud
Philip Stone	...	Henry Finch
Miles Anderson	...	Sir Richard Cordwell
Stephen Moyer	...	D.C. Burton
John Lyons	...	D.S. Toolan
Michael Angelis	...	Reggie Stansfield
Carol Harrison	...	Susie Stansfield
Paul Moriarty	...	Sgt. Wells
James McKenna	...	Sgt Brady
Gwyneth Powell	...	Kitty Rayford
Charles De'Ath	...	D.C. Collier
Damian Warren	...	P.C. Packer
David McKail	...	Dr. McKenzie

Storyline

It's a busy night for the Denton CID. Just as DI Jack Frost is about to leave on a fortnight's leave, the body of a young boy is found dead in an alley. He was found gagged and the pathologist determines he had been chloroformed and had choked on his own vomit. He had also had his left pinkie finger cut off. The police had initially thought the young boy was Bobby Kirby who had gone missing that evening, but they determine it's not the same child so they have both a murder victim and a missing child. The same evening, a couple returns home to find their front door open and their teenage daughter missing. The parents paid 25,000 pounds for her release but Frost has his doubts having had business with the girl's father in the past. As for Bobby, kidnappers demand a half million pounds from a major supermarket chain or the boy will be killed. The payment is made but the police operation is botched and they have to go back a few steps in order to get on the right track.

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Plot Keywords:

ransom | missing child | kidnapper | pathologist | jack frost | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

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Details

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 February 1997 (UK)

Filming Locations:

Yorkshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Excelsior, Yorkshire Television (YTV)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min 102 min (DVD)

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Quotes

Kitty Rayford: I couldn't send you back to your wife in that state.
D.I. Frost: You'd have a job, Kitty. She's dead.
Kitty Rayford: [after a pause] Sorry.
D.I. Frost: Yeah, that's all right.
Kitty Rayford: Must ne lonely without her.
D.I. Frost: It was lonely with her, to tell you the truth.

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Connections

Referenced in David Jason: Frost and Me: Difficult to Film (2008)

User Reviews

Terrific

The case of a missing boy kidnapped by a man who wants revenge is displayed to brilliant effect in this Frost edition. What revenge though? The dangerous game of cat-and-mouse the kidnapper plays with Frost is simply immense, adding to the tension of whether or not Jack will succeed in finding the boy. To start with, Jack only suspects the actual kidnapper, but can he find any actual evidence before it's too late? Great detective teamwork from Jason, Susannah Doyle (D.S. Maud), John Lyons (D.S. Toolan) and Stephen Moyer (D.C. Burton) in their difficult quest to nail the culprit.

Actor Philip Stone portrays old man Finch to terrific effect, and probably steals the limelight from David Jason, so strong is his performance as a seemingly innocent OAP.

This episode could be the best of the entire Frost series, mixed with intense nail-biting moments and the usual funny gaffes (goodbye Jack's battered old Ford Sierra at last!), and is my firm favourite.