O

Fourble

Whitehall 1212

1950s Scotland Yard drama
from archive.org

Named after the then famous telephone number of Scotland Yard -- the headquarters of the London Metropolitan Police Force, Whitehall 1212 was a weekly crime drama radio show. It ran from November 18, 1951 until September 28, 1952.

The stories were true and stated to be "the plain unvarnished facts, just as they occurred". The show, in their own words, presented some of the "most baffling cases" as hosted by the fictitious Scotland Yard Chief Superintendent John Davison. Davison was said to be the curator of the Yard's "Black Museum" a name given it in 1877. Artifacts described in the show were the basis for the story about the crime.

Whitehall 1212 was actually produced in the United States at NBC. The stories were well researched by Percy Hoskins, Chief Crime Reporter of the London Daily Express, and by the Writer-Director, Wyllis Cooper. Also, the show had the official support of the Yard. The cast were all British, which gives the show an authentic air and appeal.

The stories are told from the view of the police who did the hard work in solving the case, and thus it down plays some of the more sensational aspects. In comparison, at the same time, Orson Welles was on a show titled The Black Museum. It was a production of British commercial radio producer Harry Alan Towers and told the story in a more dramatic fashion. The two shows closely paralleled each other, and ran during the same timeframe. The Black Museum was run in the United States on the Mutual Network from January 1 to December 30, 1952.

Wyllis Cooper was noteworthy for his work on Quiet Please, and Lights Out. However, working from purely factual basis for the stories limited his artistic expression. Still, the stories were well presented and compelling.

Information for this synopsis was taken from The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio, and Wikipedia.


From the Old Time Radio Researchers Group. See "Notes" Section below for more information on the OTRR.

  1. Whitehall 1212 (3Mb)
  2. Wyllis Cooper (3.8Mb)
  3. This is Scotland Yard (Audition) (13.6Mb)
  4. The Blitz Murder Case (13.6Mb)
  5. The Fonier Case (13.6Mb)
  6. The Murder of Duncan Frazier (13.6Mb)
  7. The Man Who Murdered His Wife (13.5Mb)
  8. The Heathrow Affair (13Mb)
  9. The Murder of Charles Brooks (13Mb)
  10. Murder in the Black Market (13.3Mb)
  11. The Case of Donald Simms (13.2Mb)
  12. The Murder of Little Philip Avery (13.1Mb)
  13. The Pete Williams Case (13.3Mb)
  14. Case of Arthur Freeman (13.3Mb)
  15. Case of the Late Mrs Harvey (13.3Mb)
  16. Murder of Peter Amory (13.3Mb)
  17. The Case of Air Cadet Gordon (13.3Mb)
  18. Case of Dr Duncan Allen (13.3Mb)
  19. Case of Thomas Applebee (27.1Mb)
  20. Case of the Black Gladstone Bag (27Mb)
  21. Murder of a Bloody Belgian (27.4Mb)
  22. Case of the Fatal Bath (27.2Mb)
  23. Case of Mrs Minerva Bannamon (27.3Mb)
  24. Case of Francesca Nicholson (27.2Mb)
  25. Case of William George Greenly (27.1Mb)
  26. The Case of Margery Tate (27.1Mb)
  27. The Case of Sydney Wolfe (27Mb)
  28. The Case Of Maggie Ralenson (27.2Mb)
  29. Case of Winifred Hogg (27.1Mb)
  30. Case of the Strange Bonfire (27Mb)
  31. Case of the Homemade Handbag (27.1Mb)
  32. Murder of Mrs Ann Battersby (27.1Mb)
  33. Case of the Weed Eradication (27.1Mb)
  34. Murder of Mr Street (27.1Mb)
  35. The Case of the Mahout's Ankush aka The Tapir House Murder (10.2Mb)
  36. Case of the Unidentified Woman (10.3Mb)
  37. The Case Of The Magenta Blotting Pad (10.2Mb)
  38. The Case of Nora Brady (6.9Mb)
  39. Case of the Missing Clarinet (6.8Mb)
  40. Case of Dougal Henry (6.9Mb)
  41. Murder of Lady Madge Johnson (10.2Mb)
  42. Case of the Madden Family (10.1Mb)
  43. Case of the Eaton Brothers (10.2Mb)
  44. Case of the Winchester Bottles (10.3Mb)
  45. Case of the Inoperative Wireless (10.3Mb)
  46. The Case Of The Electric Torch (10.2Mb)

MP3 files hosted by archive.org.