Cynical, dour and world-weary, private eye Frank Marker is frequently the unwitting stooge in bigger criminal wheels in his attempts to make a tenuous living on the outskirts of London.Cynical, dour and world-weary, private eye Frank Marker is frequently the unwitting stooge in bigger criminal wheels in his attempts to make a tenuous living on the outskirts of London.Cynical, dour and world-weary, private eye Frank Marker is frequently the unwitting stooge in bigger criminal wheels in his attempts to make a tenuous living on the outskirts of London.
- Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
- 1 nomination total
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Did you know
- TriviaMost of the ABC Television episodes (seasons one through three) are lost, while the Thames Television episodes survive intact. The only ABC episodes to survive are Nobody Kills Santa Claus (1965), The Morning Wasn't So Hot (1965), Don't Forget You're Mine (1966), Works with Chess, Not with Life (1966), and The Bromsgrove Venus (1968)
- GoofsThe Golden Flower Chinese restaurant is visible through the kitchen window of Frank's Eton High Street office - but as seen in location work for editions such as Come Into the Garden, Rose (1971), the eaterie is actually found two doors down from Marker's premises on the same side of the street. The Thames production team designed the studio backdrop like this as they felt what actually faced the office was visually uninteresting.
- ConnectionsReferenced in Remembering Douglas Camfield (2013)
Featured review
A classic of its time.
I would thoroughly recommend this series to anyone who is tired of the trend in British TV for murder in middle England, conspiracy and terrorism stories and the excess of melodrama in the soaps.
Public Eye brings the viewer down to earth with a bump, no glamour, gentility or sensational plots here just the daily grind of trying to earn an honest crust. Frank Marker, marvellously portrayed by Alfred Burke, is a private enquiry agent who investigates the most routine cases imaginable. He may be checking on unfaithful husbands, looking at minor fraud or petty theft. Occasionally he is used by clients who have ulterior motives and he gets involved in cases he wishes he hadn't. The story lines are thoroughly believable so that viewers quickly identify with the situation. The characters are well developed, sympathetic and demand your attention, but it is Marker who always draws the viewers eye. A loner, he does not make friends easily (at all!) yet we find ourselves identifying with him and caring about him. Add to this Public Eye was made 35 years ago and it is fascinating to see how values and attitudes have changed in the intervening years.
The 1969 series concentrates more on Marker himself following his release from prison for a crime he did not commit. While the 1971 series sees him going about his normal enquiry business. My only regret is that most of the early series (1-3) are lost forever and of the other 4 series only the two mentioned above have so far been released on DVD.
Public Eye brings the viewer down to earth with a bump, no glamour, gentility or sensational plots here just the daily grind of trying to earn an honest crust. Frank Marker, marvellously portrayed by Alfred Burke, is a private enquiry agent who investigates the most routine cases imaginable. He may be checking on unfaithful husbands, looking at minor fraud or petty theft. Occasionally he is used by clients who have ulterior motives and he gets involved in cases he wishes he hadn't. The story lines are thoroughly believable so that viewers quickly identify with the situation. The characters are well developed, sympathetic and demand your attention, but it is Marker who always draws the viewers eye. A loner, he does not make friends easily (at all!) yet we find ourselves identifying with him and caring about him. Add to this Public Eye was made 35 years ago and it is fascinating to see how values and attitudes have changed in the intervening years.
The 1969 series concentrates more on Marker himself following his release from prison for a crime he did not commit. While the 1971 series sees him going about his normal enquiry business. My only regret is that most of the early series (1-3) are lost forever and of the other 4 series only the two mentioned above have so far been released on DVD.
- inthemoodswing
- May 8, 2007
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- Also known as
- Detective público
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- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1
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