About Shoestring
- Shoestring - Drama is off air
- Remind me
Eddie Shoestring doesn't fit into the usual mould of TV detective, particularly not when you consider his late 70s contemporaries were much more about flash motors and wisecracks than regional radio and pyjama tops worn as shirts. Having been a computer expert in the very early days of the technological revolution (we're talking reels of tape and machines the size of a room), Eddie suffered a breakdown and is, as his surname would suggest, living a fairly hand to mouth existence.
It wasn't an easy decision for Shoestring's star Trevor Eve to take on the role of Eddie, not least because he didn't conform to the typical idea of a crime-solving hero, but also because when he was offered the part Eve was making a name for himself opposite Laurence Olivier on the big screen, and wasn't sure about transferring to telly. The team behind the series, Robert Banks Stewart and Richard Harris, managed to convince him however, and a new breed of sleuth was born.
The series proved a hit but sadly for its fans Trevor Eve decided to get out while the going was good. The creators of the show went on to reformat Shoestring, with a shift in location, and Bergerac was born in 1981. Like Eddie Shoestring the Jersey detective was heading back to work following a traumatic time, but unlike Eddie, Jim Bergerac never took to the airwaves to find his cases.
With two years of very healthy viewing figures providing priceless marketing opportunities, it wasn't long before the fictional radio station featured in Shoestring got a real-life counterpart. The name Radio West was in high demand thanks to the popularity of Shoestring, with two rival independent stations bidding for the rights to use the name. Sadly a Private Ear wasn't recruited as part of the station's line-up when it began broadcasting in 1981.
The series proved a hit but sadly for its fans Trevor Eve decided to get out while the going was good. The creators of the show went on to reformat Shoestring, with a shift in location, and Bergerac was born in 1981. Like Eddie Shoestring the Jersey detective was heading back to work following a traumatic time, but unlike Eddie, Jim Bergerac never took to the airwaves to find his cases.
With two years of very healthy viewing figures providing priceless marketing opportunities, it wasn't long before the fictional radio station featured in Shoestring got a real-life counterpart. The name Radio West was in high demand thanks to the popularity of Shoestring, with two rival independent stations bidding for the rights to use the name. Sadly a Private Ear wasn't recruited as part of the station's line-up when it began broadcasting in 1981.
Your Comments
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highlander69
wrote on 10 Aug 2009 at 10:35 AM
Hi StevenR61706,
Yep, I also love Shoestring. I think the edits originate from the BBC repeats of the show when they aired in the afternoons several years ago mainly due to content.
I think Alibi have had 2 problems. They have to cut out material due to content but they have the added problem of fitting it into an hour slot with at least 3 sets of adverts to accommodate hence some extensive editing.
As far as I'm concerned every episode had cuts made to some extent and I'd be surprised if any of the episodes went out fully intact.
According to Wikipedia Shoestring was due to be released on DVD in 2005 but the legal issues with the music rights made it far too expensive to be viable.
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