Sad news, he played one of the most memorable Thriller villains among many other roles. RIP John.

April 12th is significant in Gerry Anderson's UFO as it is the only specific date noted on screen. In the episode "Survival" we learn that astronaut Bill Grant was killed on April 12th 1981. The episode marked the production debut of Michael Billington as Paul Foster who searches for the killer.

It's very worth seeing, a very well done series. Unfortunately a lot of the afternoon series is lost but the surviving episodes are there, mostly black-and-white telerecordings for 1972-1973 but then the 1975 ones (in which John Halstead is very prominent) are the original colour tapes.

John was certainly great value in the Capper role in General Hospital!

Colour telerecordings are much rarer than those in monochrome. This episode was also unusual in having extensive scenes of a transplant operation and it's possible it was therefore used as a showcase for the programme.

Porter Arnold Capper (John Halstead) again in the bad books of the nurses (played by Sally Knyvette, Carol Hazell & Pippa Rowe) in episode 126 of General Hospital, December 1973. The odd look of the image is because the episode exists as that rare thing - a colour telerecording of the original tape.

In a curious piece of synchronicity I was watching episode 3125 of Crossroads & one character remarked "it must be an April Fool's joke" and another replied "no - that was yesterday" - in other words April 2nd again! That episode was broadcast on April 2nd 1979, not that I knew before watching.

April 2nd for followers of Thriller is "One Deadly Owner Day". Specific dates were rarely mentioned in the show but model Helen Cook (Donna Mills) discovers it was on that day that Mrs Jacey disappeared and set off the fateful supernatural chain of events which were to put her own life in danger.

Mark Curry did indeed become increasingly prominent on Junior Showtime in its last two years (1973-1974). Although I was aware of the show in my very early years I'm not sure whether I saw much of it at all but clearly it was important in the early careers of quite a few who went on to fame.

Mark Curry meets Bonnie Langford - the new Doctor Who assistant Mel - on Blue Peter in September 1986. Both had many of their earliest TV appearances back in the early 1970s on Yorkshire TV's kids' variety show "Junior Showtime". Janet Ellis had guest-starred in Doctor Who back in 1979.

Colette O'Neil & John Carson in the 1974 Thriller episode "Come Out Come Out, Wherever You Are" & then in rather different garb in the 1983 Doctor Who serial "Snakedance"; a young Martin Clunes is alongside them.

Series 6 is still good but could have been rather better. It's not uncommon though for long-running shows to tail off a little towards the end. It's all relative and it only seems below par compared to its very fine predecessors.

I think there's almost some element of tiredness with Series 6. It was made very quickly after Series 5 & may have benefitted from more of a break to sharpen up story ideas. Perhaps it would have helped if other scriptwriters had contributed on some episodes so the onus was less on Brian Clemens...

Which series of ATV's Thriller are most popular or least popular with viewers? These results are based on IMDb ratings. Probably not a big surprise that Series 3 is easily the best-rated. Series 6 is lowest, maybe reflecting some changes in style & some more low-key stories.

"Possession", "Someone" & "One Deadly Owner" would all be in my ultimate Thrillers but you're right that the supernaturals generally aren't as highly rated. As you once mentioned they don't offer much room for twists & supernaturals always run the risk of seeming too outlandish for some viewers.

"Death To Sister Mary" is a big favourite of mine and would be well into my top half. "Kill Two Birds" would also be much higher for me but maybe its unconventional approach and focus on professional villains - not unlike those seen in shows like "The Sweeney" - has held it back for other viewers.

The viewer ratings for the 43 episodes of ATV series Thriller. It's always interesting to see how these compare to our own opinions - probably broadly similar but with us rating some much higher or lower. "Coffin for the Bride" is clearly in top place with "K Is for Killing" bottom.

Ray Brooks again on voiceover duties. Another motoring PIF filmed in and around Buckinghamshire. The "near miss" outcome is an interesting strategy, much more familar to motorists in real life and often encouraging them to drive more safely.

Keith Barron was very good at a highly authoritative voiceover - "put a grid on it!"

One of the most memorable stories but the show was consistently excellent and frequently very provocative. Two other unusual aspects are that later in the story the young defendant is put under hypnosis by a psychiatrist in the presence of the judge and barristers who have set aside their wigs.

Good detective work! Surprising he wasn't credited given he actually appeared on screen and wasn't just heard, certainly more deserving of a credit than Harold Bennett who wasn't seen or heard at all!

It's good that more people will get a chance to see this. It's an episode I hugely admire and a contender for my favourite Thriller. It shows the virtues of "less is more" with a small central cast and all the action inside the house. Many great performances and superbly unsettling.

I've not seen this before. It's easy to think that all the public information films were on the "Charley Says" DVDs from Network but there seem to be plenty that weren't released. It would have great if there had been more volumes as PIFs are such captivating viewing.

One of the notable features of the Jason King TV series (1971-1972) were the mock-up novels written by Jason about his fictional detective "Mark Caine" and which regularly featured in episodes.

Headed notepaper showing the Hereford address of the Bourne family featured in ATV drama "The Cedar Tree" (1976-1978). ATV shows occasionally referred to less well known parts of the region although in this case I'm not sure there was any filming in the Hereford area or anywhere beyond the studio.

With regard to that episode I only noticed recently that Annette Woollett who plays "Wendy Two" has five double letters in her name! Surely some kind of record, maybe her parents chose "Annette" as her first name for that very reason!

Actress Wendy Gifford in Crown Court in 1972. Wendy appeared in many shows but ATV's Thriller was not one of them. Despite this I can't shake off the idea she appeared in the episode "Good Salary - Prospects - Free Coffin", probably because it features characters called Wendy & one called Gifford!

It's always interesting to see pictures - especially in colour - from wiped episodes. These are from "The Old Folks at Home" (August 1973) from Series 1 of ATV police drama Hunters Walk. Actor Ken Jones was best known for his comic roles but like many comic actors acquitted himself well in drama.

Article extract from June 1974 about Mark McManus. Now best remembered as Scottish detective Taggart it's easy to overlook the variety of roles & accents he employed with great aplomb early in his career. In this extract he offers some fascinating thoughts on work, class and politics....

Border had one of the oddest examples of scheduling. After episode 2 (Exposed) showed Paul Foster joining SHADO in episode 3 he was trying to kill the man who appointed him! Kill Straker was produced much later than Exposed and should be shown much further in the run.