Tall, slender and with a quietly amused expression, Francis Matthews, who has died aged 86, was ideally suited to play Francis Durbridge's gentleman sleuth Paul Temple, in the popular television adaptations of the 1960s and 70s. But his 60-year career also spanned horror films, comedy and modern classics, and as the voice of Captain Scarlet he reached a new generation of admirers.
Paul Temple, which started in 1969 and ran for 64 episodes, was one of BBC1's first colour series. From its second season onwards it was co-produced with a West German company, enabling extensive film sequences and overseas locations, the glamour of which, as well as being beyond the reach of the BBC alone, transferred to Matthews and his co-star Ros Drinkwater, playing his wife, Steve. The couple appeared almost impossibly elegant to television audiences of the day, George Sewell as their down-at-heel sidekick helping to underline their suavity.
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