David Beaty: Cone of Silence, The Temple Tree and more: Four Full-Cast BBC Vintage Dramatisations
"Four stunning full cast dramatisation of WWII flying ace, David Beaty’s most exciting novels
Listen now to this thrilling collection of four dramas from the master of the genre, David Beaty. These vintage dramatisations will have you on the edge of your seat and transport you to a bygone era when aviation was a new, thrilling and sometimes deadly world. If you are a fan of Jack Higgins or R.D. Wingfield, then you will love these adventures from a master of suspense.
Born in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), David Beaty was educated at Merton College, Oxford and edited The Cherwell with Iris Murdoch. He became an RAF pilot during WWII, where he excelled, but gave up a life in the Air Force to write full-time. In 1960, The Cone of Silence was made into a film starring Peter Cushing and George Sanders. One of the first writers to portray pilots as ordinary human beings, susceptible to errors and mistakes, David Beaty defined a genre and his work became a must-read for fans of gripping, suspense-filled thrillers.
Beaty’s classic tale The Cone of Silence is one of the great novels of the air. Packing a punch with tremendous tension and electrifying impact. It is the early, dangerous days in the life of a new jet airliner. Millions of pounds have been invested and national prestige is at stake. However when the plane comes near to disaster The Court of Enquiry lays the blame squarely on the ageing airline captain Gort. The planes continue to fly but is there a cover up at play, and is Gort really to blame…?
In The Magic Carpet, written by Beaty exclusively for radio, it’s 1930, and the race is on to link the British Empire by airship. Two rival airships have been constructed - the R100 built by private enterprise and the R101 by the government. R100 is on her voyage to Montreal; but problems are plaguing R101, on the point of making the long journey to India. Who will win? And at what cost?
The Temple Tree is a story of East and West, of ruined cities and jet planes. As Ceylon sets forth on the path to becoming the republic of Sri Lanka, James Hannaker, an accident investigator still traumatised by the memory of his wife's death is set a puzzle in the beautiful island. When a plane goes down in the jungle, he must discover exactly why and where the bars of gold the plane happened to be carrying have disappeared to…
In The Master of Victor Kilo starring Andrew Sachs, a flight from London to Bermuda turns into something unexpected and cabin crew and passengers alike are embroiled in this heart-stopping dramatised thriller.
Cast and credits
Written by David Beaty
The Cone of Silence
Cast: Norman Wooland, Beverley Dunn, David Peel, Bruce Stewart, Simon Lack, Marius Goring, Ann Gudrun Ure, Noel Johnson, Norman Henry, Brewster Mason, Geoffrey Matthews
Adapted by Gilbert Thomas
The Magic Carpet
Cast: Conrad Phillips, Esmond Rideout, Phillip Manikum, Hubert Rees, John Hartoch, John Linstrum, Pavel Douglas, Rex Holdsworth, Sarah Benfield, Ingrid Hafner, Alan Moore, Norman Bowler, Sarah Jane Bickerton
Directed by Brian Miller
The Temple Tree
Cast: Douglas Blackwell, Kate Binchy, Michael Spice, David Spenser, Rolf Lefebvre, Zohra Segal, William Eedle, Saeed Jaffrey, Garard Green, Bill Nagy, Manning Wilson, Geoffrey Matthews. Other parts played by Ronald Herdman, David Valla, Jane Knowles and Eva Stuart
Adapted and produced by Betty Davies
The Master of Victor Kilo
Cast: Duncan Carse, Catherine Dolan, Andrew Sachs, William Eedle, Janet Burnell, Keith Buckley, Edward Chapman, Aubrey Woods, Derek Blomfleld, Arthur Gomez, Michael Spice,
Peter Claughton, George Hagan, Anthony Viccars, Peggy Butt, Rolf Lefebvre
©2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd"
David Beaty (Author), Andrew Sachs, Conrad Phillips, Douglas Blackwell, Duncan Carse, Full Cast, Ingrid Hafner, Kate Binchy, Manning Wilson, Saeed Jaffrey, William Eedle (Narrator)
Audiobook
