AllMovie

Those familiar with author John Buchan's reluctant soldier-of-fortune Richard Hannay only through the various adaptations of Buchan's The 39 Steps may be surprised to learn that Hannay was the hero of several novels -- and that, as originally conceived, he was a Victorian-era character rather than a "contemporary" do-gooder. Among Hannay's other adventures was Three Hostages, in which the protagonist endeavored to get the goods on an international crime cartel. The first TV adaptation of Three Hostages was offered as a six-part, three-hour miniseries by the BBC in 1952, with Patrick Barr as Hannay and with novelist C.A. Lejeune translating Buchan's prose to the small screen. This version should not be confused with the 1977 one-part version of Three Hostages, which starred Barry Foster.