David Cleveland
Created by Dick Francis

DAVID CLEVELAND, the hero of Dick Francis' Slayride, is the chief investigator for the British Jockey Club. There were a series of TV-movies, possibly Canadian-made, based on Francis's books, which used the Cleveland character as their continuing hero, substituting Cleveland for whoever actually starred in the Francis book being adapted. If that memory is accurate, Cleveland is, in a sense, not merely a one-off protagonist.

EDITOR'S NOTE

• Jim's memory is correct. There were three TV movies made, starring Ian McShane as David Cleveland. These Irish-Canadian productions were billed as "The Dick Francis Mysteries and were shown all over the place in the 1990's. Unfortunately, the results were mostly disappointing, locations and the story weere substantially changed, and only vaguely recognisable at times.
  .
  Dick Francis is, of course, the British champion jockey-turned-thriller writer famous for his horse-racing themed mysteries. His crippled champion jockey-turned-private eye Sid Halley, who appeared in three books, and spawned a TV series, is probably his best known character.

NOVELS

• Slayride (1973)

TELEVISION

• THE DICK FRANCIS MYSTERIES.. Buy this 3-video set.. Buy this DVD set
  (1989, Comedia Entertainment Inc/Raidio Teilifis Eireann)
  Based on the novels by Dick Francis
  Executive producers: Dennis E. Doty and Jacky Stoller
  Starring Ian McShane as DAVID CLEVELAND
  .

• BLOODSPORT.
  (1989, Comedia Entertainment Inc/Raidio Teilifis Eireann)
  Based on the novels by Dick Francis
  Teleplay by Andrew Payne
  Directed by Harvey Hart
  Produced by Jonathan Hackett
  Executive producers: Dennis E. Doty and Jacky Stoller
  Starring Ian McShane as DAVID CLEVELAND
  Also starring Heath Lamberts, Lloyd Bochner, Kenneth Welsh, Patrick Macnee, Carolyn Dunn, Jennifer Dale, Timothy Webber, Laurie Paton, Cameron Graham, Barbara Franklin, R.D. Reid, Louis Tripp
  .
• IN THE FRAME
  (1989, Comedia Entertainment Inc/Raidio Teilifis Eireann)
  Based on the novel by Dick Francis
  Teleplay by Andrew Payne
  Directed by Wigbert Wicker
  Produced by Mathias Wittich
  Executive producers: Dennis E. Doty and Jacky Stoller
  Starring Ian McShane as DAVID CLEVELAND
  Also starring Lyman Ward, Amadeus August, Peter Sattmann, Patrick Cauderlier, Rainer Grenkowitz, Cedric Smith, Joseph Ziegler, Laura Dickson, Hans-Peter Korff, Jack Duffy, Liliane Clune, Karin Rasenack, Barbara Rudnik
  .
• TWICE SHY
  (1989, Comedia Entertainment Inc/Raidio Teilifis Eireann)
  Based on the novel by Dick Francis
  Teleplay by Miles Henderson
  Directed by Deirdre Friel
  Produced by W. Paterson Ferns
  Executive producers: Dennis E. Doty and Jacky Stoller
  Starring Ian McShane as DAVID CLEVELAND
  Also starring Kate McKenzie, Karl Hayden, Dearbhla Molloy, Niall Toibin, Conor Mullen, David Herlihy, Stephen Brennan, John Keegan, Oliver Maguire, Pat Leavy, Patrick Macnee, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Jim Reid, Deirdre O'Kane

Submitted for our consideration by Jim Doherty, King of the Wild Frontier.