What happens
This episode is a biographical profile of actor Herbert Marshall, who starred as Ken Thurston, the globetrotting agent known as Mr. X, on The Man Called X from 1944 until 1952. It traces his birth in London in 1890 to stage-actor parents, his stage debut in 1911, and his service in the First World War, where he was wounded and lost his right leg. It then follows his return to the stage, his move into films beginning with the 1929 talkie The Letter, and his many later radio and television appearances. The profile also notes his rich baritone voice, his reputation for professionalism and humor among colleagues, and his death from heart failure in 1966 at age 75.
Biographical profile covering Marshall's life in London, the First World War, the stage, Hollywood films, and radio, with the 1944 to 1952 run of The Man Called X.
Characters: Herbert Marshall, Ken Thurston, Mr. X
Listen for: Details of Marshall's wartime injury and the years of rehabilitation that followed, and his early career path from theatre work to film and radio.
Written from the episode itself; it never gives away the ending. Every recording is remastered for the stream: cleaned of rumble, hiss and mains hum (and the old TV whine where we found it), then levelled in two passes to steady broadcast loudness, so one show is never quieter than the next.