Stephen Barlay's gripping Cold War drama about the threat of nuclear war.

Laid up in a CIA hospital, recovering from a gunshot wound, British agent Maxon is about to have his peaceful convalescence shattered. As the radio DJ introduces In the Mood, the swinging sound of Glenn Miller is cut off by a shrill, insistent alarm - one signalling imminent universal death. America's brand-new Global Early Warning System has detected an approaching nuclear missile from outer space....

But the attack never takes place. The weapon, launched from an unmanned Soviet space vehicle, was destroyed seconds later - so how did the public alert come to be broadcast? As a member of the elite team responsible for safeguarding GLEW, Maxon is assigned to investigate. Meanwhile, he takes on a second, parallel mission - helping his ex-lover, Jacqueline, prove her scientist husband Kowalski has not turned traitor and leaked GLEW secrets to the Russians.

Searching for answers, Maxon travels to Toronto, where he is framed for murder and forced to go on the run. And when he finally uncovers the shocking truth, he finds himself mired in deceit and treason - and caught up in a deadly game of nuclear poker. With the doomsday clock pointing to two minutes to midnight, can Maxon and Jacqueline avert disaster?

Written by acclaimed novelist Stephen Barlay, this tense espionage thriller stars Ian Hendry as Maxon and Toby Robins as Jacqueline.

Production credits:

Written by Stephen Barlay.

Directed by Peter King.

Music composed and played by Ed Welch (piano) with Ron Aspery (saxophone).

Cast:

Maxon - Ian Hendry

Jacqueline - Toby Robins

Disc Jockey/Announcer/MP/Gloucester/Wennstrom - Nigel Graham

Inspector Wells/President/Doomsday Man - Bob Sherman

Interviewer/Reporter - Madi Hedd

Captain - Stuart Milligan

Guard - Ian Tyler

Nurse/Nadia- Zhivila Roche

Reporter/MP/Announcer/Stewardess - Alex Marshall

Beryov - Peter Gale

Petrushka - Richard Marner

Ellsberg - George Coulouris

The Nachalnik - Paul Hardwick

Locke - Alan Tilvern

Kowalski - Carl Duering

Cabbie - Peter Whitman

Hostess - Gay Baynes

Papa Mike - Errol MacKinnon

Minister/Sandy - Peter Tuddenham

Call Girl/Operator - Carole Boyd

Chuck - Bruce Boa

Inspector - Peter Marinker

Fergus - James Bryce

Aram Sarian - Vladek Sheybal

Saul - Blain Fairman

Girl - Mary Cornford

Winston - Stuart Organ

Tucker - Norman Jones

Sleet/Reporter - Brett Usher

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 24th April - 19th June 1983.