In 2010, the BFI issued a list of 75 films that they were trying to find ones not held in the National Archive and classified as ‘missing believed lost’

However there is some good news because 18 of these have now been found in complete form.

Two of the ‘found films’ interest me – ‘Salute the Toff’ and ‘Hammer the Toff’ both made back to back in 1952 and both released in the first three months of that year. The second one ‘Hammer the Toff’ went out as the supporting film to Walt Disney’s classic ‘The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men’ one of the big films of that year – and one of the best of all time in my opinion. It was a pairing of films that really surprised me – I always thought that another Walt Disney wild life film was on the programme.

In ‘Salute the Toff’ John Bentley (much later cast as Meg Richardson’s husband in TV soap Crossroads) played the aristocratic sleuth – he is very suave too. He’s searching for a missing businessman wanted for murder after a body is found in his flat, but he soon finds that the story behind the murder isn’t quite as it seemed

It also starred one of my favourite actresses – the lovely Carol Marsh

In the second film ‘Hammer the Toff’ John Bentley again plays The Honourable Richard Rollison – The Toff . Once again he investigates a murder, but this time also a valuable formula, a damsel in distress and an East End philanthropist called The Hammer. It’s good mystery story with a logical plot and a satisfying conclusion. Filmed at the same time as ‘Salute The Toff’ it shares some of the same actors like Valentine Dyall and Roddy Hughes. Patricia Dainton is the female lead and very attractive she is and also a very capable actress

The ‘Hammer’ character is well played by John Robinson

ABOVE – ‘Hammer the Toff’ on release with a very popular film

BELOW- John Bentley as the Toff and Patricia Dainton in a tight sport – with the ‘Hammer’ played by John Robinson

Scenes ABOVE and BELOW – with John Bentley as Richard Rollison ‘The Toff’

A character called The Toff was the hero of a series of thrillers written from 1938 onwards by John Creasey.

Incredibly I see that he actually wrote 59 books featuring ‘The Toff’

The hero, The Honourable Richard Rollison, was born a toff: the courtesy title is given to the eldest sons of Viscounts and Barons. He’s a man about town and an amateur crime solver whose manservant, Jolly, is a kind of sleuthing Jeeves.

The Toff is not a snob — not only is he on first name terms with all the top brass in Scotland Yard, he also knows many of the lowly coppers on the beat as well. He’s a particular friend of Bill Ebbutt, ex-prizefighter and landlord of the Blue Dog pub and gymnasium in the East End. Even Ebbutt’s boys, trainee boxers, are devoted to the Toff and often act as a private police force, coming in all sizes from fly- to heavyweight

Terence Alexander played he Toff on Radio BELOW