Lytton's Diary is a 1985–86 British comedy-drama programme created and written by Peter Bowles and Philip Broadley. Produced by Thames Television for ITV, it originated as a single play on the anthology programme Storyboard before expanding into two popular series, known for their mix of glamour, intrigue, and social commentary. Bowles stars as Neville Lytton, a suave and successful Fleet Street gossip columnist for the Daily News. Lytton navigates the world of high-society scandals, political corruption, and personal challenges, balancing his professional life with his love life and his ambition to write a novel.
Lytton's Diary (Season 2)
The End and the Means (Episode 1)
Writer: Ray Connolly
Air date: 1986-01-08
Runtime: 30 min
Overview: Lytton returns to his desk at The Daily News after a brutal mugging. He is soon involved in investigating a suicide and a Whitehall scandal helps to get him back into the routine.
Rules of Engagement (Episode 2)
Writer: Ray Connolly
Air date: 1986-01-15
Runtime: 30 min
Overview: A new journalist at The Daily News is instantly unpopular when it's discovered that her job is owed to the editor's patronage. Lytton sends her in pursuit of a runaway tennis star.
The Ancient Regime (Episode 3)
Writer: Ray Connolly
Air date: 1986-01-22
Runtime: 30 min
Overview: A famous sex symbol has a change of heart about on-screen nudity and receives a rich and mysterious visitor. Lytton is on the story, but is waylaid by his paper's owner and a mysterious lunchtime appointment.
The Miracle Man (Episode 4)
Writer: Ray Connolly
Air date: 1986-01-29
Runtime: 30 min
Overview: Lytton investigates why the same well-known faces are always appearing at an American evangelist's healing ceremonies, and is also involved in a confused plan to publish his first novel. The behaviour of the young new editor of The Daily News horrifies him.
National Hero (Episode 5)
Writer: Ray Connolly
Air date: 1986-02-05
Runtime: 30 min
Overview: Duncan Anderson, a revered public figure and a friend of Lytton's, is regarded as just another old fogey by pop columnist Trevor Bates. Meanwhile, Henry is deeply concerned about midnight meetings in a gazebo.
What a Wonderful Life (Episode 6)
Writer: Ray Connolly
Air date: 1986-02-12
Runtime: 30 min
Overview: Lytton is a judge at an international beauty competition gone awry, and finds himself investigating an old friend's financial background. Meanwhile, the paper's owner is planning a technological revolution in Fleet Street.
Seasons
Episodes 6
Episodes 6