AS the chief writer and driving force behind The Avengers, Thriller and The Professionals among others, the late Brian Clemens was responsible for innumerable great nights in front of the television.

And from the very first moment of action in his play Strictly Murder, you know you’re in the hands of an accomplished story-teller.

It is set in 1939, in a remote cottage in Provence, occupied by a young English couple, Peter (Gary Turner) and Suzy (Lara Lemon), whose only connection with the wider world seems to be through the radio news that reaches them from both Britain and Germany.

How have an unmarried couple of Brits come to live together in this isolated French setting? We get the distinct feeling that they might be hiding away from something more than the grim prospect of approaching war.

The presence of Josef (Andrew Fettes), an odd neighbour with a shotgun and no inhibitions about walking into the house, seems distinctly unsettling. But it is the arrival of a suave English gent, Ross (Brian Capron) that really upsets the couple’s existence. He has been looking for Peter – and he knows things about him that Suzy hasn’t begun to imagine.

Brian Clemens’ script is first rate, full of suspense, twists and the occasional shock moment, and the author’s son Samuel Clemens does it proud as director. This is a play in which even the silent action – of which there is a surprising amount – is completely compelling.

There are fine performances from all the above-mentioned cast, as well as Corrinne Wicks, who is added to the mix as the revelations keep coming in the second act. The farmhouse setting is vividly rendered by designer Alex Marker and the original music by Edward Patrick White adds significantly to the atmosphere.

Some stage thrillers can’t quite prevent the eyelids from getting heavy at some point deep in the first act, but this one doesn’t let your attention wander for a moment. In fact, the suspense doesn’t let up until the curtain falls.