Night Train for Inverness

Night Train for Inverness is a black and white 1960 British drama film directed by Ernest Morris and starring Norman Wooland, Jane Hylton and Dennis Waterman. It was written by Mark Grantham and produced by The Danzigers.

It is notable as the film debut of Dennis Waterman and was referenced in an episode of The Minder Podcast (about the ITV series 1979–1994, 2009, featuring Waterman).

Plot
Roy Lewis, just released from gaol, kidnaps his young son Ted and takes him on a train bound for Inverness. However, Lewis doesn't know that Ted is diabetic and faces death without regular insulin injections. Meanwhile, a police manhunt is launched.

Cast

 * Norman Wooland as Roy Lewis
 * Jane Hylton as Marion Crane
 * Dennis Waterman as Ted Lewis
 * Silvia Francis as Ann Lewis
 * Valentine Dyall as Inspector Kent
 * Irene Arnold as Mrs Wall
 * Colin Tapley as Dr Jackson
 * Howard Lang as sergeant
 * Kaplan Kaye as Charles
 * Arnold Bell as Higgins
 * Anton Rodgers as intern
 * Larry Noble as buffet attendant

Critical reception
The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "The action pointedly plays for suspense and pathos, but a contrived script and self-conscious, heavy-handed direction prove insurmountable obstacles. The net result is extremely mild, with the wife – effectively played by Silvia Francis – emerging as by far the most convincing character."

Kine Weekly wrote: "The picture extracts human sentiment from the young diabetic's plight and creates penultimate suspense, but whether or not this is mis-applied showmanship depends on the individual viewer. It could give some audiences the needle! Denis Waterman is quite natural as Ted, Jane Hylton and Silvia Francis score if contrast as Marion and Ann, Norman Wooland registers as Roy, and Irene Arnold convinces as the interfering Mrs. Wall. The settings are suitably varied, and the vital train journey anything but uneventful."

TV Guide gave it two out of four stars, calling it an "average drama."

The List gave it three out of five stars, and wrote, "this tight, train-bound 1960 thriller has a lot to commend it... Gutsy (for its time) and very watchable."

The film historians Steve Chibnall and Brian McFarlane wrote that the film "generates genuine suspense from a neatly plotted screenplay".