A SURVIVING SLEUTH

The horse was galloping at top speed as the rider spurred it on. Fit and athletic, he mustered up every ounce of energy to make the animal go faster. But suddenly everything changed as he lost his grip and fell to the ground. The rider was Trevor Eve, but he wasn't acting out a scene from one of his latest dramas - this was hair-raising reality. His back was broken and he was rushed to the emergency ward of the nearest hospital. For the first two days he was in a coma. He eventually came round but went into shock when he realised the extent of his injuries. "I didn't know if I was going to be able to walk again," says Trevoe, the colour draining from his face as he thinks back to the accident that could have cost him everything. He had just finished filming The Politician's Wife, the TV drama about a philandering statesman. But now he faced an agonising wait to find out if his life would ever be the same. Trevor was a keen horseman and his accident happened just six weeks after American film hero Christopher Reeve was paralysed in an almost identical tumble. "I could have ended up on a ventilator for life," reflects Trevor, 48. "The Idea of that was just unbearable." he breathed a sigh of relief, however, when he learned that his injuries were nowhere near as bad as he'd feared and doctors told him that, with plenty of rest, he could make a full recovery. "I was very fortunate," he says. Although Trevor is fit once again, it was a long rehabillitation. "I couldn't work for six months," he says. "I'm a terrible patient so it was really hard for me." he was glad to have such a good nurse in his wife, actress Sharon Maughan. It was her patience and understanding that gave him the courage to get back in the saddle after recuperating. "It was terryfing," he recalls. "I had been riding for years and had fallen several times without hurting myself. But when you've had a fall like the one I had and you re-mount, it's really scary." His riding accident made Trevor re-assess his goals in life. "I started to relfect on what I would do if I wasn't able to live normally. Faced with the prospect of never being able to walk again I had to think about what else I could do." He had always wanted to be a producer and it was during his convalesence that he decided to follow this ambition. He started his own company, Projector Productions, with Sharon. Although it has been a big challenge working on the other side of the camera, Trevor believes his 25 years'acting experience has given him a reasonable understanding of the process of making a film. Being so well-known as an actor has meant working extra hard to prove himself as a producer. "I had to start from nothing," he explains. "I came up with an idea and it's my job to convince everybody, by getting the script to them and trying to raise the money. It can be a very lonely process." The son of a Staffordshire drinks wholesaler, Trevor had tried his had at being an architect before his acting career started at RADA. His first notable role was playing Paul McCartney in a play about the early days of The Beatles. He met his future wife when they were acting together in a West End play called Filumena. Sharon fell for his dashing good looks and disarming smile. And it was these qualities that landed him his most famous role, Shoestring, the quirky 1970s detective with the unkempt appearance. It made him into a sex symbol and he was recognised everywhere he went.

Trevor is thrilled that people still stop him in the street and say how much they loved Shoestring. "Some of them look so young, then I remember that the show has been repeated regularly on satelite TV and has reached a new generation of viewers." At its peak, Shoestring reached an audience of 23 million. Trevor decided to call it a day after only two series and refused offers to do any more shows. But Shoestring's success helped him to get other screen roles such as A Brother's tale, Jamaica Inn and the stage play of Children of a Lesser God. The latter won him a coverted Actor of the Year award in 1983. In the mid-80s Trevor went to Los Angeles to star in a supernatural mystery series. Although it was short-lived, he and his family were able to live there in style with the money he made from it, before returning to London. Trevor and Sharon have been married for 21 years and have two sons - Jack 14, and George six - and an 18-year old daughter, Alice. She is the only one who has shown an interest in following her dad's famous footsteps into the acting world. "She was screen-tested when she was only ten," says Trevor proudly. "But she wants to wait until she's finished her education before deciding on which roles to accept. She's very acedmic and has a wonderful combination of beauty and brains." Although they are very fond of their dad, none of Trevor's kids are fans of his acting skills. "They switch the telly to the other channel when I'm on," he laughs.