The Human Jungle

- Season 2

(1964)

A contractor is driven so hard to live up to his illustrious German ancestors, he doesn't care how dangerous he makes work conditions, or how his violent temper affects his wife and children.

Elderly headmistress Dorothy Wyley comes to see Dr. Corder after she has attempted suicide and he unravels an unhappy chain of events. For one thing she has lied about her age in order to keep the job she loves and is afraid she will be asked to leave but more important is the unrequited love she felt for a pupil many years earlier.

Liz Kross descends the staircases at Charing Cross tube station, shedding her clothes as she goes and ending up nude on the platform where a bystander saves her from stepping in front of a train. She is arrested and referred to Dr Corder who discovers that she is working as a waitress and a stripper to finance an operation for her father, a fact which he resents and has caused her to subconsciously rebel.

When she was younger Jean Forrest was a big name actress but now she lives in fear of ageing and attempts suicide - as a result of which she is brought to see Dr. Corder for his assessment. Jean is hoping to make a stage comeback in the very near future but her ability to do so depends on the persuasion of Dr.Corder that she still has star quality.

Alvar Bell is the driver of a water bus on the Thames, who works long hours and feels that he is being racially discriminated against. When he begins to crack up under the dual strains he becomes the latest patient of Dr. Corder.

Suffering from a deep inferiority complex, and seeking maternal attention, a teen-aged girl stages a crime scene at a home she's baby minding for, then blames an innocent man for the crime.

The wealthy financier Sir William Bridley has recently died but both his will, made twenty years earlier, and his sanity are being challenged and Dr. Corder is called in as arbitrator. Either Sir William was a monster or a giant among pygmies and the doctor must decide who is telling the truth, the amiable widow or her fearsome sister-in-law Agnes.

Jane Falcon steps in front of a taxi cab and is knocked down but not killed. Her state of mind is called into question and Dr. Corder finds out that this is a cry for help from a young woman with a controlling father with a military background.

A black dockworker has a breakdown while operating a crane and is sent to the hospital mental ward. Dr. Corder tries to win his confidence and address his obsession with the rays of the Sun, but another patient tries to stir discord.

Lee Garner is a promising young boxer who, for no apparent reason, starts to lose all his fights and comes close to having a complete breakdown. Dr. Corder discovers that Lee's problems relate to his father whom he thought had died but has re-appeared, reawakening unhappy childhood memories.

Christine Box, a normally placid, unmarried teacher at a tough secondary modern school, uncharacteristically lashes out at a pupil and is charged with assault. Though found guilty she is allowed back at the school because of her previous good record and once again has another lapse. Dr. Corder delves into her family and social background to understand how she has suddenly taken on a new violent streak.

Formula one racing driver Jimbo Harris is obsessed with breaking the lap record to the extent that whilst he has a clear lead in his race he accelerates and crashes, injuring himself. Dr. Corder has to discover the reason for this obsession, hopefully in time for Jimbo to drive in the Monaco Grand Prix and draws a connection with Jimbo's time serving in the Korean war. However, against the doctor's advice Jimbo breaks off treatment to claim that all-time record at Monaco.

Patrick Grant is an over-worked designer whose wife Catherine insists on living beyond their means. He meets Joy, who owns kennels, and they fall in love. But when Joy gets pregnant by Patrick and asks him to leave Catherine and marry her, he caves in under the pressure, requiring Dr. Corder to sort him out.