From his theatre career Alastair had been identified, a year prior to The Riverside Murder, as a talent that could be successfully deployed in film. However, he became ill with severe sciatic pain in his back. The pain was such that he and Naomi feared he would never act again in either theatre or film. No doctor seemed to be able to make a successful diagnosis and he was sent from one specialist to another. Alastair was in much pain and there was no money coming in. However, almost by chance, he was directed to Edward Hall, Dean of the British School of Osteopathy, who identified the problem immediately (a torn muscle had bled and formed adhesions pressing on the sciatic nerve). A course of treatment, involving manipulation to break down the adhesions, finally resolved the problem and Alastair was able to take up his first film role in The Riverside Murder.