By the late 50s, when he made North by Northwest, Alfred Hitchcock was the best-known film director in the world, celebrated equally for adventure thrillers and for the psychological suspense stories that he had been making since he started directing films in Britain in the 20s. Tonight's Omnibus looks behind the image of the droll clown, which he presented in his television series, and at the achievements, and the problems, of the later years. Drawing on television interviews with Hitchcock, the recollections of colleagues and friends, and scenes from his films; the programme explores his relations with his female stars, the brilliance of his film technique, the difficult role of his scriptwriters, and the ambiguous character of Hitchcock himself, showman, practical joker and film-maker of genius.