Civvies (TV series)

Last updated

Civvies
Genre Crime drama
Thriller
Written by
Directed by
Starring
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes6 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer
  • Lynda La Plante
Producer
  • Ruth Caleb
Production location
  • United Kingdom
Running time50 minutes
Production company
Original release
Network
Release22 September (1992-09-22) 
27 October 1992 (1992-10-27)

Civvies is a six-part thriller first broadcast on BBC1 from 22 September to 27 October 1992. The series was written by Lynda La Plante - her first writing contribution for the BBC, after being poached by the BBC following the success of Prime Suspect . The series focuses on Frank Dillon (Jason Issacs), a former Army soldier who finds life outside the army tougher than being in it - and slowly falls under the power of east end gangster Barry Newman (Peter O'Toole), who is looking to hire a trained hitman. The complete series was released on DVD on 3 June 2013 on Acorn Media UK. [1]

Contents

Plot

Reconciling the danger and excitement of serving in the elite British Parachute Regiment with life back home with his family does not prove simple for Frank Dillon (Jason Isaacs). An impulsive and aggressive man, he is aware that his pay-off from the army isn't sufficient to secure his future but, like his friends, struggles to find stable employment elsewhere. With no one prepared to take a chance on him, Frank may be powerless to resist the approaches of Barry Newman (Peter O'Toole), an East End gangster who could certainly find a use for a trained killer.

Cast

Locations

An entrance gate at the Imperial War Museum Duxford in Cambridgeshire stood in for the gates of Depot Para, then the barracks and training facility for the Parachute Regiment at Aldershot in Hampshire. A Douglas C-47 Skytrain from the museum's collection was parked at the gates during filming to replicate the gate guardian at Depot Para in Aldershot.

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byBritish air dateUK viewers
(million) [2]
1"Frank"Karl FrancisLynda La Plante22 September 1992 (1992-09-22)N/A
Some time after narrowly avoiding being killed by an IRA bomb in a pub while serving in Northern Ireland, Sgt Frank Dillon decides after 15 years of service in the British Army that he has had enough, as he wants to see his two boys grow up. He is cashiered to the value of £5000 and leaves the Parachute Regiment barracks for the last time.
2"Taffy"Karl FrancisLynda La Plante29 September 1992 (1992-09-29)N/A
Taffy, who has been suffering from flashbacks, has been unable to get a nights sleep for quite some time - and it is starting to affect his sanity, and his ability to get a job. He calls Frank and tells him his woes, but Frank seems vacant and uncaring. Taffy later returns home to find bailiffs clearing out his house, a situation which he doesn't help by threatening them and then smashing things up so they can't take them.
3"Steve"Karl FrancisLynda La Plante6 October 1992 (1992-10-06)N/A
Frank, Jimmy, Steve and Cliff travel up to Scotland where they meet up with Harry, who introduces them to Tony Malone, a former Military Policeman-Sergeant who is now the estate owner's assistant gamekeeper. Harry is upset at seeing Steve among the group, labeling him as a "drunken prat," a moniker which he manages to live up to as he more or less immediately gets drunk in the hotel bar. While there, the hotel owner regails them with a tale of how a handsome bounty of £3000 will be paid to anyone who disposes Malone. Meanwhile, both Frank and Steve take a shine to Sissy, the estate's attractive restaurant manager. At one point, Frank and Sissy make love in an empty room at the hotel. Seething with jealousy, Steve attempts to rape Sissy, but she manages to fight back despite being gravely injured. Steve is left in tears, devastated for failing to win Sissy's heart. The squad carry on with their patrol of the estate. They manage to stave off the poachers terrorizing the estate, with Malone getting injured in the process. Thereafter, Frank and Malone fight; Malone initially gets the upper hand, but is eventually beaten by Frank. Malone later apologizes to Frank and admits that a security lapse prior to the bombing of the bar back at Northern Ireland was not his fault. Nonetheless, the squad drive off back to the hotel without saying anything to him. Sissy later confides to Frank that she did not report Steve to the police as she felt very sorry for his hopeless condition as a near mute. Frank, in turn, spoke a bit of his experiences in Northern Ireland as well as the pride of having his boys around, that he would watch their backs as they watch his. Sissy happens to know that Frank is married with kids and remarks that they cannot have a side relationship; he bids her goodbye. Before leaving the estate, Frank confronts Steve and angrily gives him his lump sum, a generous one since Steve managed to partially help the group with some recon against the poachers. Upon being abandoned by the squad, Steve sadly hitchhikes to a nearby lake. There, through the sunset, he spots a stag, hoping to score his kill with a scoped hunting rifle he brought. However, he turns the gun on himself, instead, and commits suicide.
4"Jimmy"Karl FrancisLynda La Plante13 October 1992 (1992-10-13)N/A
Frank and Jimmy clear Steve's stuff out of Frank's spare room, which amounts to little more than a single bin bag, a few items of clothing, and a lot of empty bottles. Frank muses over whether he did the right thing by abandoning him, but Jimmy points out that Steve was bound to die sooner or later, if not from the suicide then he would have drunk himself to death, or someone else would have killed him.
5"Harry"Karl FrancisLynda La Plante20 October 1992 (1992-10-20)N/A
Stag Security are enjoying a bit of a boom period, so much so that Frank throws a party with the duel intention of celebrating their success, and recruiting more ex servicemen to work for them. All is going well, until Cliff puts "Great balls of fire" on the record player, which causes Frank to have a horrendous and graphic flashback to the night of the bombing.
6"Cliff"Karl FrancisLynda La Plante27 October 1992 (1992-10-27)N/A
Cliff and Harry arrive to pick up the payroll from a laundry, completely unaware that their movements are being watched by a man across the street. Frank worriedly checks the local newspaper to see if there are any reports about the murder he and Harry committed.

Related Research Articles

The Infantry of the British Army comprises 49 infantry battalions, from 19 regiments. Of these, 33 battalions are part of the Regular army and the remaining 16 a part of the Army Reserve. The British Army's Infantry takes on a variety of roles, including armoured, mechanised, air assault and light.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parachute Regiment (United Kingdom)</span> Infantry regiment of the British Army

The Parachute Regiment, colloquially known as the Paras, is the airborne and elite infantry regiment of the British Army. The first battalion is part of the Special Forces Support Group under the operational command of the Director Special Forces. The other battalions are the parachute infantry component of the British Army's rapid response formation, 16 Air Assault Brigade. The Paras, along with the Guards, are the only line infantry regiment of the British Army that has not been amalgamated with another unit since the end of the Second World War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason Isaacs</span> British actor (born 1963)

Jason Isaacs is an English actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Colonel William Tavington in The Patriot (2000), Michael D. Steele in Black Hawk Down (2001), Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter franchise series (2002–2011), Captain Hook in Peter Pan (2003), James Wolfe in Battle of the Brave (2004), Antonio Pérez in The Escorial Conspiracy (2007), Georgy Zhukov in The Death of Stalin (2017) and John Godfrey in Operation Mincemeat (2021).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter McAleese</span> British Army soldier and writer (1942–2024)

Peter McAleese was a Scottish soldier and mercenary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">H. Jones</span> British Army officer (1940–1982)

Lieutenant Colonel Herbert Jones,, known as H. Jones, was a British Army officer and posthumous recipient of the Victoria Cross (VC). He was awarded the VC after being killed in action during the Battle of Goose Green for his actions as commanding officer of the 2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment, during the Falklands War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hardwick Hall</span> Elizabethan country house in Derbyshire, England, UK

Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire is an architecturally significant country house from the Elizabethan era, a leading example of the Elizabethan prodigy house. Built between 1590 and 1597 for Bess of Hardwick, it was designed by the architect Robert Smythson, an exponent of the Renaissance style. Hardwick Hall is one of the earliest examples of the English interpretation of this style, which came into fashion having slowly spread from Florence. Its arrival in Britain coincided with the period when it was no longer necessary or legal to fortify a domestic dwelling.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parachute Regiment (India)</span> Airborne and special forces regiment of the Indian Army

The Parachute Regiment is an airborne and special forces regiment of the Indian Army. It was raised in 1945 as part of the British Indian Army but was disbanded after World War II and was re-raised in 1952 as part of the Indian Army. Currently it consists of fifteen Special Forces, two Territorial Army and one Rashtriya Rifles battalions.

Law & Order is a British television crime drama series, comprising four connected plays written by G. F. Newman and directed by Les Blair, which was first broadcast on 6 April 1978 on BBC Two. Each of the four stories within the series is told from a different perspective, including that of the Detective, the Villain, the Brief and the Prisoner. The series was highly controversial upon its release due to its depiction of a corrupt British law enforcement and legal system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Army Veterinary Corps</span> Veterinary arm of the British Army

The Royal Army Veterinary Corps (RAVC), known as the Army Veterinary Corps (AVC) until it gained the royal prefix on 27 November 1918, is an administrative and operational branch of the British Army responsible for the provision, training and care of animals. They are also responsible for explosives and drug search dogs. It is a small corps, forming part of the Army Medical Services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barry Newman</span> American actor (1930–2023)

Barry Foster Newman was an American actor of stage, screen, and television known for his portrayal of Kowalski in Vanishing Point, and for his title role in the 1970s television series Petrocelli. He was nominated for Golden Globe and Emmy awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">4th Battalion, Parachute Regiment</span> Military unit

The 4th Battalion, Parachute Regiment, is an Army Reserve unit of the British Army. Now recruiting across the United Kingdom originally the Battalion covered the North of England, with its headquarters located in Pudsey, West Yorkshire. Following the Options for Change review in 1993, 4 PARA amalgamated with the 15th (Scottish) Battalion of the Parachute Regiment, which was downsized and became 15 (Scottish) Company of 4 PARA. As part of further changes in 1999, the Battalion also merged with the 10th (Volunteer) Battalion which then became 10 (London) Company.

<i>Seekers</i> (TV series) British TV series or programme

Seekers is a two-part TV mini-series released on ITV from 25 to 28 April 1993 about a private detective who disappears, and when his wife tries to find him, she discovers... another wife. They team up to search for him. It starred Brenda Fricker and Josette Simon, and was written by the celebrated novelist and screenwriter Lynda La Plante who also wrote the book of the same name. It was produced by Sarah Lawson.

This article is about the British Parachute Regiment. For other nations airborne forces, see List of paratrooper forces

<span class="mw-page-title-main">3rd Battalion, Parachute Regiment</span> Military unit

The 3rd Battalion, Parachute Regiment, is a battalion sized formation of the British Army's Parachute Regiment and is a subordinate unit within 16 Air Assault Brigade.

<i>The Paras</i> British TV series or programme

The Paras is a 1983 BBC TV documentary series about British Parachute Regiment recruits of 480 (Training) Platoon undertaking their basic training at the Depot of the Parachute Regiment at Aldershot Garrison between January and June 1982. The series was broadcast on BBC1 in March and April 1983. It was later repeated in 1984, with an update on the platoon members' lives in the last episode.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">10th Battalion, Parachute Regiment</span> Former airborne infantry battalion of the British Army

The 10th Battalion, The Parachute Regiment was an airborne infantry battalion of the Parachute Regiment, originally raised as the 10th (Sussex) Battalion by the British Army during the Second World War.

Colonel Edward Charles Loden MC was a British Army officer.

<i>Framed</i> (TV series) British TV series or program

Framed is a British television crime drama series, created and written by acclaimed author Lynda La Plante, adapted from her novel of the same name. The four-part series, broadcast on ITV, ran from 27 November to 18 December 1992 and followed police officer Lawrence Jackson, who whilst on holiday in Spain, bumps into career criminal Eddie Myers, who was known to have been involved a bank robbery committed several years ago, but was never caught. The officer who investigated the original case, Jimmy McKinnes assigns Jackson to go undercover and live with Myers in an attempt to finally bring him to justice.

<i>Comics</i> (British TV series) British TV series or programme

Comics is a two-part British television miniseries, written and created by Lynda La Plante, that broadcast on Channel 4 between 6 and 7 June 1993. Adapted from La Plante's novel of the same name, the series stars Tim Guinee as Johnny Lazar, a down-and-out American comedian who tries to regain his status as an international superstar by embarking on a tour of working men's clubs and universities in England. But on his first night, Johnny is witness to a gangland murder and finds himself having to go on the run as he becomes the target of hit men who want to eliminate any chance of them being identified.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Faulkner (British Army soldier)</span> Former soldier of the Parachute Regiment in the British Army

Brian Faulkner DCM is a former soldier of the Parachute Regiment in the British Army and a veteran of the Falklands War during which he was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM) for bravery. This was a field award for other ranks of the British Army and was the oldest British award for gallantry, at that time ranking second only to the Victoria Cross. His DCM was one of only eight awarded during the conflict, five of which were awarded to the Parachute Regiment. Faulkner is a member of The Gallantry Medallists' League of the United Kingdom. He received his medal from Queen Elizabeth II during an investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace in 1982.

References

  1. "Lynda La Plante's Civvies". 3 June 2013 via Amazon.
  2. "BARB - Broadcasters Audience Research Board".