List of Callan episodes

Last updated

The following is a complete episode list for Callan , given in broadcast order, with Edward Woodward in the title role. There was a total of 44 episodes produced and broadcast between 1967 and 1972. The show's first two series were made in black and white, the third and fourth in colour. Of the 22 black and white episodes, ten are missing from the archives; both the colour series exist complete. All the surviving episodes have been released by Network DVD.

Contents

Pilot

The pilot was broadcast in black and white.

NoSeries [1] EpTitleWriterDirectorOriginal airdateArchive
001Pilot Armchair Theatre :
'A Magnum for Schneider'
James MitchellBill Bain4 February 1967Survives

Overview

Callan has been fired from an anonymous government agency known as "The Section" which is run by Colonel Hunter. ("Hunter" is a pseudonym for the current Section Chief, like the C of SIS.) The Section removes those who pose a danger to the "innocent" by persuasion, blackmail, extortion or death. David Callan had been the Section's top operator but he had become too curious about his targets and the rationale for their removal. The Section considered him vulnerable, volatile and dangerous and had laid him off to a dead-end book-keeping job for an ungrateful employer. Callan is where Hunter can keep an eye on him and also in daily, casual and unknowing contact with his next victim. If he can kill Schneider after making his acquaintance as a fellow war games enthusiast then he can kill anyone: this is the question to which Hunter urgently requires an answer.

Hunter describes Callan as "a dead shot, with the cold nerve to kill" and considers him far too useful to be allowed to retire. In this screenplay, Hunter invites Callan back to the Section to remove Schneider as a favour. Schneider's nefarious activities are known to the authorities but he is too clever to be caught by normal methods. Hunter wants Schneider eliminated but offers Callan no help from the Section—ostensibly to allow Callan to prove his loyalty and dedication. Hunter secretly sends Toby Meres to set Callan up to take the fall for the assassination, should this become necessary.

Callan's curiosity about his victims overwhelms him again and he investigates Schneider, discovering a massive gun-running operation. Satisfied, Callan formulates his plan. He calls on his petty criminal contact Lonely, played by Russell Hunter. Lonely is unsure of Callan's identity and motives but fearfully provides a "Noguchi .38 Magnum" plus 20 rounds (and returning the .38 revolver he had previously purchased from Lonely for killing Schneider). Callan has a chance meeting with Schneider and finds common ground in their interest in model soldiers and war games.

At Schneider's house, where Callan and his host re-play a scenario from the Peninsular War and go on to recreate the Battle of Gettysburg, Meres breaks in, distracting Callan. Hunter sends the police in order to ensure Callan is caught red-handed. Schneider, suspicious, uncovers Meres and holds the two men at gunpoint. Schneider searches Callan but misses the Magnum and Callan kills Schneider.

Meres attempts to finish the set-up but Callan knocks Meres unconscious. Callan phones Hunter about Schneider and says he will leave Meres to the police, and that he is quitting the Section. He tells Hunter "I liked Schneider... but I hate you". Hunter orders Callan's file to be changed to a red folder—targeting him for removal.

Series 1

This series was broadcast in black and white.

NoSeries [2] EpTitleWriterDirectorOriginal airdateArchive
00211'The Good Ones Are All Dead' James Mitchell Toby Robertson8 July 1967Survives
00312'Goodbye, Nobby Clarke' Robert Banks Stewart Peter Duguid15 July 1967Missing
00413'The Death of Robert E. Lee'James MitchellRobert Tronson22 July 1967Missing
00514'Goodness Burns Too Bright'James MitchellBill Bain29 July 1967Missing
00615'But He's a Lord, Mr Callan'James MitchellGuy Verney5 August 1967Missing
00716'You Should Have Got Here Sooner'James MitchellPiers Haggard12 August 1967Survives

Overview

ABC then commissioned a series of six episodes in 1967. In the first episode Callan rejoins the section in an unofficial capacity. The series was characterised by Callan's stand-off, barely-respectful relationship between him and his boss. Hunter schemed to retain Callan on his side and would play him off in little divide-and-rule scenarios with or against his fellow agents to keep control. It was not always apparent that it worked. Callan's contact Lonely (Russell Hunter) developed into an unofficial sidekick, whose shadowing qualities outshone his sense of personal hygiene, something Meres in particular took joy in pointing out. Lonely remained ignorant of Callan's real work and believed him to be something of a gangland villain.

Series 2

This series was broadcast in black and white.

NoSeries [3] EpTitleWriterDirectorOriginal airdateArchive
00821'Red Knight, White Knight'James MitchellPeter Duguid8 January 1969Survives
00922'The Most Promising Girl of Her Year'James MitchellPeter Duguid15 January 1969Survives
01023'You're Under Starter's Orders'Robert Banks StewartMike Vardy22 January 1969Missing
01124'The Little Bits and Pieces of Love'James MitchellPeter Sasdy29 January 1969Survives
01225'Let's Kill Everybody'Ray JenkinsRobert Tronson5 February 1969Survives
01326'Heir Apparent'John KershawPeter Duguid12 February 1969Survives
01427'Land of Light and Peace'James MitchellPiers Haggard19 February 1969Missing
01528'Blackmailers Should Be Discouraged'James MitchellJim Goddard26 February 1969Missing
01629'Death of a Friend'Ray JenkinsPeter Duguid5 March 1969Survives
017210'Jack-On-Top' Trevor Preston Mike Vardy12 March 1969Missing
018211'Once a Big Man, Always a Big Man'Lee DunneBill Bain19 March 1969Missing
019212'The Running Dog'William EmmsJim Goddard26 March 1969Missing
020213'The Worst Soldier I Ever Saw'James MitchellRobert Tronson2 April 1969Survives as a complete recording block*
021214'Nice People Die at Home'Robert Banks Stewart, Terence FeelyPeter Duguid9 April 1969Survives
022215'Death of a Hunter'Michael WinderReginald Collin16 April 1969Survives

Overview

By 1969, ABC Weekend Television had, via enforced merger and some additional personnel, become Thames Television. A second season of fifteen episodes that had already been completed by ABC was therefore transmitted by its successor in 1969. This run ended with "Death of a Hunter" in which the Section chief meets his demise, and Callan is shot – perhaps fatally. It had not been decided whether the show would return for a third series, so this device was used to leave open either the possibility of more stories in the future, or a way of winding-up the show. Two endings were taped, one in which Callan definitely died and the other in which Callan's survival was left in doubt. In the end, the latter ending was used as Thames decided to bring the programme back for its third series in 1970, this time in full colour and consisting of nine episodes.

In the television series, successive Hunters were played by Ronald Radd, Michael Goodliffe, Derek Bond and William Squire. The last's portrayal of a steely exterior, delivering ice-cold decisions with an underplayed theatrical flair, made for a match for Callan. Squire is probably the best remembered of all the supporting actors who played Hunter as a result.

Toby Meres was brought to life by Anthony Valentine (Peter Bowles in the pilot), an upper class thug whose demeanour barely concealed the cold and calculating thug he truly was. Meres enjoyed his work very much without questioning, a value Hunter found extremely useful and one which irritated Callan no end. Yet, as colleagues in the field, whose lives may depend on each other at a moment's notice, Meres and Callan developed an edgy, mutual respect. Meres departed for a posting in the USA at the end of the second series (in truth, Valentine left to appear in the new rival series Codename on the rival BBC network).

Series 3

This series was broadcast in colour.

NoSeries [4] EpTitleWriterDirectorOriginal airdateArchive
02331'Where Else Could I Go?'James MitchellJim Goddard8 April 1970Survives
02432'Summoned to Appear'Trevor Preston Voytek 15 April 1970Survives
02533'The Same Trick Twice'Bill CraigPeter Duguid22 April 1970Survives
02634'A Village Called 'G''James MitchellMike Vardy13 May 1970Survives
02735'Suddenly – at Home'James MitchellPiers Haggard20 May 1970Survives
02836'Act of Kindness'Michael WinderMike Vardy27 May 1970Survives
02937'God Help Your Friends'William EmmsPeter Duguid3 June 1970Survives
03038'Breakout'James MitchellReginald Collin10 June 1970Survives
03139'Amos Green Must Live'Ray JenkinsJim Goddard24 June 1970Survives

Overview

The third series of nine episodes, the first in colour, saw Callan still recovering from having been shot and struggling to come to terms with his situation. Interviews with Snell (the Section's doctor) and poor shooting range results with cardboard cutouts of people portray Callan as having lost his aggression and whose future with the Section looks to be in serious doubt. If Callan is to be of any use to Hunter, something has to spark him into life. In league with Meres's brasher, edgier and unpredictable replacement, James Cross (played by Patrick Mower), Hunter concocts a scenario whereby Callan's energies are incited into real emotion that can be turned against the enemy. The remaining eight episodes see the revitalised yet ever-more world-weary assassin cover more ground, including one episode where love comes unexpectedly into his life again, and which has the (expected) unexpected ending.

Cross is an agent whose arrogance more than matches that of his predecessor Meres, however, his lack of years means he requires more nurturing by his vastly more experienced mentor. This includes the necessary teaching of lessons more than once in a while. When it became known that Patrick Mower would be leaving halfway-through Series 4 (to head up "Special Branch"), Cross's character was developed, getting increasingly unpredictable and coming under the scrutiny of Snell, the Section's doctor, until his ultimate demise which was apparently of his own choosing. This paved the way for a more mature Meres to return from his secondment in Washington and help finish the series off.

Series 4

This series was broadcast in colour.

NoSeries [5] EpTitleWriterDirectorOriginal airdateArchive
03241'That'll Be the Day'James MitchellMike Vardy1 March 1972Survives
03342'Call Me Sir!'Bill CraigBill Bain, Mike Vardy8 March 1972Survives
03443'First Refusal'Bill CraigJim Goddard15 March 1972Survives
03544'Rules of the Game'Ray JenkinsVoytek22 March 1972Survives
03645'If He Can, So Could I'Ray JenkinsPeter Duguid29 March 1972Survives
03746'None of Your Business'Trevor PrestonVoytek5 April 1972Survives
03847'Charlie Says It's Goodbye'James MitchellPeter Duguid12 April 1972Survives
03948'I Never Wanted the Job'John KershawJim Goddard19 April 1972Survives
04049'The Carrier'Peter HillJonathan Alwyn26 April 1972Survives
041410'The Contract'Bill CraigReginald Collin3 May 1972Survives
042411'The Richmond File:
Call Me Enemy'
George MarksteinBill Bain10 May 1972Survives
043412'The Richmond File:
Do You Recognise the Woman?'
Bill CraigPeter Duguid17 May 1972Survives
044413'The Richmond File:
A Man Like Me'
James MitchellReginald Collin24 May 1972Survives

Overview

The final set of thirteen episodes was broadcast in 1972. This saw Callan develop further than before. An unsuccessful mission means Callan is being interrogated in a Russian prison, but is exchanged with the Russians for one of their agents. Now he is known, he has become a liability. What to do with the Section's top agent is later solved by promoting him into the role of Hunter – a post he dislikes as much, or even more, than serving under a Hunter. However, this move by his masters has motives, and Callan is eventually relieved of his duties after an incident where he enters the field of duty, which is against the rules. He is replaced as Hunter by his predecessor. The final three episodes form a trilogy based around a defecting Soviet agent, Richmond, played by T. P. McKenna, which was sub-titled "The Richmond File".

After an attempt at subtle interrogation and de-briefing in a remote location, Richmond dodges Callan and other guards outside. The 'defecting' line proves to be an elaborate cover. Richmond's brief is to carry out an assassination on British soil and the section needs to stop him. At the end of lengthy cat-and-mouse games, both men duel it out among crowds of containers inside a warehouse. Callan finally gains the upper hand. Richmond – knowing exactly how he would be treated – pleads for Callan to kill him instead of capturing him, which Callan does. Having disobeyed orders to help A Man Like Me (final episode title), Callan finally walks out of the Section knowing that his file will be placed into a red folder.

Reunion television film

The reunion television movie was broadcast in colour.

NoSeason [6] EpTitleWriterDirectorOriginal airdateArchive
045TV film'Wet Job'James MitchellShaun O'Riordan2 September 1981Survives

Overview

In the 1981 feature-length television story Wet Job, written by Mitchell and produced by ATV (without the original theme music or logo) Callan has become the proprietor of a military memorabilia shop when he is recruited by the new Hunter for one more job. Alas, he has to do this alone: Lonely has become a dapper gent, engaged to be married, and with enough self-confidence to defy Callan's request for help. In the end, Callan completes the task, survives and even ends up with a girlfriend.

Related Research Articles

<i>Danger Man</i> British television series

Danger Man is a British television series that was broadcast between 1960 and 1962, and again between 1964 and 1968. The series featured Patrick McGoohan as secret agent John Drake. Ralph Smart created the programme and wrote many of the scripts. Danger Man was financed by Lew Grade's ITC Entertainment.

<i>Spooks</i> (TV series) British television drama series (2002–2011)

Spooks is a British television spy drama series that originally aired on BBC One from 13 May 2002 to 23 October 2011, consisting of 10 series. The title is a colloquialism for spies, and the series follows the work of a group of MI5 officers based at the service's Thames House headquarters, in a highly secure suite of offices known as The Grid. In the United States, the show is broadcast under the title MI-5. In Canada, the programme originally aired as MI-5, but later aired on BBC Canada as Spooks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edward Woodward</span> English actor (1930-2009)

Edward Albert Arthur Woodward, OBE was an English actor and singer. After graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, he began his career on stage. Throughout his career, he appeared in productions in both the West End of London and on Broadway in New York City. He came to wider attention from 1967 in the title role of the British television spy drama Callan, earning him the 1970 British Academy Television Award for Best Actor.

<i>Armchair Theatre</i> British television series

Armchair Theatre is a British television drama anthology series of single plays that ran on the ITV network from 1956 to 1974. It was originally produced by ABC Weekend TV. Its successor Thames Television took over from mid-1968.

<i>The Life of Riley</i> American radio situation comedy series of the 1940s

The Life of Riley is an American radio situation comedy series of the 1940s that was adapted into a 1949 feature film, as well as two different television series, and a comic book.

<i>Public Eye</i> (TV series) British TV series or programme

Public Eye is a British television drama that ran from 1965 to 1975, produced by ABC Weekend TV for three series, and Thames Television a further four. It depicted investigations handled by enquiry agent Frank Marker, an unmarried loner who is in his early forties when the series begins. The title is a twist on the more usual "private eye".

<i>The Professionals</i> (TV series) British television crime drama series (1977–1983)

The Professionals is a British crime-action television drama series produced by Avengers Mark1 Productions for London Weekend Television (LWT) that aired on the ITV network from 1977 to 1983. In all, 57 episodes were produced, filmed between 1977 and 1981. It starred Martin Shaw, Lewis Collins and Gordon Jackson as agents of the fictional "CI5".

<i>The Saint</i> (TV series) British thriller series

The Saint is a British crime television series that aired in the United Kingdom on ITV between 1962 and 1969. It was based on the literary character Simon Templar created by Leslie Charteris in the 1920s and featured in many novels over the years. In the television series, Templar was played by Roger Moore. Templar helps those whom conventional agencies are powerless or unwilling to protect, often using methods that skirt the law. Chief Inspector Claud Eustace Teal is his nominal nemesis who considers Templar a common criminal, but often grudgingly tolerates his actions for the greater good.

<i>Callan</i> (TV series) 1967 British TV series

Callan is a British action-drama spy television series created by James Mitchell, first airing between 1967 and 1972. It starred Edward Woodward as David Callan, an agent of a state secret service dealing with internal security threats to the United Kingdom. Though portrayed as having responsibilities similar to those of the real-life MI5, Callan's fictional "Section" has carte blanche to use the most ruthless of methods. In the storylines interrogation is by means of torture, while extrajudicial killings are so routine they have a colour-coded filing system. Despite being an assassin who stays in the socially isolating job because it is the only thing he is good at, Callan is a sympathetic character by comparison to his sadistic upper-class colleagues and implacable superiors. The downbeat cover for the Section's headquarters was the scrap metal business of "Charlie Hunter". Produced by ABC Weekend TV and Thames Television, the programme proved extremely popular; as well as four series between 1967 and 1972 there was a feature-length film in 1974 and a TV film in 1981.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russell Hunter</span> Scottish actor

Adam Russell Hunter was a Scottish television, stage and film actor. He played Lonely in the TV thriller series Callan, starring Edward Woodward, and shop steward Harry in the Yorkshire Television sitcom The Gaffer (1981–1983) with Bill Maynard. He made guest appearances in television series such as The Sweeney, Doctor Who, Taggart, A Touch of Frost, The Bill and The Return of Sherlock Holmes in The Adventure of Silver Blaze.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bo Duke</span> Fictional character

Beauregard "Bo" Duke is a fictional character in the American television series The Dukes of Hazzard, which ran from 1979 to 1985. He was played by John Schneider.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph Fürst</span> Austrian actor (1916-2005)

Joseph Fürst was an Austrian-born international film and television actor known for his English language roles in Britain and Australia, after first appearing on the Canadian stage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ronald Radd</span> British actor (1929–1976)

Ronald Radd was a British television actor. He is perhaps best remembered for originating the role of Hunter in the television thriller series Callan. In 1971, he was nominated for a Tony Award for Abelard and Heloise.

<i>Dads Army</i> British TV sitcom (1968–1977)

Dad's Army is a British television sitcom about the United Kingdom's Home Guard during the Second World War. It was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft, and originally broadcast on BBC1 from 31 July 1968 to 13 November 1977. It ran for nine series and 80 episodes in total; a feature film released in 1971, a stage show and a radio version based on the television scripts were also produced. The series regularly gained audiences of 18 million viewers and is still shown internationally.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trust and Blood</span> 15th episode of the 3rd season of Heroes

"Trust and Blood" is the fifteenth episode of the third season of the NBC superhero drama series Heroes and forty-ninth episode overall. The episode, also classed as episode 2 of Volume 4, aired on February 9, 2009.

<i>Callan</i> (film) 1974 British film by Don Sharp

Callan is a 1974 British thriller film directed by Don Sharp and starring Edward Woodward, Eric Porter,Carl Möhner and Russell Hunter. It was based on the pilot episode of the ITV television series Callan which ran from 1967 to 1972.

"Heavy Is the Head" is the second episode of the second season of the American television series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Based on the Marvel Comics organization S.H.I.E.L.D., it follows Phil Coulson and his team of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents as they fight Hydra and the U.S. military for a powerful artifact. It is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and acknowledges the franchise's films. The episode was written by Paul Zbyszewski, and directed by Jesse Bochco.

"A Hen in the Wolf House" is the fifth episode of the second season of the American television series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Based on the Marvel Comics organization S.H.I.E.L.D., it follows Phil Coulson and his team of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents as they must deal with Hydra and the mysterious "Doctor". It is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and acknowledges the franchise's films. The episode was written by Brent Fletcher, and directed by Holly Dale.

"Parting Shot" is the thirteenth episode of the third season of the American television series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Based on the Marvel Comics organization S.H.I.E.L.D., it follows Phil Coulson and his team of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents as they infiltrate a Russian facility intended for Inhumans. It is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and acknowledges the franchise's films. The episode was written by Paul Zbyszewski, and directed by Michael Zinberg.

References