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Thriller
Thriller is a British television series, originally broadcast in the UK from 1973 to 1976. It is an anthology series: each episode has a self-contained story and its own cast. As the title suggests, each story is a thriller of some variety, from tales of the supernatural to down-to-earth whodunits.
Bill Hays
Brian Clemens
John Sichel
Robert Tronson
Terence Feely
Robert D. Cardona
Terry Nation
Peter Moffatt
Anthony Skene
Shaun O'Riordan
James Ormerod
Dennis Spooner
Dennis Vance
Also Directed by Bill Hays
Softly, Softly is a British television drama series, produced by the BBC and screened on BBC 1 from January 1966. It centred around the work of regional crime squads, plain-clothes CID officers based in the fictional region of Wyvern, supposedly in the Bristol area of England.
Dr. Finlay's Casebook is a television series that was broadcast on the BBC from 1962 until 1971. Based on A. J. Cronin's novella entitled Country Doctor, the storylines centred on a general medical practice in the fictional Scottish town of Tannochbrae during the late 1920s. Cronin was the primary writer for the show between 1962 and 1964.
The adventures of the eponymous Lovejoy, a likeable but roguish antiques dealer based in East Anglia. Within the trade, he has a reputation as a “divvie”, a person with an almost supernatural powers for recognising exceptional items as well as distinguishing genuine antique from clever fakes or forgeries.
The Ruth Rendell mysteries is a British television series made by TVS and Meridian Television for ITV between 2 August 1987 and 11 October 2000.
Thirty-Minute Theatre is an anthology drama series of short plays shown on BBC Television between 1965 and 1973, which was used in part at least as a training ground for new writers, on account of its short running length, and which therefore attracted many writers who later became well known. It was initially produced by Graeme MacDonald. Thirty-Minute Theatre followed on from a similarly named ITV series, beginning on BBC2 in 1965 with an adaptation of the black comedy Parsons Pleasure. Dennis Potter contributed Emergency – Ward 9, which he partially recycled in the much later The Singing Detective. In 1967 BBC2 launched the UK's first colour service, with the consequence that Thirty-Minute Theatre became the first drama series in the country to be shown in colour. As well as single plays, the series showed several linked collections of plays, including a group of four plays by John Mortimer named after areas of London in 1972, two three-part Inspector Waugh series starring Clive Swift in the title role, and a trilogy of plays by Jean Benedetti, broadcast in 1969, focusing on infamous historical figures such as Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin.
'Oh I was naughty. And I'm still naughty so take care.' And so Leda was, all those years ago when she was the childhood friend of Jasper and his three sisters April, May and June. Now she returns to add a little spice to life in their crumbling Irish country house.
Boon is a British television drama and modern-day western series starring Michael Elphick, David Daker, and later Neil Morrissey. It was created by Jim Hill and Bill Stair and filmed by Central Television for ITV. It revolved around the life of a modern-day Lone Ranger and ex-firefighter, Ken Boon.
A middle-aged couple give a dinner party to their friends. In the room is a photograph of another group of people, taken in a garden in May.
Simon Simpson runs an entertainment agency in Liverpool. At one of his regular auditions in The Bootle Railway Club he sees an aggressive young man fresh from the dole queue who dreams of becoming a professional comedian. Simpson believes the boy has talent and starts to groom him for 'stardom'.
Also Directed by John Sichel
Crime drama series detailing the cases of Detective Inspector Gamble and Detective Sergeant Vicky Hicks working for the Fraud Squad in the Midlands. Gamble is very much his own man, all too often doing things his own way, much to the frustration of his boss Superintendent Proud. Gamble’s sidekick Vicky is often little more than a glorified secretary for too much of the time but as the series goes on she does more of a chance to shine.
Also Directed by Robert Tronson
Love story set against the backdrop of Cyprus' struggle for independence from the British in the 1950s.
The police investigate the murder of an officer, killed during a jewel robbery.
Two rival gangs are trying to fix horse races and a jockey is attacked and left for dead in a stage-managed car crash. An insurance investigator makes routine enquiries into the "accident" and one of the gang leaders feels threatened by this and takes counter measures.
The cat and mouse game between government agents and a spy ring that has taken secret documents from a plane crash in Germany, not far from an US military research centre.
A young married couple struggles to find time to consummate their marriage while living with the groom's family.
The Avengers is a British television series created in the 1960s. The Avengers initially focused on Dr. David Keel and his assistant John Steed. Hendry left after the first series and Steed became the main character, partnered with a succession of assistants. Steed's most famous assistants were intelligent, stylish and assertive women: Cathy Gale, Emma Peel, and later Tara King. Later episodes increasingly incorporated elements of science fiction and fantasy, parody and British eccentricity.
Bergerac is a British television show set on Jersey. Produced by the BBC in association with the Seven Network, and first screened on BBC1, it stars John Nettles as the title character Detective Sergeant Jim Bergerac, a detective in Le Bureau des Étrangers, part of the States of Jersey Police.
The Guardians is a television drama series of 13x60 minute episodes made by London Weekend Television and broadcast in the UK on the ITV network between July 10, 1971 and October 2, 1971. The opening titles and closing credits included a memorable theme tune composed by Wilfred Josephs.
Campion is a television show made by the BBC, adapting the Albert Campion mystery novels written by Margery Allingham. Two series were made, in 1989 and 1990, starring Peter Davison as Campion, Brian Glover as his manservant Magersfontein Lugg and Andrew Burt as his policeman friend Stanislaus Oates. A total of eight novels were adapted, four in each series, each of which was originally broadcast as two separate hour-long episodes. Peter Davison sang the title music for the first series himself; in the second series, it was replaced with an instrumental version.
Also Directed by Robert D. Cardona
Crime drama series detailing the cases of Detective Inspector Gamble and Detective Sergeant Vicky Hicks working for the Fraud Squad in the Midlands. Gamble is very much his own man, all too often doing things his own way, much to the frustration of his boss Superintendent Proud. Gamble’s sidekick Vicky is often little more than a glorified secretary for too much of the time but as the series goes on she does more of a chance to shine.
Also Directed by Peter Moffatt
A race of giant Gastropods has taken over the planet Jaconda. Their leader, Mestor, now intends to cause an enormous explosion in order to spread his people's eggs throughout the galaxy, and he kidnaps juvenile twin geniuses from Earth to work out the necessary mathematical equations. Space fighters led by Lieutenant Hugo Lang are dispatched to get the twins back, but they come under attack and Lang is the sole survivor when his ship crashes on the asteroid Titan III. A newly regenerated Doctor and Peri become involved and help Jaconda's elderly former ruler Professor Edgeworth, who is really a Time Lord named Azmael, to defeat Mestor and free the planet's bird-like indigenous people from the gastropods' reign of terror. Azmael, however, sacrifices his life in the process.
The Shadow of the Tower is a historical drama that was broadcast on BBC2 in 1972. It was a prequel to the earlier serials The Six Wives of Henry VIII and Elizabeth R. Consisting of thirteen episodes, it focused on the reign of Henry VII of England and the creation of the Tudor dynasty.
Top Secret was a British TV spy series broadcast in two seasons on ITV in 1961-1962 which was produced by Associated-Rediffusion. It starred William Franklyn as suave secret agent Peter Dallas, over a total of 26 black-and-white episodes, each filling a 60 minutes slot. All episodes also featured Patrick Cargill as Miguel Garetta, and Alan Rothwell as "Mike".
Juliet Bravo was a drama that focused on two female police inspectors, neither of whom were called Juliet Bravo! These two inspectors worked in the small fictional town of Hartley, Lancashire. Jean Darblay was on the scene first and had trouble with her sexist colleagues. However she soon managed to gain their trust and prove a woman could be a successful police officer and housewife. Jean's call sign was Juliet Bravo. When she was promoted and moved on she was replaced by Kate Longton who not only took over the patch but also the headaches that went with it.
The Doctor has teamed up with himself before to save lives. This time, he must save his past self in order to ensure his own existence in his present. What could Chessene and dim-witted lackey Shockeye have planned with the Sontarans? Only one thing is known for sure: time will tell.
The Fifth Doctor tries to take Tegan back to Heathrow Airport but the TARDIS arrives in the 17th century instead of the 20th. The time travellers find a space capsule has crash-landed nearby and that its alien occupants, three Terileptil prison escapees, intend to wipe out all indigenous life on Earth by releasing rats infected with an enhanced strain of the great plague. The creatures are also using a sophisticated android to strike terror into the local villagers. Aided by itinerant thespian Richard Mace, the Doctor tries to unravel the evil plot.
The Gentle Touch is a British police drama television series made by London Weekend Television for ITV which ran from 1980-1984. Commencing transmission on 11 April 1980, the series is notable for being the first British series to feature a female police detective as its leading character, ahead of the similarly themed BBC series Juliet Bravo by four months.
Also Directed by Shaun O'Riordan
S.I.S. agent David Callan is brought out of retirement for one last assignment.
Returning home to her flat, Ann Rogers passes a stranger leaving the building. A few moments later she discovers her neighbor lying dead in the hallway, the latest victim of a serial killer. Ann could be able to identify the killer, but the killer also knows her face and knows he needs to silence the witness...
Sapphire & Steel is a British television science-fiction fantasy series starring David McCallum as Steel and Joanna Lumley as Sapphire. Produced by ATV, it ran from 1979 to 1982 on the ITV network. The series was created by Peter J. Hammond who conceived the programme under the working title The Time Menders, after a stay in an allegedly haunted castle. Hammond also wrote all the stories except for the fifth, which was co-written by Don Houghton and Anthony Read. In 2004, Sapphire and Steel returned in a series of audio dramas starring David Warner and Susannah Harker.
A woman is hired to care for a young paraplegic girl at her father's estate. Unbeknownst to them, the woman is a devil-worshiper who sets out to steer the young girl down the path of evil.
A group of terrorists posing as plumbers set up base at a school for the blind. The students remain blissfully unaware while the terrorists plan the assassination of a politician who will soon be passing the school on a parade route. Only one student, Sally, suspects that the men upstairs may be dangerous...
A young model is terrorized by a peeping tom and obscene phone calls.
A young American girl on her way to visit friends in rural England is brutally attacked and raped. After spending the next few months in a mental institution trying to recover from her ordeal, she is released into the care of her friends. The police assure her that they have the man responsible in custody, and she begins to rest easy. That is until she sees her attacker wandering the streets of the town. After planning her revenge she follows the man and kills him. This, she thinks, is the end of her ordeal. That is until the man she thinks she has killed arrives at the house she is staying in.
When a young soldier suddenly dies, his parents and his girlfriend are naturally shocked and upset by the news. Several months later a young man turns up at the parent's house claiming to be their dead son's best friend. They welcome him and invite him to stay for a while. They also introduce him to their son's girlfriend and she is similarly impressed by him. It is later discovered, however, that he is not what he appears to be and may have had a hand in their son's death.
Also Directed by James Ormerod
A scientist who is obsessed with creating life finally does it, with tragic results.
An adaptation of Winifred Holtby's classic novel
Actress attended by homosexual dresser.
An unexpected suicide prompts much speculation about honesty and theft.
Throughout his life, William Wilson finds himself being shadowed by another William Wilson, who seems to resemble him in more than name.
Second in a trilogy of plays. Robin Fraser is attracted to an unusual female patient of his dentistry practice. She bears a remarkable resemblance to police officer Gill Parsons.
Spearhead is a British television series. Produced by Southern Television and broadcast on the ITV network, it ran for a total of three series and 19 episodes from 1978 to 1981. It featured the daily lives of a group of soldiers in 'B' Company, 1st Battalion Royal Wessex Rangers, a fictional British Army infantry regiment. Set during the late 1970s, the series is regarded as an accurate depiction of life during that time for soldiers in the army.
Police Surgeon was a television series made by the Associated British Corporation and starring Ian Hendry as Dr Geoffrey Brent. Its twelve half-hour episodes were broadcast on ITV at 7pm on Saturday nights from 10 September to 3 December 1960.
"You've been a good man with us, Eddie. Made a lot of contacts. But two things you'd better realise. One: a salesman who doesn't sell is a liability. Two: don't charge your private life to our account." Salesman Edie Cameron experiences setbacks in his work and personal life.
In the follow-up to Graham Reid’s trilogy of ‘Billy’ plays, Billy's sister Lorna Martin is left to care for their Uncle Andy. Lorna feels trapped, but Andy wishes to give her the freedom she desires.
Also Directed by Dennis Vance
The program, deftly taped on a studio sountstage simulating the cobbled streets, stately, facadest colorful produce and quaint shops of the Drury Lane Theater, area in London, is linked to the atmosphere and history of the famous old showcase. Miss Andrews and the two Americans cavort in some very funny slapstick, including a “Cinderella” take‐off of traditional English pantomime. Even a tender, dramatic vignette, with Miss Andrews and Mr. Van Dyke in a fogshrouded meeting during World War II, Works appealingly. The songs flow almost continuously, enhanced by the muscular leaping of the Paddy Stone Dancers, clad as Covent Garden street workers. The ensemble finale is dandy, with a cavalcade of excerpts of songs from American hits at the Drury Lane, from “Rose Marie” to “Hello, Dolly!” Miss Andrews sings as beautifully as ever. Blake Edwards produced, Dennis Vance directed, and Marty Farrell, Frank Waldman and Dick Hills wrote the program.
Van der Valk is a British television series that was produced by Thames Television for the ITV network. It starred Barry Foster in the title role as Dutch detective Commissaris "Piet" van der Valk. Based on the characters and atmosphere of the novels of Nicolas Freeling, the first series was shown in 1972.
The Avengers is a British television series created in the 1960s. The Avengers initially focused on Dr. David Keel and his assistant John Steed. Hendry left after the first series and Steed became the main character, partnered with a succession of assistants. Steed's most famous assistants were intelligent, stylish and assertive women: Cathy Gale, Emma Peel, and later Tara King. Later episodes increasingly incorporated elements of science fiction and fantasy, parody and British eccentricity.
A forgotten and aging actress tries to recapture her youth through her actress daughter's life. Her husband understands what is going on but invariably blames the daughter for his wife's disappointments.
Ghost Squad, known as G.S.5 for its third series, was a crime drama series about an elite division of Scotland Yard that ran between 1961 and 1964. Each episode the Ghost Squad would investigate cases that fell outside the scope of normal police work. Despite the show and characters being fictional, an actual division did exist within the Metropolitan Police Service at the time. Inspiration for the series was taken from a book of the same name, written by John Gosling — a retired police officer and former member of the team. Although the real-life squad only operated in London, the fictionalised team travelled internationally; however — as was typical of the time — most foreign locations were actually a combination of stock footage and sets at Independent Artists Studio at Beaconsfield and Elstree Studios. Music was by Philip Green. The show was produced by ITC Entertainment, along with Rank Organisation TV and ATV. It was the first ITC show filmed to fit the one hour time-slot — setting the trend for the majority of ITC's future output. Another common ITC trait was to feature an American, in this case Michael Quinn, in a leading role so as to increase the chances of international sales. At 6' 3", Quinn often towered over his co-workers. This was especially noticeable in the first series title sequence showing him walking through a crowd walking in the opposite direction. He frequently smoked in the show as did many others. The second series had a different title sequence and Neil Hallett sometimes replaced Quinn. Hallett looked more like a spy while Quinn looked a bit like a playboy. Quinn was replaced by Australian actor, Ray Barrett in the third series. Ray Austin played Billy Clay in and was also Stunt Director on all series bringing the action to life. Austin went on to become a renowned TV director in Hollywood and the UK.
The Count of Monte Cristo was a 1956 ITC Entertainment/TPA television series adapted very loosely from the novel by Alexandre Dumas, adapted by Sidney Marshall. It premiered in the UK in early 1956 and ran for 39 thirty-minute episodes. The first twelve episodes were filmed in the United States, at the Hal Roach studios, with the rest being filmed at ITC's traditional home of Elstree. A 5-disc DVD set containing all thirty-nine episodes was released by Network Studio on 12 April 2010. ITC produced a film based on the same source-material, The Count of Monte-Cristo, in 1975.
The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes is a British television series
The Misfit was an ATV sitcom series written by Roy Clarke and was broadcast from 1970 to 1971 on ITV.
A horror drama directed by Dennis Vance.
Special Branch is a British television. A police drama series, the action was centred on members of the Special Branch anti-espionage and anti-terrorist department of the London Metropolitan Police.