63-589: This is a list of all The Professionals episodes, which comprises the following cast members: Gordon Jackson (George Cowley), Martin Shaw (Ray Doyle) and Lewis Collins (William Bodie). Since the deaths of Gordon Jackson and Lewis Collins in 1990 and 2013 respectively, Martin Shaw is the only surviving regular cast member of the show. The Professionals was produced by Brian Clemens 's Avengers Mark 1 Productions for London Weekend Television (LWT) in five production blocks. These episodes were originally broadcast on
126-462: A .357 Magnum Smith & Wesson Model 19 snub-nose revolver and Doyle often carried a 9 mm Walther P38 as their personal sidearms. George Cowley carried a .38 calibre Smith & Wesson Model 36 snub nose revolver. The "A180 Laser Lock" sniper rifle (from Series 2, Episode 1; "Hunter/Hunted") was an AR-10 with a sight bracket on the carrying handle and a large laser projector under the barrel. A converted Thompson M1928 50-round drum mounted on
189-483: A Chrysler Alpine . He can be seen pulling out without fully checking the traffic flow, directly in front of an approaching Volkswagen Beetle . Some quarters of the British press seized on these aspects to insist that the programme was moronic and "comic-strip". However, reaction from other critics, including The Times and The Daily Telegraph newspapers, was more favourable. The first series episode "Klansmen"
252-681: A Ford Escort RS2000 (1978–79 episodes, driven by Doyle) and the Ford Cortina , particularly the Mark V (TF) model, were occasionally seen. However, in the first (1977) series, the cars used were mainly those of British Leyland , including a Rover SD1 , a Rover P6 , a Princess , a Triumph 2000 , a Triumph Dolomite Sprint and a Triumph TR7 . The SD1, a turmeric yellow 3500, bore the registration MOO 229R; in The New Avengers John Steed drove an identical-looking car with
315-473: A James Bond style. However, the show was not a ratings success and only ran for one series. It did not transfer to terrestrial television in the UK. In the popular TV comedy series The Two Ronnies , Ronnie Corbett played a bungling version of Martin Shaw 's Doyle in a sketch called Tinker Tailor Smiley Doyle (Series 11; broadcast February 1985 – March 1985). This was a joint send-up of The Professionals and
378-555: A CI5 ID card. The programme and its characters were repeatedly referenced in the third series of Ashes to Ashes , which took place in 1983. DCI Gene Hunt tells DI Alex Drake , "We're a team: Bodie and Doyle. I'm the one in the SAS; you can be the one with the girl's hair." DC Chris Skelton , with sunglasses and a sawn-off shotgun in front of PC Sharon Granger , similarly likens himself to Lewis Collins; Granger ultimately tells Skelton she loves him, not Lewis Collins. Since it
441-548: A Doyle and Bodie parody complete with Ford Capri. In 1996 Nissan cars ran a popular comedy spoof TV advertisement based on the series, featuring Phil Cornwell playing Doyle and Ray Trickett playing Bodie, testing out its new release, the Nissan Almera . In Series 1, Episode 2 of Harry Hill's TV Burp , Harry in a sketch parodying The Bill is dressed as a Police Officer and Superintendent Okaro and DC Carver find something suspicious about him and search him and find
504-404: A car before putting down a car phone in the back seat. We then see the green title card with CI5 written in big, black, stencil-style letters, "The Professionals" written in white over it and three yellow squares on the right-hand side, each containing a silhouette of one of the three principal actors. It then zooms in on the top square and we see various shots of Gordon Jackson, followed by a pan to
567-462: A case of water intoxication in 2003. The condition, also known as hyponatraemia ("low blood sodium"), occurs when sodium ions in the body are diluted so far that nerves are unable to function properly. The condition has symptoms similar to those of dehydration, such as headaches, nausea and cramps. While performing as Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady , Andrews consumed up to eight litres of water
630-399: A close-up shot of a computer terminal keyboard, and various shots of Martin Shaw running through an oil refinery and wielding a kendo stick. It then cuts to shots of Lewis Collins walking down a street, weightlifting, and using a punching bag, before cutting to a car driving through a dimly lit tunnel; Gordon Jackson walking out of a government building ( 10 Trinity Square , City of London); and
693-422: A deep and enduring friendship, and are almost inseparable. Although their loyalty to Cowley is beyond question, they have no qualms about disobeying orders if it means getting the right result, either for the case or themselves. Initially, Anthony Andrews was contracted to play Bodie, but he and Shaw did not have the chemistry that Clemens was looking for. As Shaw was deemed to have more "screen presence", Andrews
SECTION 10
#1732772196641756-407: A fictional government agency CI5 (Civilian Intelligence department 5 as opposed to MI5 , Military Intelligence). The original group of three men (Doyle, Bodie and their boss Cowley) were replaced by a new group of three men and a woman: The team were responsible to a minister, played by Charlotte Cornwell . In a similar manner to the original series the show included action sequences, often in
819-409: A general overview of ITV's history; LWT, which produced the series, repeated a selection of episodes from the series in the early 1990s, although was the only region to do so. It was not until 2008 that the series gained a re-run on ITV4 . The Professionals has also been regularly shown on cable TV. The entire series was regularly screened on the now-defunct Granada Plus channel from 1997, where it
882-417: A good team." The first Professionals episode was produced later the same year. Clemens intended to write two or three establishing episodes and then hand over to other writers, but their scripts were uneven and lacked the energy and pace needed. Clemens re-wrote nearly ten scripts for the first series episodes and took a direct hands-on approach to the filming. In later series, with the format established and
945-539: A series of jobs that included catering, farming and journalism, he secured a position at the Chichester Theatre , where he worked as an assistant stage manager and later as a stand-in producer. In 1968, he auditioned for a production of Alan Bennett 's new play, Forty Years On , which featured John Gielgud as the headmaster of a British public school during the First World War period. Andrews
1008-469: A silver version (1978–1981 episodes), Doyle a gold (1980–81 episodes), in the first season a silver Mk II with a black vinyl roof and a Series X bodykit was also briefly used, the first two cars mentioned still exist and were saved from being scrapped, and were restored in the 1990s, but the existence of the silver Mk II driven by Bodie is still uncertain and debated. Cowley used a latest model Ford Granada (1978–1981 Ghia model) while other Ford models such as
1071-716: A spoof entitled The Bullshitters , featuring two characters called Bonehead and Foyle in an episode called "Roll Out the Gun Barrel". Bonehead and Foyle returned to TV screens in 1993 in The Comic Strip one-off Detectives on the Edge of a Nervous Breakdown alongside 'Shouting George from The Weeny' (Jack Regan from The Sweeney ), 'Spanker' ( Spender ) and 'Jason Bentley' ( Department S ' s Jason King ). Peter Jackson 's 1987 film, Bad Taste , featured Astro Investigation and Defence Service employees "the boys",
1134-479: 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" (Criminal Intelligence 5, alluding to the real-life MI5 and CID ). The Professionals
1197-494: Is an English actor. He played Lord Sebastian Flyte in the ITV miniseries Brideshead Revisited (1981), for which he won Golden Globe and BAFTA television awards, and was nominated for an Emmy . His other lead roles include Operation Daybreak (1975), Danger UXB (1979), Ivanhoe (1982) and The Scarlet Pimpernel (1982), and he played UK Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin in The King's Speech (2010). Andrews
1260-451: Is an ex– detective constable who has worked the seedier parts of London, while Bodie is an ex- paratrooper , mercenary and SAS sergeant. Of the two, Doyle is the softer, compassionate and more thoughtful character, while Bodie is ruthless and more willing to take on criminals on their own terms. That said, Doyle is more hot-headed and tends to rush in, while Bodie waits for the shooting to start. While polar opposites, Bodie and Doyle have
1323-563: Is not afraid to clash with leaders of other services like Special Branch and MI5 , or to speak his mind, being insolent even towards superiors, one of whom looked upon Cowley as "Not a Very Civil Civil Servant ". Cowley's favourite drink is single malt Scotch whisky . Raymond Doyle (Martin Shaw) (born c. 1949), a former police detective constable who originated in Derby but later lived in an unspecified "city" with parallels to Birmingham . He
SECTION 20
#17327721966411386-540: The Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy TV drama, with Ronnie Barker playing George Smiley along the lines of Alec Guinness ' portrayal in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy . Corbett's Doyle provides the brawn to the brains of Barker's Smiley and actually comes out the worse. The sketch guest-starred Frank Williams from Dad's Army . In 1984 some of the team behind The Comic Strip TV series produced
1449-545: The Cold War . Led by George Cowley ( Gordon Jackson ), CI5 is known for using unconventional and sometimes illegal methods to beat criminals, or as Cowley put it, "Fight fire with fire!" The use of a fictitious force in this context was somewhat less controversial than the portrayal of the real Flying Squad in The Sweeney . Cowley's two best agents are Ray Doyle ( Martin Shaw ) and William Bodie ( Lewis Collins ). Doyle
1512-555: The Home Secretary to use any means to deal with crimes of a serious nature that go beyond the capacity of the police, but which are not tasks for the Security Service or the military. The choice of CI5's name is inspired by CID and MI5 . The premise allowed the programme makers to involve a wide variety of villains, including terrorists, hitmen, hate groups and espionage suspects, with plots sometimes relating to
1575-525: The Hungerford shooting incident the particular episode that was to be aired, "Lawson's Last Stand", had a theme that was deemed insensitive and was replaced by the less violent "The Untouchables". After the series ended, ITV produced Dempsey and Makepeace as its replacement, while Raymond Menmuir produced Special Squad for Australia's Network Ten in the mid-1980s, following The Professionals ' format. A revival series, CI5: The New Professionals
1638-625: The ITV network in a series of five scheduling runs. The transmission order of the episodes in these series was often different from the production order, but given that each episode was typically a self-contained story with no references to other episodes, this had little significance for viewers. Whilst earlier DVD releases tended to group the episodes in original ITV transmission order, Network's DVD & Blu-ray editions used production order. *Transmitted on former UK satellite channel Super in 1987, and currently on Amazon Prime UK and BritBox UK The Professionals (TV series) The Professionals
1701-740: The Spanish Civil War for the POUM on the Republican side, where he was shot in the leg in 1937; this left him with a painful limp. Cowley served as an officer in the British Army, where he attained the rank of major . He then worked in the secret services including MI5, before being seconded to CI5 to form and manage the team. He is a confident and very experienced man, able to defend himself against physical and high-level political attacks. With many contacts and friends in high places, he
1764-432: The British press. However, Shaw eventually agreed to UK satellite screenings; although, according to a Radio Times interview, he did so only after being discreetly made aware that Gordon Jackson's widow, actress Rona Anderson (who guested in "Cry Wolf"), was suffering financial difficulties after her husband's death and needed the repeat fees. Episodes were shown on terrestrial TV as part of special occasions, such as
1827-471: The Rolls-Royce enters and goes through the industrial estate, the title "The Professionals" appears on screen. Cowley, Bodie and Doyle get out of the vehicle and Bodie and Doyle then go through an assault course while being timed on a stopwatch by Cowley. It ends with them going through set windows and a close up of the stopwatch being stopped and Cowley standing by the car motioning them to get in. Just as
1890-679: The United Kingdom in 1979 on the ITV network. His subsequent work includes the leading role of Lord Sebastian Flyte in Brideshead Revisited (1981). In 1982, he won a Golden Globe and BAFTA TV Award for his performance and was nominated for an Emmy Award . In the United States, Andrews is best known for his portrayal of the titular character in the television film Ivanhoe as well as that of Sir Percy Blakeney in
1953-469: The chemistry between Andrews and Martin Shaw ( Doyle ) did not work and that "the pair did not have the required undercurrent of menace to carry off the concept". Lewis Collins replaced Andrews in the part. Following that, in 1979, Andrews was the main star of the ITV television series Danger UXB , in which he played a British bomb disposal officer in the London Blitz . The series first aired in
List of The Professionals episodes - Misplaced Pages Continue
2016-569: The episode remained unsuitable for British television viewers, it continued to be licensed to broadcasters in other countries. The show was also criticised for political incorrectness . Mary Whitehouse , President of the National Viewers' and Listeners' Association , was among those who highlighted the occasional use of sexist and racist terms. As an example, in the closing credits of the episode "Stake Out" two supporting actors are identified as "Attractive Blonde" and "Handsome Negro". At
2079-771: The film The Scarlet Pimpernel (both 1982). At the National Theatre in London he was in Coming in to Land (1986/1987) by Stephen Poliakoff alongside Dame Maggie Smith . He also played Professor Higgins in a stage version of My Fair Lady (2003), and Count Fosco in Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Woman in White (2005). He was the narrator for a 21st anniversary BBC Radio 2 special broadcast of Cameron Mackintosh 's musical Les Misérables , sung by
2142-401: The final series was broadcast from November 1982 until February 1983, no episodes were filmed after May 1981. Major George Cowley ( Gordon Jackson ) (born c. 1916) – Nicknamed "Morris" after the car of the same name. His operatives sometimes call him "The Cow", though not to his face. Founder and head of CI5, making him Bodie and Doyle's boss. As a young man, he was a socialist volunteer in
2205-401: The number MOC 229P. The producers of The Professionals DVDs have speculated that these may in fact have been one and the same car. However, reliability problems with the cars and British Leyland requiring them back to give to the motoring press was causing disruption to filming. Midway through the first series, the supplier was then switched to Ford after they offered to provide vehicles for
2268-468: The production crew as well as for on-screen use. The first Ford to be prominent was a black 1600 Capri used by another CI5 agent, Tommy MacKay. Many of the episodes featured a car chase, a role for which the Capri, at least in terms of its market positioning, was particularly well-suited. The grey Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow chassis no. SRH 2971, known as the most filmed individual Rolls-Royce ever in history,
2331-432: The remainder were dubbed by Alois Švehlík . The whole series was broadcast after 1994 on TV Nova . Petr Oliva continued to dub Bodie but Doyle was dubbed by Karel Heřmánek and Cowley by Otakar Brousek Sr. , since Adamíra had died. In Spain, the series The Professionals was broadcast for La 2 of Televisión Española from March 1978. From 1978 to 1982 Sphere Books released fifteen paperback novels to accompany
2394-490: The rescue. He is also more inclined to seek long-lasting relationships with women, and in one episode nearly married. Like Bodie he enjoyed football, but was a good cook and enjoyed a healthier lifestyle. Doyle's bubble perm hairstyle and 1970s dress sense were chosen by Martin Shaw and his wife. In the episode "Hunter/Hunted", he is shown to live on Cliff Road in Camden . William Andrew Philip Bodie (Lewis Collins) (born c. 1950)
2457-467: The scenes where Doyle was driving. Shaw in particular, was known within the production team to be fairly inept with the cars. He was far too heavy on the brakes and throttle, regularly kerbed the cars, and often over-steered himself into trouble. This can be seen in many episodes. In the episode "Weekend in the Country", Gordon Jackson can be seen pulling away from a stationary position at the roadside, in
2520-417: The series. These adapted 38 of the show's 57 episodes. Seven were also published in hardcover editions: Nos. 1, 2, 5, 6 and 15 by Severn House and 3 and 4 by Arthur Barker. ‡ All the paperback novelisations published by Sphere Books were credited to the pen name "Ken Blake". The majority were actually adapted from the original episode shooting scripts by science fiction author Kenneth Bulmer , although
2583-444: The stars had to be chauffeured when travelling to filming sets. In his last interview about the series, Brian Clemens laughed off the actors' claims about "doing their own stunts" in the cars. He said that they had been taught "little more" than how to execute a handbrake turn . The British stuntman and stunt co-ordinator Peter Brayham did most of the precision driving, and with his dark curly hair, often stood in for Martin Shaw during
List of The Professionals episodes - Misplaced Pages Continue
2646-466: The theme tune ends, they get in the car and it drives off. The first two broadcast episodes of the series – "Private Madness, Public Danger" and "The Female Factor" – feature a voiceover by Cowley over the top of the title sequence but this was removed from the third episode ("Old Dog with New Tricks") onwards. When the first series has been repeated, all episodes (bar "When the Heat Cools Off" and
2709-667: The then West End cast at the Mermaid Theatre in London on Sunday 8 October 2006. Andrews appeared as Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin in the film The King's Speech (2010), for which he and his castmates won a 2011 Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture . Andrews met actress Georgina Simpson of the Simpsons of Piccadilly department store family and they were married on 1 December 1971. They have three children. Andrews survived
2772-501: The three of them walking down the street away from that building and towards the camera. Although depictions of actual bloodshed were scarce, the series was often criticised for its level of violence, with shootings, martial arts and asphyxiation a common means of assassination. To help maximise the on-screen action, Martin Shaw and Lewis Collins were taught stunt driving skills and encouraged to propel their respective cars through streets as rapidly as possible, although LWT insisted that
2835-503: The time such dialogue or descriptions were not seen as being disparaging towards minority groups. However, in the late 1980s and early 1990s the series was criticised by feminist groups. Yet, with the exception of "Klansmen", for which racist terms were a necessary part of the story, use of such terms in The Professionals was scarce in comparison to, for example, the 1970s police television programme The Sweeney . Martin Shaw
2898-408: The top of the barrel, supposedly the ammo supply, hid the battery pack. It was memorable as one of the first uses of a laser sight in visual media after the use of a similar weapon in the episode "Nightmare" in series 4 of The Sweeney . The opening credits for the first series (broadcast 1977–78) starts with a Rolls-Royce speeding onto and through an industrial estate before skidding to a stop. As
2961-492: The usually unscreened "Klansmen") are shown using the more familiar title sequence employed for the second series onwards. This means that the Cowley voiceover is never married to the correct visuals on the repeat broadcasts of the episodes featuring it. For the remaining series the opening titles started with a car driving through a tinted window before cutting to various shots of the main characters running and Cowley getting into
3024-489: The volumes marked † where adapted by fantasy author Robert Holdstock . Five of the seven hardcover editions were credited to Kenneth Bulmer. This included, presumably erroneously, the 15th novel. The two Arthur Barker hardbacks were credited to Ken Blake. From 1979 to 1985 Grandreams Ltd published seven annuals to accompany the series. Anthony Andrews Anthony Colin Gerald Andrews (born 12 January 1948)
3087-408: The writers and directors familiar with the show, he took a more leisurely approach behind the scenes. The early years of the show featured varied plots, good scripts and ongoing character development of Bodie and Doyle and to a lesser extent Cowley, but later series featured increasingly overused ideas and script devices, and both Collins and Shaw stated they felt the show was becoming stale. Although
3150-584: Was a former paratrooper and Special Air Service (SAS) soldier. After leaving school aged 14, he joined the Merchant Navy and eventually ended up in Africa as a mercenary fighting bush wars. Noticed by Cowley during his SAS career, he was asked to join CI5 in 1975. Keen on parties, and a ladies' man, Bodie had a witty comment ready for almost every occasion. He was more immediately approachable than Doyle, and
3213-782: Was born in London , the son of Geraldine Agnes (née Cooper), a dancer, and Stanley Thomas Andrews, an arranger and conductor for the BBC . He grew up in North Finchley , London. At the age of eight, he took dancing lessons, making his stage debut as the White Rabbit in a stage adaptation of Lewis Carroll 's Alice in Wonderland . He attended the Royal Masonic School for Boys in Bushey , Hertfordshire . After
SECTION 50
#17327721966413276-544: Was cast as Skinner, one of twenty schoolboys. In 1974 he played Lord Robert, Marquis of Stockbridge in the TV series Upstairs, Downstairs . In 1975 he had a leading role in the Spanish film Las adolescentes (The Adolescents), opposite Koo Stark . In June 1977, he was cast in the role of Bodie in the ITV series The Professionals . However, after three days of filming, the creator and producer Brian Clemens believed that
3339-432: Was consistently the channel's highest-rated show, initially achieving close to one million viewers. The episodes shown were heavily edited to make them suitable for daytime viewing and it is these same prints that are being used for transmission on ITV4. Neither station screened the "Klansmen" episode, stating that London Weekend Television continued to forbid its transmission. In 1987, ITV was re-running some episodes. After
3402-450: Was created by Brian Clemens , who had been one of the driving forces behind The Avengers . The show was originally to have been called The A-Squad . Clemens and Albert Fennell were executive producers, with business partner Laurie Johnson providing the theme music. Sidney Hayers produced the first series in 1977, and Raymond Menmuir the remainder. Criminal Intelligence 5 (CI5) is a British law enforcement department, instructed by
3465-529: Was dropped, Clemens hiring Collins in his place. Shaw and Collins had played villains in a 1977 episode of The New Avengers ("Obsession") together, and reportedly had not got on with each other. Ironically, since this was the reason Collins was brought into the production, he and Shaw became friends off-screen, although they managed to keep up the on-screen chemistry and abrasiveness of Bodie and Doyle's relationship. The Collins character in "Obsession" signed off by saying "Maybe we should work together again. We're
3528-603: Was first broadcast in West Germany in 1981, the show ( Die Profis ) has become a cult there. During its broadcast run, the public television service ZDF , due to concerns over politics and violence, did not air all episodes of the programme, so The Professionals became one of the first TV shows ever to be released on VHS in Germany in the 1980s. However, only the unaired episodes were released on tape. In all, fourteen episodes were withdrawn from broadcast. The Professionals
3591-521: Was generally relaxed and confident, although tending to hide his intelligence behind his hardman image. Specialising in weaponry, martial arts and advanced driving, Bodie was the muscle of the three leads. He enjoyed football, cricket, drinking and English literature. The best-known car used by CI5 was the Ford Capri 3.0 S (primarily the Mark III model and one Mk II). Two were used: Bodie drove
3654-452: Was one of a few series from the West broadcast in communist Czechoslovakia in the 1980s. It gained a cult following there very quickly. Originally, only a selection of 21 of the 57 episodes was bought, including Klansmen . The first dubbed episode "When the Heat Cools Off" was spoken by Petr Oliva (Bodie), Martin Štěpánek (Doyle) and Jiří Adamíra (Cowley). Štěpánek soon emigrated so
3717-434: Was part of the cars supplied by Kingsbury Motors Ltd. This particular car was seen in at least five episodes. It's not a toy, Bodie. Bodie and Doyle originally carried 9 mm L9A1 Browning pistols as their standard service sidearms for the first two series. They were issued .44 Magnum Smith & Wesson Model 29 revolvers when on bodyguard duties (as seen in the episode "Mixed Doubles"). In later series Bodie carried
3780-447: Was produced for Sky in the late 1990s and starred Edward Woodward , but it was not a success. The BBC introduced Spender in the early 1990s, which featured several Professionals influenced themes. CI5: The New Professionals was a crime drama that aired on the Sky 1 satellite channel from 19 September to 19 December 1999. An updating of the original show, the series is set in
3843-479: Was publicly critical of the series during its production, feeling that he was playing a one-dimensional character in a one-dimensional show. Several years after the series ended London Weekend Television was contractually obliged to re-negotiate repeat fees with the lead actors. Unwilling to accede to Shaw's demands, plans for further repeat screenings on the ITV network had to be withdrawn, leading to Lewis Collins expressing his frustration toward Shaw in an interview for
SECTION 60
#17327721966413906-532: Was withdrawn in the UK, ostensibly due to its race-related subject matter. The episode has never been screened on terrestrial television in the UK, although it did screen uncut on the cable television channel Super-channel in 1987, and has been screened in other countries including South Africa , New Zealand , Australia , Argentina and the Philippines . In 2020 the episode was available to stream on Amazon Prime. LWT refused to explain its view that while
3969-441: Was working the seedier parts of east London when recruited into CI5. He took art classes, and appears to be musically inclined as well. An expert shot with a pistol, he also ran a karate class for the children on his beat. He was recruited by Cowley, and was made Bodie's partner shortly afterwards. Doyle is extremely intelligent and thoughtful but is also quick to anger, and his tendency to rush in often leaves Bodie having to race to
#640359