The Sandbaggers

The Sandbaggers is a British spy thriller television series created by Ian Mackintosh, about men and women on the front lines of the Cold War. Set contemporaneously with its original broadcast on ITV from 1978 to 1980, The Sandbaggers examines the effect of espionage on the personal and professional lives of British intelligence officers and their American colleagues. All but three of the 20 episodes of the three series were written by Mackintosh, who died during the recording of series three. The series was produced in Leeds by Yorkshire Television.
Neil Burnside (Roy Marsden) is director of operations (D/Ops) in Britain's Secret Intelligence Service (SIS). Although commonly known as MI6 among the general public, the service is only ever referred to as SIS in the series to reflect the ethos of realism and factual accuracy employed in the writing.
The series follows Burnside as he oversees a small, elite group of intelligence officers, the Special Operations Section, nicknamed "Sandbaggers", composed of highly trained operatives whose missions tend to be politically sensitive or especially vital, such as escorting defectors across borders (or preventing defections from the UK), carrying out assassinations, or rescuing operatives from behind the Iron Curtain.
Several episodes revolve around Burnside's frustration at trying to operate his directorate in the face of budget cuts and what he believes to be unwarranted bureaucratic or political interference.
One of the themes running through the series is the relationship between SIS and America's Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the UK-USA Agreement. Burnside goes to great lengths to preserve the agreement and the so-called "special relationship", most notably in the episode of the same name (1-07).
The Sandbaggers was created by Ian Mackintosh, a Scottish former naval officer turned television writer, who had previously achieved success with the acclaimed BBC television series Warship. He wrote all the episodes of the first two series of The Sandbaggers, but in July 1979, during the shooting of the third series, he and his girlfriend—a British Airways stewardess—were declared lost at sea after their single-engine aircraft went missing over the Pacific Ocean near Alaska, following a radioed call for help. Some of the details surrounding their disappearance have caused speculation about what actually occurred, including their stop at an abandoned United States Air Force base and the fact that the plane happened to crash in the one small area that was not covered by either US or Soviet radar.
Mackintosh disappeared after he had written just four of the scripts for the third series, so other writers were called in to bring the episode count up to seven. The Sandbaggers ends on an unresolved cliff hanger because the producers decided that no one else could write the series as well as Mackintosh had and chose not to continue it in his absence. Ray Lonnen, who played Sandbagger Willie Caine, indicated in correspondence with fans that there were plans for a follow-up season in which his character, using a wheelchair, had taken over Burnside's role as Director of Special Operations.
Because of the atmosphere of authenticity that the scripts evoked and the liberal use of "spook" jargon, there has been speculation that Mackintosh might have been a former operative of SIS or had, at least, contact with the espionage community. This has extended to speculation that his disappearance was no accident or had to do with a secret mission he was undertaking. There is a possibility that Mackintosh may have been involved in intelligence operations during his time in the Royal Navy, but no conclusive evidence has surfaced. When asked, Mackintosh himself was always coy about whether he had been a spy.
Whether or not Mackintosh had any experience in the world of espionage, the organisational structure of SIS depicted in The Sandbaggers is probably closer to that of the CIA than that of the SIS. There is no formal section of the SIS known as the Special Operations Section, as far as is publicly known, and there is no intelligence unit known as the Sandbaggers. However, the departures from accuracy in the show may have been deliberate, in order to avoid problems with the SIS under the Official Secrets Act. Ray Lonnen mentioned in an interview that one episode in the second series was vetoed because it dealt with sensitive information, which explains why the second series has only six episodes.
The series takes a realistic, unvarnished, and occasionally bleak look at espionage. The Sandbaggers undercut many of the accepted conventions of the spy thriller genre, in direct contrast to the "girls, guns, and gadgets" of James Bond. Indeed the characters often explicitly disparage the fictitious world of James Bond and the romanticised view of espionage. As Burnside puts it in episode 1.01 "First Principles":
The Sandbaggers features ordinary people doing extraordinary work. The scripts are laced with black humour, depicting the high emotional toll taken on espionage professionals who operate in a world of moral ambiguity. There are very few action sequences, and the equipment available to the operatives is standard and often outdated. Burnside is a harried spymaster who doesn't drink; Willie Caine is an intelligence officer not a "super spy", who abhors guns and violence, and is paid a basic civil servant's salary.
The plots are complex, multi-layered, and unpredictable: regular characters are killed off abruptly, and surprise twists abound. Episodes consist of a series of conversations, but the dialogue is intelligent and frequently witty. In a typical episode, Burnside moves from office to office speaking (and arguing) with his colleagues across Whitehall and in the intelligence community. These are interspersed with scenes of the Sandbaggers operating in the field, or of the "Ops Room", where missions are coordinated and controlled.
The title theme music, composed by jazz pianist Roy Budd, establishes its rhythmic undertone with the cimbalom, an instrument often associated with spy thrillers (John Barry, for example, used the cimbalom in his scores for The Ipcress File and The Quiller Memorandum). From series 2 onwards, the theme contains an additional organ playing the same melody line. This version (or 'mix') was also used in the opening titles of episode 2 and episode 7 of series 1).
Unusually for an episodic drama, The Sandbaggers is almost entirely devoid of incidental music. One notable exception is the last episode of series 1 (episode 7) where Burnside's feelings get the better of him for reasons the audience (by then) fully understand.
Most exterior filming was done in Leeds and the surrounding Yorkshire countryside. The producers successfully used the modernist and brutalist architecture available in Leeds and Yorkshire to create convincing vignettes of eastern bloc locations, but much of this has been redeveloped, reclad or demolished in recent years. Additional exteriors were filmed on location in London and Malta, otherwise the series uses stock footage and set-up shots of foreign locations. With the exception of a very few interior locations, most of the interiors were standing sets, shot on videotape, at Yorkshire Television's studios on Kirkstall Road, Leeds. The contrast between the studio work and the location work on 16mm film is clear to see on screen.
The series uses several regular London locations to set the scene, most notably in and around Westminster. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office on Whitehall and the adjacent King Charles Street appear regularly, and this is where the statue of Robert Clive is sited, looking out into St James's Park. The Boyle Street entrance to 25 Savile Row in Mayfair was used as SIS headquarters and despite some superficial changes it is still recognisable today. The former US Embassy on Grosvenor Square in Mayfair is the location of Jeff Ross's office (and is now a hotel).
Episode-specific locations
1-01 "First Principles". The Norwegian Embassy is at 25 Belgrave Square, London. Torvik and Burnside meet at Park Square, Leeds. Ross and Burnside meet by the Roosevelt memorial on Grosvenor Square, London. The crash site and tundra of the Kola Peninsula were filmed up on Ilkley Moor. The Oslo airport interior was filmed in Leeds Bradford Airport (now completely remodelled).
1-02 "A Proper Function of Government". Burnside's apartment block is at Frobisher House off Dolphin Square in Pimlico. Burnside leaves his flat, walks south onto Grosvenor Road, turns right onto St George’s Square and walks north to Lupus Street, and waits to catch the number 24 bus to Westminster at the stop opposite 15 St George’s Square. In Vienna, Caine intercepts Hopkins in a park in Yorkshire (location tbc). Wellingham and Burnside walk north along Victoria Embankment next to Westminster Pier.
1-03 "Is Your Journey Really Necessary?". Burnside confronts Sally Graham by the orangery in Holland Park gardens in London.
1-04 "The Most Suitable Person". Colin Grove is seen walking along Devonshire Place in London, close to Harley Street. The SIS field school was filmed at Creskeld Hall in Arthington, north Leeds. Ross and Burnside meet for a "late lunch" at the Italian Garden, Kensington Gardens. Later, Ross and Burnside walk through the rose garden and past a sculpture of Pan at the Sheffield Botanical Gardens, before emerging at Waterloo lake in Roundhay Park, Leeds. In Gibraltar, Caine is pursued by a white Mercedes down Waterside in Knaresborough, from the junction with Water Bag Bank, past the Old Manor House painted like a chessboard, and down towards the viaduct.
1-05 "Always Glad to Help". The episode opens with set-up shots of the north entrance to the Ministry of Defence (MoD) main building on Horse Guards Avenue, Westminster. Hamad takes Dickens bowling at Humber Bowl in the Merrion Centre, on Merrion Way, Leeds (now called Tenpin Leeds).
1-06 "A Feasible Solution". In Cyprus, Caine and Ferris are ambushed on a dirt road, filmed at Caley Crags on the Otley Chevin, north of Leeds. Ross and Burnside meet on Trafalgar Square, London.
1-07 "Special Relationship". Mittag's apartment in East Berlin was filmed at the old Quarry Hill housing complex in Leeds (demolished, 1978). After lunch Burnside and Dickens take a walk through the Hyde Park area of Woodhouse Moor, Leeds. Ross tells Burnside the mission is "go" on Cavendish Street at the south entrance to the Parkinson Building on the Leeds University campus. Burnside is brought to tears on the south west steps of Lambeth Bridge, Westminster, in front of Thames House.
2-01 "At All Costs". Burnside smokes a cigarette on the south west steps of Lambeth Bridge, Westminster, in front of Thames House. Burnside and Ross have their "10:20 meeting" in the McDonalds at 155 Victoria Street, London, which is still there. The entrance has moved and the interior redecorated, but you can still sit at their usual table. In Sofia, Burnside and Caine swap TWA bags with Ross on a bench outside the biology department in zone 1, campus west of York University. The bench is directly opposite the biology greenhouses with the "Eric Milner-White A block" of student accommodation across the lake.
2-02, "Enough of Ghosts." The episode features set-up shots and stock footage of Brussels, including the Brussels Hilton. The scene where Wellingham gets into the limo was shot in Yorkshire (location tbc). Ross and Burnside discuss Wellingham's safe outside the old War Office building at 57 Whitehall (now a hotel). The interiors and exteriors of the farm house where Wellingham does his paperwork, and Caine and Wallace do some driving, were most likely filmed in flat lands of the Vale of York or Humberhead Levels (location tbc). Burnside has tea with Lady Wellingham at the "Parkway Tower" (location tbc). Caine and Lincke wait for the Brussels police on York Place, Leeds (the Hotel Metropole is clearly visible in the background). The police car pulls up outside Devonshire House at 37-38 York Place, and Boulin's base is on the first floor of the then semi-derelict 5 York Place (the interior windows match the exterior). After the raid, the police can be seen exiting the building through the right hand doorway which accesses the upper floors. The left door accesses the ground floor, which appears to be a construction site (it is currently a lap dancing club).
2-03 "Decision by Committee". In Sri Lanka, Caine and Milner's hotel is the carefully dressed Trust House Forte Hotel, in Bramhope, north Leeds (now a Britannia hotel). Burnside and Ross meet for a drink in the lounge on the top floor of the London Hilton on Park Lane. The runway exteriors (including the model 'Malaysian World' Boeing 707) were filmed at Leeds Bradford Airport (the control tower and Cookridge Tower can be seen in wide shots). The aeroplane interiors were shot on film so appear to have been filmed on location inside a real aircraft or in a cabin training fuselage. Burnside drives with C, in a Daimler, from Lambeth, across Westminster Bridge, to see Wellingham at the Foreign Office.
2-04 "A Question of Loyalty". In Warsaw, Wallace waits for Motika outside Leeds Polytechnic's Brunswick Building (demolished in 2009 to make way for the Leeds Arena); the top of Wade House at the Merrion Centre can be seen when he returns to his car. Motika's apartment was in the Hunslet Grange Flats, Leeds (demolished, 1983). In Sweden, Caine and Wallace walk beside the River Ouse just north of the Lendal Bridge in York, along what is now the 'Dame Judi Dench Walk'. Milner meets Burnside in the fog on the south west steps of Lambeth Bridge, Westminster, in front of Thames House. Litman waits for his meeting on the Blue Bridge in York, where the River Foss meets the Ouse.
2-05 "It Couldn't Happen Here". In West Virginia, Herron's house was filmed at Newton Kyme Hall, Tadcaster, north east of Leeds. Ross and Burnside have a McDonald's lunch in St James's Park opposite HM Treasury. In West Virginia, O'Shea and Caine drive past University House, the Refectory, and the Clothworkers' Building on Leeds University campus. Herron's funeral is held at the Saltaire United Reformed Church in Shipley, north Bradford. Burnside confronts Stratford-Baker in St James's Park (the Duke of York column is visible above the trees).
2-06 "Operation Kingmaker". Peele buys a suit from a Dunn & Co. store at 373 Strand, London (now closed). Burnside emerges from St James's Park and runs into Gibbs on the Clive steps outside the Foreign Office. Later Peele and Burnside, in a Daimler, are driven (from the Foreign Office) north along Horse Guards Road, left onto The Mall, right onto Marlborough Road, past St James's Palace, to meet Wellingham for lunch. Later, Burnside and Milner drive south down Bolton Street, turn right onto Piccadilly and head towards Knightsbridge via the Hyde Park Corner road underpass.
3-01 "All In a Good Cause". D'Arcy and Burnside stroll along Carlton House Terrace in London, past the Royal Society, turn right down the steps at the Duke of York column, cross The Mall and walk into St James's Park.
3-02 "To Hell with Justice". This episode features extensive exterior and interior location filming in Malta. Tyler stays at the Excelsior Hotel (now the Grand Excelsior) in Floriana. Tyler and Burnside talk at the Upper Barrakka Gardens.
3-03 "Unusual Approach". In Rhodes, Burnside, Peel, and Wellingham stay at the Villa Messina in Rabat, Malta (now a care home). In Russia, Wallace's arrival at Krasnodar airport was filmed on the Leeds University campus in the section of the "red route" corridor linking the EC Stoner Building to the Mathematics and Earth Sciences Building. The Roger Stevens Building is visible through the window behind. A few shots of the control tower at Leeds Bradford airport cement the illusion.
3-04 "My Name is Anna Wiseman". In Brussels, Anna's apartment was filmed at the Granby Hotel, Harrogate (now a care home). Caine climbs the stairs of the Merrion Centre multi-storey car park on Merrion Way, Leeds (refurbished, 2013), to collect a letter from a VW Beetle parked on the top floor. Merrion House (refurbished, 2018), Leeds College of Technology (demolished, 2021) and Leeds Civic Hall (still extant) are all clearly visible against the sky. Burnside meets Anna at a First World War cemetery near Ypres which was filmed at the Harrogate (Stonefall) Cemetery. The gatehouse to the Harewood Estate in north Leeds was used as the entrance to the cemetery. Wallace takes the cello to 15 Park Place, Leeds, where he watches Anna walk down the steps of "Hotel Rogiet" at 28 Park Place (now demolished). The large brutalist building seen at the end of the street is the Leeds International Pool (demolished, 2009). The airport scenes were shot on the Leeds University campus, using the ground floor of the Roger Stevens Building and the section of the "red route" corridor linking the Roger Stevens to the Mathematics and Earth Sciences Building. Burnside leaves the office on Boyle Street, then he walks south along Victoria Embankment, turns right onto Bridge Street and past Westminster tube station, crosses Canon Row, buys an Evening Standard and stops outside St Stephen's Tavern, before continuing on towards Parliament Square, bearing right onto Parliament Street.
3-05 "Sometimes We Play Dirty Too". Burnside walks east on Northumberland Avenue, Westminster, and enters the old Ministry of Defence (MoD) offices in the Metropole Hotel (now a hotel again). After arriving in Prague, Caine is driven to the "ACI "offices in Leeds (location tbc). The ACI interiors were filmed at 49 St Paul's Street, Leeds (the distinctive brickwork of St Pauls House can be seen through the windows). Ross and Burnside meet at the Imperial Camel Corps Memorial in Victoria Embankment Gardens, London.
3-06 "Who Needs Enemies". Ross and Burnside walk from Horse Guards and across Horse Guards Parade, Whitehall. Later, Ross and Burnside have a coffee in the McDonalds at 155 Victoria Street, London, and walk out into Cathedral Piazza, and then along Boyle Street. That night, Burnside takes a stroll along Charing Cross Road, before running into some skinheads in Leicester Square and ending up in St Thomas' Hospital, Lambeth. Judging by the brickwork, and the building seen through the windows, the interiors were probably filmed at Leeds General Infirmary. Burnside rides in a black cab along Grosvenor Street to see Ross at the US Embassy on Grosvenor Square, Mayfair.
3-07 "Opposite Numbers". This episode features extensive interior and exterior location filming in Malta. The SALT conference takes place at the Grand Hotel Verdala in Rabat (demolished, 2021) and the Malta Hilton in St. Julian's. Burnside hides Filatov at 4 Vjal Santu Wistin, also in Rabat. Ross and Burnside walk north along Victoria Embankment, from Westminster Pier to the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
Art
In series one and two, the large painting that hangs in Greenley's office is "The Charge of the Light Brigade" by Robert Alexander Hillingford. When Gibbs becomes "C" in series three, it is replaced by an unidentified naval painting. The painting in Wellingham's office is "Northumberland House, Charing Cross," by John Paul.
Neil Burnside (Roy Marsden)
Burnside is the Director of Operations (D/Ops) of the British Secret Intelligence Service (SIS, also known as MI6). Himself a former Sandbagger and a former Royal Marine officer, Burnside has been D/Ops for only six months at the start of the series. He is arrogant and obsessively dedicated to his job, and regularly finds himself at odds with his superiors, politicians, the Foreign Office, and the Security Service (MI5). The opening titles reveal that Burnside's middle initial is D., as shown on a letter addressed to "N.D. Burnside, Esq." on his desk.
Willie Caine (Ray Lonnen), "Sandbagger One"
Caine, a former paratrooper, is head of the Special Operations Section. He shares a bond of friendship and trust with Burnside, and is not afraid to speak his mind; Burnside describes Caine as "probably the best operative currently operating anywhere in the world". He is the only character besides Burnside to appear in every episode of the series.
Sir James Greenley (Richard Vernon), "C" (series 1 and 2)
Greenley is the recently-appointed chief of SIS, code-named "C". Burnside is initially wary of Greenley, who was a diplomat before becoming C, but over time they develop a close relationship; Burnside describes Greenley as "the best C SIS has ever had". He retires at the end of the second series due to angina and is replaced by John Tower Gibbs.
Matthew Peele (Jerome Willis), Deputy Chief
As Deputy Chief, Peele is usually the first person to whom Burnside reports. They share an antagonistic relationship, as Burnside views Peele as a nuisance with no opinions of his own, while Peele considers Burnside reckless, arrogant, and untrustworthy. Peele is generally disliked by most characters, but displays considerable tact and intelligence throughout the series, as he is often more aware of/concerned with the bigger picture than Burnside.
Sir Geoffrey Wellingham (Alan MacNaughtan)
Burnside's personal and professional life come together in Wellingham, Burnside's former father-in-law and the Permanent Secretary at the Foreign Office which oversees SIS. They share an informal but sometimes antagonistic relationship which on occasion is tested to its limit, but also maintain an unspoken fondness and respect for each other.
Jeff Ross (Bob Sherman), head of London station, CIA
Ross is Burnside's only friend, and the two maintain a close personal and professional relationship; he tends to share Burnside's disdain of bureaucratic and political interference. They occasionally work at odds with one another, but are most often allies fighting their common enemies (the Soviets, and bureaucracy within their own agencies). Ross shows himself to be considerably more ruthless and cold-blooded than Burnside on several occasions.
John Tower Gibbs (Dennis Burgess), "C" (series 3 only)
Gibbs replaces Greenley as C in the last episode of the second series. A former head of station with whom Burnside has an antagonistic relationship, Gibbs disapproves of Burnside and his method of operating. His appointment (along with a continued lack of funding) leads to increased tension within SIS. Gibbs and Burnside regularly clash throughout the third series.
Other Sandbaggers
The posts of Sandbaggers Two and Three are filled throughout the series by Jake Landy (David Glyder), Alan Denson (Steven Grives), Laura Dickens (Diane Keen), Tom Elliott (David Beames) and Mike Wallace (Michael Cashman).
Other characters
Diane Lawler (Elizabeth Bennett) is Burnside's fiercely loyal personal assistant; she leaves SIS when she marries at the end of the second series, handpicking her replacement, Marianne Straker (Sue Holderness), who stays with Burnside for the remainder of the series.
Edward Tyler (Peter Laird) is introduced as SIS Director of Intelligence (D/Int) in the first episode of the second series. Tyler, described as "brilliant" by Wellingham and considered the best D/Int SIS has ever had, shares a friendly relationship with Burnside. In the third series he is replaced as D/Int by Paul Dalgetty (David Robb). Dalgetty, who appears in only two episodes, is openly antagonistic towards Burnside and manoeuvres to replace him as D/Ops in "Who Needs Enemies" (3-06).
Sam Lawes (Brian Osborne), Brian Milton (Barkley Johnson) and Bruce (Paul Haley) are often on duty in the Ops Room, coordinating missions.
Each of the 20 episodes of The Sandbaggers runs just over fifty minutes without commercials, originally airing with commercial breaks that divided the episode into three acts. Animated bumpers similar to the end credits lead into and out of the commercial breaks.
Television critics' reviews of The Sandbaggers have been almost uniformly positive. In 1989, Walter Goodman of The New York Times dubbed The Sandbaggers "the real stuff" for fans of the spy genre. He goes on to note, concerning the seventh episode ("Special Relationship"): "Although the issue of love versus duty is overdrawn and the tale, like others, is a bit forced in places, the Burnside character and the urgency of the story-telling make it work. Most of the Sandbagger episodes work." Similarly, critic Terrence Rafferty called The Sandbaggers "the best spy series in television history".
The Sandbaggers, television critic Rick Vanderknyff also wrote, "is many things American network television is not: talky and relatively action-free, low in fancy production values but high in plot complexity, and starring characters who aren't likable in the traditional TV way".
When reviewing the 2013 Network DVD release of The Sandbaggers: The Complete Series, Toby Manning wrote: "this 70s spy drama about a cold war dirty tricks department is cynical, tough – and has a compelling star in Roy Marsden's brute in a well-cut suit."
"Sandbagger One" was held in Bellmawr, New Jersey, on 8 and 9 August 1992 and organised by Michael Macomber and Caryn Dunkel. The guest of honour was Ray Lonnen. It was a small event but Ray Lonnen expressed amazement that there was still interest in the series so long after it ended. For many years it remained the one and only organised fan event dedicated to the series.
"Sandbagger Two" was a live virtual webinar held on 7 October 2023 as a global celebration to mark the 45th anniversary of the first UK broadcast. It was organised by The Sandbaggers Yorkshire Television 1978-1980 Facebook group. The keynote speakers were Roy Marsden and Greg Rucka. The event also included discussion of Ian Mackintosh's life, his novels, and other television work influenced by The Sandbaggers.
The Sandbaggers generated a cult following when broadcast in the USA. PBS outlet KTEH in San Jose, California aired at least five runs of The Sandbaggers after it became "a local phenomenon". American Sandbaggers fandom produced fanzines, websites, and even the first ever dedicated convention: "Sandbagger One" in 1992.
Greg Rucka, novelist and creator of the comic book espionage series Queen & Country, has said that the comic book is consciously inspired by The Sandbaggers and is in a sense a "quasi-sequel". In the comic book, the structure of SIS mirrors that seen in the television series, down to the division of responsibilities between Directors of Operations and Intelligence and the existence of a Special Operations Section known as the "Minders". The comic book also features a more modern and sophisticated Ops Room, and bureaucratic wrangling reminiscent of the television series.
Several characters and situations in Queen & Country parallel The Sandbaggers, including a fatherly "C" who is eventually replaced by a more political and less sympathetic appointee; a Director of Operations who is fiercely protective of the Special Section; a Deputy Chief antagonistic to the independent nature of the Minders; a rivalry with MI5; and a cooperative relationship with the CIA. In addition, several scenes and lines of dialogue are similar or allude to the television series. However, as the comic book takes place in the present day, the geopolitical situation is very different. In addition, the stories are more action-oriented and focus on the exploits of Minder Tara Chace rather than on Paul Crocker, the Director of Operations.