It's So Last Century - Callan - Novels by James Mitchell Novels By James Mitchell There have been 5 novels based on the TV series. A Magnum for Schneider The book was reprinted under a variety of of titles, includng A Red file for Callan and Callan. Herbert Jenkins Ltd, London (1969) Corgi Books, London (1971) Dell Publishing, New York (March 1974) Ostara Publishing, UK (2013) Ulverscroft Large Print Books Ltd, Anstey (Dec 2014) In 2014 Magna Story Sound are set to release an unabridged audiobook of the novel, read by Daniel Coonan. Audio (unabridged) - 1 MP3-CD Audio Download - Only available to subscribers ISBN: 9780857148476 Price - £31.50 Callan is washed up. The most efficient killer in Europe is working as a book-keeper for a small, dusty merchant. But Circumstances force Hunter to employ him for one last operation. Schneider.

Cheerful, friendly, affluent Schneider with his innocent passion for model soldiers. Callan hunts again And again his tool is Lonely, the most frightened little man in the underworld.It is Lonely who gets him the gun, a Noguchi Magnum 38 calibre. A magnum for Schneider.The operation is studded with leathal booby-traps, but Callan's own inhibitions are the most dangerous. James Mitchell, otherwise known as James Munro, shows in this book what a thriller can become in the hands of a master. The tension is almost unbearable, but a humane cocern for people lift the story abov the normal run of If it moves, shoot it thrillers. Russian Roulette Dell, New York (Dec 1975) Corgi Books, UK (1975) Arnoldo Mondadori Editore, Milan (22 Settembre 1977) Ostara Publishing, UK (2013) Ulverscroft Large Print Books Ltd, Anstey (Dec 2014) In 2014 Magna Story Sound are set to release an unabridged audiobook of the novel, read by Daniel Coonan.

Audio Download - Only available to subscribers ISBN: 9780857148483 Published - 01-09-2014 Price - £ 39.50 'I've done a deal,' said Callan's Boss, Hunter. 'Perhaps the nastiest deal in my career. I'm giving you to the Russians.'' The KGB had picked up the Section's top man in Russia. So far he was still alive and well. He would continue to be so now that negotiations were concluded. 'Your tading me for hi?' It was like weighting two diamonds', said Hunter, ' Each perfectly cut, each virtually flawless. Our man in Russia weighted just one carat more. I'm very sorry.' 'You realise what they'll do to me?' 'They want you dead. They want you so badly they're prepared to give me my top man back unharmed in exchange for you.' 'For my corpse.' For once Callan was shocked. he knew Hunter was hard, he knew he was cold-blooded. But to sell one of his own men to the Russians... So the word went round, No gun for Callan.

Not even Lonely-faithful, frightened, knowledgeable Lonely-could get him one. And three men from the KGB had arrived in London... with orders to kill Callan... from the US paerback: Admittedly, he was a killer... the best the British had. It had something to do with the survival instinct, the patience of a hunting animal, the single, destroying blow. His name was David Callan and the KGB lusted for his corpse - badly enough to ante up the top British spy held captive in the Kremlin. Callan was alone out there, in the alleys and squares and parks of London, unarmed and half-blind, fair prey for three deadly Ivans. But Callan was still the best the British had, and even without a gun he was a walking bloody arsenal... Death and Bright Water G. K. Hall & Company, ? (1977) Ostara Publishing, UK (2014) There's no easy retirement for a man like Callan... Callan's days with the Section were over, he'd had enough. But just when he'd found an escape from the killing an the violence, the mysterious Dr.

Blythe appeared with a proposition - and Callan found he couldn't refuse. It looked like a simple kidnapping job - getting the beautiful Sophie Kollonaki's daughter out of Crete - but Sophie was involved with the KGB, and where they were, death was never far away. Callan and the faithful Lonely found themselves on the way to Crete before they began to suspect that there was more to this than anyone was letting on... From the US Hardback A Greek political exile named Sophie Kollonaski wants to hire David Callan, the most efficient killer in Europe, to 'kidnap' her beautiful daughter on Crete, where she is under the protective custody of Michael Vardakis, Sophie's cousin. But Callan isn't a freelance. He works for Special Branch, a secret British agency, and besides, the job is too dangerous, so Callan refuses the assignment. But Hunter, Callan's boss, tells him to accept it. Hunter sees possibilities.. Smear Job Corgi Books, UK (May 1977) G.P.

Putnam's Sons, New York (1977) Berkley Publishing Corporation, US (1978) Arnoldo Mondadori Editore, Milan (Maggio 1978) There were two little favours Hunter wanted from Callan. Stealing a book from a library wasn't so bad- except that the library was in Sicily- but making sure that Gunther Lesir lost a fortune at cards was a bit more of a problem... Callan was no card sharp... And the worst thing was, you knew with Hunter that, that wouldn't be the end of it. In no time, Callan was off on a trail that led from Las Vegas to Mexico and into the dirtiest business in the world: drugs, prostitution, blackmail...death... First published in 1975, Smear Job was the fourth novel to feature David Callan, the iconic secret agent created by James Mitchell. Callan's trade is killing - and though it's a profession he despises, he is supremely good at it.

As Smear Job begins, Callan is attempting to 'go straight' in a legitimate (almost) security consultancy business with his pungent friend Lonely, but soon he is made an offer he can hardly afford to refuse. However, when the offer comes from the ruthless Hunter, head of The Section Callan used to work for, refusal might be better for the health. In a multi-layered plot the action moves swiftly and violently from Sicily to gangland London to California and back to Europe and the only thing that can be relied on is Callan's ability to be quickest on the draw when the chips are down. Bonfire Night Severn House Publishers Ltd, UK (September 1st 2002) Someone is out to kill Major David Callan. As yet he doesn't know who's behind it, but he does know who's been given the contract: Hermann Voss, his ex-captor and torturer in East Berlin before the Wall came down...and perhaps the only man up to the job. The action is non-stop and ranges from London to the south of Spain before it reaches the inevitable showdown.

The book has been out of print and the first edition was commanding quite a high price on the second hand market, which in light the poor reception it has had from fans might seem unwarranted if it were not for the fact it only received one printing in a hardback edition (no paperback), with the vast majority of the print run going to public lending libraries . That might be about to change as Ostara Publishing have it listed for a new Print-On-Demand trade paperback. The new edition comes with a specially-written Introduction by the author’s son, Peter Mitchell, describing the extraordinary circumstances under which Bonfire Night was written, towards the end of his father’s life. Bonfire Night was never really meant to be published, but rather written as a form of therapy Series editor Mike Ripley said: Since the Top Notch Thrillers imprint was established in 2009 to revive and republish great British thrillers, we have had many requests from readers to reissue Bonfire Night – 'the lost Callan' – far more than for any other title and we are now proud to so.

After long consultation with the author’s son Peter, I have kept editing to the bare minimum so that dedicated Callan fans can read this final coda to the Callan saga as the author intended. It is something of a 'difficult' book as Mitchell tried to merge a typically serpentine plot with major developments in the lives of his main characters. Callan is now rich, in danger of falling in love, and living in retirement in his own personal castle in Spain and the new Hunter heading the Section, is a woman. The seismic character change, though, is for Lonely, who has (thanks to a prison education course) become a computer genius and software millionaire! But if the world of Callan seems to have turned upside down, he still finds himself having to deal with old enemies (including a vicious ex-Stasi villain who tortured Callan in East Berlin back in the day) and treacherous former allies, but he does so with all the ruthless efficiency of the Callan of old. In his Introduction, Peter Mitchell describes, sensitively and poignantly, how Bonfire Night came to be written and I strongly recommend his account to readers.

Enid and Daza welcome you to their home on the internet A Magnum for Schneider eBook: James Mitchell: Amazon.com.au: Kindle Store James Mitchell created the Callan television program in 1967. The show went on to be highly successful around the world. The principal character is David Callan, a British secret agent- authorised to kill- who has a conscience. This book was written in 1969, after the television show became successful. In the US, it was released as " Red File for Callan". The author inroduces David Callan and the supporting characters, then takes you through their lives. The focal point of the plot is an assignment Callan is given: the assassination of a man who is deemed to be an "enemy". Mitchell's style is direct, and the story is well told, with believable characters. Callan is an anti-hero, who lives a frugal lifestyle- a counterpoint to the glamorous world of James Bond! For anyone who enjoyed the show, or who enjoys this genre of fiction, it's a satisfying read. One person found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback... Thank you for your feedback. Sorry, we failed to record your vote.

Please try again BFI Screenonline: TV in the 1960s TV in the 1960s In the early 1960s, the Pilkington Committee reported on the future of broadcasting. The committee, chaired by industrialist Sir Harry Pilkington , criticised the existing structure of ITV and recommended that it should be reorganised so that the independent companies should produce and sell programmes to the Independent Television Authority should in turn schedule the programmes and sell advertising time. The report also proposed that the BBC should be authorised as soon as possible to provide a third television channel. Among its other recommendations were that the line of definition standard in Britain should be changed from 405 lines to 625 - the general standard used in Europe - and that a service of colour television on 625 lines, also in the ultra high frequency (UHF) bands, should be introduced as soon as possible. In July 1962, the government published a White Paper which approved a number of the Report's recommendations.

It was agreed that by 1964 the BBC should launch a second TV channel on 625 lines in UHF; the channel would be available first to the London area only, but it was expected to cover the whole of Britain by 1970. The go-ahead was also given for the development of colour television, and the BBC was authorised to establish a self-contained, distinctive Welsh TV service, to extend its broadcasting hours, and to produce more educational programmes for adults. A second memorandum on the Report, in December 1962, outlined the government's views on the future of the ITA . The paper stated that statutory powers would be taken to strengthen the ITA 's control over contracting companies, and that responsibility for approval and supervision of the buying and selling of programmes, and for the content and quality of the service as a whole, would pass to the Authority . The government saw little evidence of public demand for a second commercial channel, and felt there would be insufficient advertising revenue to sustain two such channels.

Three new stations came into being during 1961, with Westward Television , announced administrative changes which ensured a tighter watch over ITV programmes and advertising, and made clear that no changes would be made to the existing contractors from 1964 to 1967, when it was expected that a second ITV channel would be launched. The programme schedules of the companies would from then on be drawn up in consultation with the ITA . The ITA would have access to all advertisements before transmission, and a new committee, under the chairmanship of the Authority, would settle all doubtful cases. In February 1965, the government decided to end the advertising of cigarettes on television; in March the Postmaster-General announced that the ban would take effect from 1 August. The summer of 1967 saw the ITA announce the new independent television companies awarded contracts for six years as from July 1968. Three new ITV companies came into existence at this time: the London Television Consortium (which quickly became London Weekend Television ), taking over weekend programming for the London area, Telefusion Yorkshire (subsequently renamed Yorkshire Television ), and the Harlech Consortium (subsequently HTV having the controlling interest.

ATV , which had been serving the midlands during weekdays and London at weekends, received the full week contract for the midland region. All the other ITV companies had their contracts renewed. September 1963 saw the launch a campaign to familiarise viewers with the new BBC2 network, symbolised by an illustrated kangaroo character, which appeared in a series of short trailers giving information about the new service. BBC2 opened on the 625-line system in the London area on 21 April 1964 - twenty-four hours later than announced due to a power failure, which effectively blacked out the launch of the infant channel. Discussions on proposals for a 'University of the Air' led to a government announcement in September 1967 that it would create a new university institution to provide courses leading to degrees and other qualifications through a combination of television, radio, correspondence, tutorials, and local audio-visual centres. It was hoped that this Open University would be launched by autumn 1970 via BBC2. The advent of colour television, encouraged by the 1962 White Paper, was heralded by advances later that year.

Following some two months of tests in their 625-line experimental service, radiating purely engineering information from Crystal Palace, BBC TV began in November 1962 to add full colour to some transmissions, broadcasting for seven-and-a-half hours a day, Monday to Friday. Although the American NTSC system was initially used, in April 1963 the BBC began testing the French Secam colour system, in co-operation with the GPO , the ITA , and the radio industry. There was also interest in the PAL system, which was a modified version of the NTSC system produced by the Telefunken Company in Germany. Meanwhile discussion and controversy continued on the allocation of colour television in Britain. Reviving an earlier technical proposal (described as 'sound on synchronised pulses'), the BBC planned to introduce a standardised 625-line system using the German PAL colour system which, it was hoped, might help to transfer BBC1 and ITV from 405 lines to 625, thereby facilitating the provision of colour television on all channels.

Following a limited colour service on BBC2 from 1 July 1967 (five hours a week), the colour service began officially on Saturday, 2 December 1967, with some 27 to 29 hours of colour per week. The programming trends of the 1960s ranged in popularity from the heights of drama ( The Wednesday Play , BBC, 1964-70) to the extremes of escapism ( The Avengers , ITV, 1961-69), with a new television comedy form ( Till Death Us Do Part , BBC, 1966-75) edging in somewhere between the two. The 'new wave' of television drama area was represented, for the most part, by The Wednesday Play (ITV, 1965-66), and the later Callan (ITV, 1967-72) offered weekly instalments of gritty, realistic, and perhaps at times overly negative characters and plots.

A North Country-based twice-weekly serial, Coronation Street (ITV, 1960-), took the so-called 'kitchen sink' drama style to new television dimensions and maintained a faithful audience at the top of the ratings for many years. The escapist element arrived in the mid-1960s, inspired by the sudden popularity of the spy/espionage genre, especially following the cinema success of the James Bond novels. One of the earliest and most bizarre of these was The Avengers , which had started out as a straightforward government agent drama (in a somewhat similar vein to Danger Man (ITV, 1960-61; 1964-69)) before it became the inspiration for similar series that followed: The Champions Woodward To Washington: Evolution Of 'The Equalizer' tweet Though he’s been no stranger to the action genre over the years, Denzel Washington officially joins the league of mature asskickers this month with THE EQUALIZER. Just as Liam Neeson has the TAKEN franchise, so Columbia Pictures hope audiences will take to Robert McCall’s controlled vigilante antics and clamour for sequels.

People of a certain age remember the movie’s source material, a 1980s American TV series starring an unlikely British lead, which Washington and director Antoine Fuqua have distanced themselves from. I presume this isn’t out of disrespect – the new version is more a reimagining than an adaptation. But it shares enough with the original to warrant a closer look at the small screen events that gave rise to this high octane fest of bone cracking and soul searching. We begin by going back to the 1960s, where the UK drama showcase Armchair Theatre introduced us to a character who many regard as an unofficial version of The Equalizer… CALLAN (1967 – 72) David Callan is a covert operative of a dodgy branch of the British secret service. He’s sought after for his particular talents, especially killing, but he’s an unknown quantity. Because Callan is notorious for becoming emotionally involved with his assignments and the spectre of the lives he has destroyed is never far away… If you can get past the creaky visuals Callan is a show well worth checking out.

Created by James Mitchell and starring the late Edward Woodward, the series began as a play called A Magnum For Schneider before being expanded. An intense yet wry presence, Woodward went on to become Robert McCall (aka The Equalizer) and though connections between the two shows are coincidental there are several of note. Aside from the lead performer there’s also Callan’s conflicted personality and regret over sins he has committed in the name of his government paymasters. Both Callan and McCall lead fractured lives away from their work and are summoned periodically to undertake missions. Unlike the later character, Callan operates alone and has no friends or family, his only regular associate being a hygienically-challenged thief nicknamed Lonely. Woodward was interviewed about his role in 2000 and talked about his views on the character and its popularity: “Callan was very strange in its impact on the television public. To start with it was the first time there’d ever been a sort of antihero. People were really shocked by the fact he wasn’t a very nice man. That was why he was so good to play, because you never knew what he was going to do…. It went out on a Wednesday and there was football on on a Wednesday.

They would often cancel the football, put the football out on a Thursday because they knew masses of people would be watching Callan. So they would change the day. Now they wouldn’t do that today… A large part of the appeal for Woodward lay in the fact that Callan was more of an ordinary bloke than the standard film or TV spy. There was at the time a very strange comparing (of) James Bond and Callan… Which I thought was kind of foolish in a way. James Bond was a wonderful figment of a writer’s imagination which was based on a certain amount of truth… Callan was based much more on a truthful fantasy… They were poles apart in terms of where they came from in life. One was strong and well-educated and the other was hardly educated at all… A fairer comparison perhaps is Michael Caine’s Harry Palmer – indeed the title theme is reminiscent of THE IPCRESS FILE. The programme may not have had a bearing on the new movie, but it did heavily inspire cult comedian Matthew Holness (Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace) who made short film A Gun For George. A feature adaptation called THE REPRISALIZER was announced but didn’t materialize, which is a shame.

It would have made a good box office opponent to Denzel Washington. Talking of which, it’s time to hit the mean streets of New York to meet his predecessor… edward woodward - thesection thesection This article is about the English actor. For the Australian jurist, see Edward Woodward (judge) . Edward Woodward Michele Dotrice (1987–2009) Edward Albert Arthur Woodward OBE (1 June 1930 – 16 November 2009) was an English stage and screen actor and singer . After graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), Woodward began his career on stage, and through his career he appeared in productions in both the West End in London and on Broadway in New York. 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 . Among his film credits, Woodward starred as Police Sergeant Neil Howie in the 1973 cult British horror film The Wicker Man , and in the title role of the noted 1980 Australian biopic Breaker Morant .

From 1985 Woodward starred as British ex-secret agent and vigilante Robert McCall in the American television series The Equalizer , earning him the 1986 Golden Globe Award for Best Television Drama Actor . Personal life Woodward was an only child, born in Croydon [1] to working class parents Edward Oliver Woodward and Violet Edith Woodward (née Smith). [2] He attended Eccleston Road, Sydenham Road and Elmwood High School in Wallington , as well as Hinchley Wood School , then known as Kingston Day Commercial School, all in Surrey .[ citation needed ] He then attended Kingston College . [3] [1] Woodward was married twice. His first marriage was to the actress Venetia Barrett (born Venetia Mary Collett) from 1952 to their divorce in 1986. [3] They had two sons: Tim Woodward (born 1953) and Peter Woodward (born 1956), both of whom became actors, as well as a daughter, the Tony Award -nominated actress Sarah Woodward (born 1963). Woodward left Barrett for actress Michele Dotrice , the daughter of his contemporary Roy Dotrice .

Woodward married Dotrice in New York in January 1987. Their daughter, Emily Beth Woodward [4] (born 1983), was present at the ceremony. [5] Woodward underwent triple bypass surgery in 1996 and quit smoking after two heart attacks . In February 2003 it was announced that he had prostate cancer . [6] In July 2009 it was announced that a performance planned for later in 2009 of Love Letters , co-starring his wife Michelle Dotrice, would be postponed because of damage caused to his hip when he fell down the stairs at his West Country home. [7] Wikinews has related news: Edward Woodward, English actor, dies aged 79 Edward Woodward died at the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro on 16 November 2009 at the age of 79. He had lived in Hawker's Cove, Cornwall , near Padstow and had been suffering from various illnesses, including pneumonia . [8] [9] He is survived by his wife, Michele and their daughter, and the three children of his first marriage.

[10] [ edit ] Theatre Woodward wanted to become an actor but initially in the post World War II period became an associate member of RADA while taking amateur roles. Wanting to train as a journalist he eventually took work in a sanitary engineer 's office before attending the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) from age 16. [11] He was reputedly torn between becoming an actor or a professional footballer. Woodward was on the books of Leyton Orient and Brentford , making three appearances in the Football League for the latter; however, a serious knee injury kept him out of the game for over a year.[ citation needed ] His professional acting debut was in the Castle Theatre, Farnham , in 1946. [11] After graduation from RADA he worked extensively in repertory companies as a Shakespearean actor throughout England and Scotland , making his London stage debut in R. F. Delderfield 's Where There's A Will in 1955 [11] and also appeared in the film adaptation that same year, his first film, and then Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet (1955).

Having established himself, he also worked in Broadway theatre in New York and in Australia . Woodward first appeared on Broadway in Rattle of a Simple Man (1963) and the musical comedy High Spirits (1964–1965), which won three Tony Awards , followed by the 1966 comedy The Best Laid Plans. In 1970, after Woodward played Sidney Carton in the West End musical "Two Cities" based on Dickens's novel, Laurence Olivier invited him to choose his own role in the Royal National Theatre , and he chose Cyrano de Bergerac (1971). [11] [ edit ] Film He made occasional appearances until taking the role of Police Sergeant Neil Howie in the thriller The Wicker Man in 1973. Many critics have cited the final scene in The Wicker Man as one of the greatest visual shots in cinema history[ citation needed ]. Woodward was offered a cameo role in the 2005 remake but declined. He also appeared in the 1982 film Who Dares Wins , also known as The Final Option, [12] as Commander Powell.

Woodward played the title role in the 1980 Australian biographical film drama Breaker Morant , which was highly acclaimed and his presence brought the film worldwide attention. Woodward also had a supporting role in the 2007 action comedy Hot Fuzz . His last lead film role was that of the Reverend Frederick Densham in A Congregation of Ghosts ; the story of an eccentric vicar who is said to have alienated his congregation and preached to cardboard cut-outs. [ citation needed ] Robin Hardy, who directed The Wicker Man , said, "He was one of the greatest actors of his generation, without a doubt, with a broad career on American television as well as on British film." Sir Noel Coward once said of him, "He was one of the nicest and most co-operative actors I've ever met or worked with." [ edit ] Television During his career Woodward appeared in many television productions. In the early 1960s he was a jobbing actor who made a number of minor TV appearances in supporting roles.

His casting as Guy Crouchback in the 1967 adaption of Evelyn Waugh 's Sword of Honour trilogy, dramatised by Giles Cooper and directed by Donald McWhinnie , established him as an actor of quality and standing. Crouchback was the central character in Waugh's iconic three novels set against the background of Britain's involvement in World War II. This black and white TV dramatisation is now much less well known than a more lavish 2001 colour version with Daniel Craig playing the part of Crouchback. However, the 1967 dramatisation enjoyed a high profile at the time and it featured several leading actors of that era including Ronald Fraser , Freddie Jones , Vivian Pickles , Nicholas Courtney and James Villiers . Moreover, Evelyn Waugh had met and approved Giles Cooper as the scriptwriter, having their schooling at Lancing College in common, albeit more than a decade apart. In 1967 he was cast as David Callan in the ITV Armchair Theatre play A Magnum for Schneider, which later became the spy series Callan , one of his early television roles and one in which he demonstrated his ability to express controlled rage.

His iconic performance assured the series success from 1967 to 1972, with a film appearing in 1974. In smaller roles, Woodward made appearances on the BBC 's The Morecambe and Wise Show in 1969 and 1970. His name was used in a joke: when asked by Eric Morecambe who would ever appear in one of Ernie Wise 's 'little plays what he wrote', Ernie replied "Edward Woodward would." Another children's joke starts "Why does Edward Woodward have so many Ds in his name?" the response being: "Because otherwise he would be Ewar Woowar." He also appeared opposite Laurence Olivier in a 1978 adaptation of Saturday, Sunday, Monday in the Laurence Olivier Presents anthology series. The success of Callan typecast him somewhat, but the enduring success of the genre allowed him to gain leading roles in similar productions, though none would prove as iconic as Callan. [13] In 1977 he starred in two series of the BBC2 dystopian drama 1990 , about a future Britain lurching into totalitarianism.

[14] The late 1970s were spent on both stage and film, but it was not until he took the lead role in the American television series The Equalizer (1985-89) as a former British intelligence operative that he found recognition and popularity exceeding that of Callan. After filming a few episodes of the third season, Woodward suffered a massive coronary . For several episodes, additional actors were brought in to reduce the workload on Woodward as he recovered from the condition. The first episode filmed following Woodward's heart attack involved his character being severely injured by a KGB bullet, providing Woodward with a chance to rest over several episodes. Later in the season, Woodward resumed his full duties and carried the show through an additional, fourth season during the 1988-1989 season.[ citation needed ] Subsequently he starred in the short-lived CBS series Over My Dead Body , which ran in 1990, playing a mystery writer who gets involved solving real crimes. In 1994 and 1997 Woodward starred in the BBC drama Common As Muck in which he played a binman called Nev.

In 1993, Woodward appeared in the Welsh-language drama, Tan ar y Comin. Versions were made in both English and Welsh, and Woodward appeared in both, being specially coached in the latter since he did not speak a word of the language. [15] In 1999 Woodward appeared alongside his son Peter in The Long Road, an episode of the Babylon 5 spin off, Crusade , on which Peter was a regular cast member. [16] While both actors were playing the part of unrelated Technomages , the on-screen chemistry between them was clear. His career continued with TV guest star roles including an appearance in The New Alfred Hitchcock Presents and Mr. Jones (aka Philip, codename 'Flavius') in the series La Femme Nikita . He also guest starred with his son Tim and grandson Sam as a London gangster family in a special storyline for The Bill in 2008. In March 2009, he joined EastEnders , playing Tommy Clifford .

Woodward was a wargamer and hosted a series of programmes for Tyne Tees Television [17] in 1978 about the hobby with fellow enthusiast Peter Gilder, who built and owned the beautiful Gettysburg diorama used for one of the gaming scenes from the 1974 film Callan. [ edit ] Recording artist His capability as tenor enabled him to record twelve albums of romantic songs, as well as three albums of poetry and fourteen books to tape. His vocal capability and acting skill enabled him to make a number of appearances when time allowed on the BBC 's Edwardian era music hall programme, The Good Old Days . [18] [19] [ edit ] Awards In 1969 and 1970, he was Television Actor of the Year, and Best Actor at the Sun Awards in 1970, 1971 and 1972. Woodward won the 1970 BAFTA Award for Best Actor for his title role in Callan. He was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1978.

At the 1987 Golden Globe Awards , he won Best Actor in a Dramatic TV Series for his role of Robert McCall in The Equalizer. At the Emmy Award from 1986 to 1990, he was nominated each year for The Equalizer.

RTS Television Actor of the Year - 1969, 1970 Sun Award for Best Actor - 1970, 1971, 1972 1955 - Where There's a Will 1958 - Romeo and Juliet 1962 - Rattle of a Simple Man 1968 - Two Cities 1975 - Male of the Species 1976 - On Approval 1980 - The Beggar's Opera (also director) 1980 - Private Lives 1982 - Merlin and the Sword 1983 - Operation Comeback (Love is forever) 1989 - The Man In The Brown Suit 1990 - Over My Dead Body 1990 - Hands of a Murderer 1995 - The Shamrock Conspiracy (TV) 1996 - Harrison: The Cry Of The City (TV) 1996 - Gulliver's Travels Conspiracy and the British spy hero - IGGY IGGY Connecting and challenging the world's brightest young minds Username or email Remember me on this device  Knowledge >

 Creative Writing > Conspiracy and the British spy hero Conspiracy and the British spy hero 26/Jun/15 James Bond's continued success is testimony to spy fiction's enduring popularity as a genre.

What does change, however, is the nature of its heroes and themes, as they reflect the political and public concerns of their time. Here, Joseph Oldham explores how, in particular, conspiracy and institutional paranoia are a growing undercurrent of the genre in recent spy fiction. Spy protagonists often find themselves in dangerous and uncertain worlds of shifting loyalties and conspiratorial systems, an ever-growing undercurrent of contemporary spy fiction. This is a striking change in emphasis from earlier models of British espionage on film and television. The initial Bond films of the 1960s, commencing with Dr No (1962), presented little doubt regarding the fundamental integrity of the state institutions served by the protagonist. The 1960s was also the peak decade of the British spy on television, with adventure series such as The Avengers (1961-9), The Saint (1962-9) and Department S (1969-70) upholding this optimistic image of Western intelligence work, inflected with a contemporary ‘pop’ aesthetic.

Post-War British spy thrillers such as these have regularly played out a fantasy in which, beneath the nation’s imperial decline, Britain remains a key player in a ‘secret world’ concealed from everyday life and visible politics. The reassuring function of such thrillers is in ordering the chaos and violence of the world into distinct threats which can be defeated one-by-one in each instalment. However, more pessimistic strands also existed during this period, such as the Harry Palmer films and the television series Callan (1967-72) which drew upon the hard-boiled style to develop a seedier vision of intelligence work. In subsequent decades numerous political scandals and the emergence of international terrorism as a headline issue has revealed the ‘secret world’ to be less affirmative and more chaotic than might have been hoped. The terrorist threat of the 1970s was addressed in The Professionals (1977-83), a toughened-up retooling of the 1960s adventure series, featuring hard-men who combated dissidents ‘by any means necessary’.

Elsewhere, the British spy thriller has been increasingly hybridised with characteristics of the conspiracy thriller, a genre which underwent a significant Hollywood boom in the 1970s against the backdrop of the Watergate scandal, with films such as The Parallax View (1974) and All the President’s Men (1976). Another catalyst was a home-grown British conspiracy, specifically the Cambridge Five betrayal and the scandal of its cover-up. Notably, the novelist John Le Carré’s treatment of Kim Philby’s exposure, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1974), received a prestigious seven-part BBC adaptation in 1979. This complex, long-form narrative paved the way for a cycle of original multi-part conspiracy thrillers in the 1980s, including Edge of Darkness (1985) and A Very British Coup (1988), which meditated upon the problems of the ‘strong state’ associated with Margaret Thatcher’s government.

In some respects the spy and conspiracy genres can be seen as opposite sides of the same coin, as both frequently dramatise a conflict between state institutions and subversive elements, yet the conspiracy thriller is often more inclined to appreciate the oppositional perspective. By placing the emphasis on institutional paranoia, rather than addressing the chaos and ‘messiness’ of political and social conflict episodically, the conspiracy thriller seeks to build these issues into its own totalising systems and explanations. Though often pessimistic, it finds its heroes in isolated individuals who resist the corruption of institutions. In the first decade of the 21st century, Spooks dramatised the domestic front of Britain’s involvement in the ‘War on Terror’. Initially chiefly concerned with the combat of terrorists, thereby reviving the ‘counter-terror’ narrative model of The Professionals with a more ‘realist’ tone, the series evolved a complex meditation on contemporary concerns such as the erosion of civil liberties and growing culture of surveillance, and many episodes dealt with systemic political corruption. Spooks developed into a hybrid, incorporating traits of the conspiracy thriller into the traditional spy thriller model, yet its critiques were limited by the fundamental narrative impulse of spy fiction towards maintaining the status quo.

Initially such developments were largely ignored by the Bond films, which were able to retain an optimistic tone into the 1990s, helped by nostalgic ‘retro’ revival of 1960s spy fiction in this decade. Indeed, Pierce Brosnan’s Bond seemed to embody a sense of post-Cold War optimism and, as a charismatic and informal figure with an interventionist stance on world affairs, arguably reflected the contemporary image and popularity of then-Prime Minister Tony Blair. Yet his subsequent replacement by Craig, as Blair’s foreign policy became more controversial, read like a crisis of this image. In Casino Royale (2006) Bond (by now suspect) charm was reconfigured, and his role as an individualist, untamed by the British political institutions, was both emphasised and questioned. Global terrorism has been a more substantial focus in Craig’s films than in preceding instalments, yet in Quantum of Solace (2008) this was counterbalanced by the revelation of extensive corruption in the British state, the first significant intrusion of conspiracy into the Bond series.

Recently themes of institutional conspiracy have even entered period drama with espionage themes, such as the film adaptation of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011) and the television series The Hour (2011-), providing a historical dimension to this crisis. Skyfall and Hunted appear set to continue the development of conspiratorial tropes within the spy genre, challenging its tendency towards optimism and closure, and this tension offers the potential to engage with new political contexts in a contemporary framework. Joseph Oldham is an Associate Fellow in the Department of Film and Television Studies at the University of Warwick and his research focuses upon the history of spy and conspiracy dramas on British television. He has published articles in the Journal of British Cinema and Television and the Journal of Intelligence History and is currently writing a book entitled Paranoid Visions: Spies, Conspiracies and the Secret State in British Television Drama. This article was originally written in 2012 to coincide with the release of Skyfall. Images:

Question: What genre best describes the 1967-72 UK TV series Callan?
Answer: Spy