| ITC Entertainment Distributions | |
|---|---|
| Department S | |
 |
|
| Format | Spy-fi Action Adventure |
| Running time | 50 min. |
| Created by | Dennis Spooner Monty Berman |
| Starring | Peter Wyngarde Joel Fabiani Rosemary Nicols Dennis Alaba Peters |
| Country of origin | UK |
| Network | ATV |
| Original run | March 9, 1969 – March 4, 1970 |
| No. of episodes | 28 Episode list |
Department S was a British spy-fi adventure series produced by ITC Entertainment. The series lasted for 28 episodes, which aired in 1969-70. The series starred Peter Wyngarde as Jason King (who later went on to star in his own, eponymous, spin-off series), Joel Fabiani as Stewart Sullivan and Rosemary Nicols as Annabelle Hurst. The trio were agents for a fictional special department (the 'S' of the title) of Interpol. The head of Department S was Sir Curtis Seretse (played by Dennis Alaba Peters).
The series was created by Dennis Spooner and Monty Berman, although neither wrote any of the episodes, which were instead written by ITC veterans such as Terry Nation and Philip Broadley. Many of the directors on the show had also worked on a number of ITC shows – The Saint, Danger Man, The Protectors and Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased). Like many of the ITC shows, Department S has gained cult status.
"When a case proves too baffling for the minds of Interpol, they turn to the talents of Department S." - from the ITC trailer for the series.
Austin Powers is believed to have been based upon the flamboyant Jason King character[citation needed]. Jason King was also the basis for Jason Bentley, played by Peter Richardson in the 1993 Comic Strip Presents film Detectives on the Edge of a Nervous Breakdown
The first two episodes of the series were released on a now deleted DVD in Britain by Carlton Television (now ITV plc). Repeats began airing on ITV4 in November 2005, alongside a large number of similar ITC productions. The series has also been released on DVD by Umbrella Entertainment in a box set. This version is in PAL with no region code. Network has also released this series on DVD in the UK [1] featuring many exclusive extras including commentaries and part of a documentary series also covering Jason King; Wanna Watch a Television Series? Chapter One: Variations on a Theme.
Contents |
Cast
- Peter Wyngarde....Jason King
- Joel Fabiani....Stewart Sullivan
- Rosemary Nicols....Annabelle Hurst
- Dennis Alaba Peters....Sir Curtis Seretse - listed as Dennis Alba Peters in first series credits.
Episode list
Filming took place between April 1968 and June1969.
Airdate[1] is for ATV Midlands. ITV[2] regions varied date and order.
Production number here refers to ITC synopsis guide number and the order in the Network DVD booklet.
| Episode# | Prod # | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5101 | "Six Days" | Cyril Frankel | Gerald Kelsey | March 9, 1969 |
| An aircraft goes missing for six days and the crew have no recollection of events, Department S investigate. | |||||
| 2 | 5102 | "The Trojan Tanker" | Ray Austin | Philip Broadley | March 16, 1969 |
| A crashed tanker with a room built inside and a girl unconscious who disappears before help arrives. | |||||
| 3 | 5116 | "A Cellar Full of Silence" | John Gilling | Terry Nation | March 23, 1969 |
| Department S are called after the discovery of four dead men are found in a cellar wearing fancy dress. | |||||
| 4 | 5110 | "The Pied Piper of Hambledown" | Roy Ward Baker | Donald James | March 30, 1969 |
| When an entire village disappears overnight except for one girl, Department S are called. | |||||
| 5 | 5103 | "One of Our Aircraft Is Empty" | Paul Dickson | Tony Williamson | April 6, 1969 |
| An airliner lands at Heathrow and the crew and passengers are missing. (Made back to back with Six Days). | |||||
| 6 | 5118 | "The Man in the Elegant Room" | Cyril Frankel | Terry Nation | April 13, 1969 |
| When a deaf girl and a demented man are found in a room inside a disused factory Depart S investigate. | |||||
| 7 | 5117 | "Handicap Dead" | John Gilling | Philip Broadley | April 20, 1969 |
| When a tournament golfer is found dead on a nearby beach, Sullivan investigates. | |||||
| 8 | 5121 | "A Ticket to Nowhere" | Cyril Frankel | Tony Williamson | April 27, 1969 |
| A disappearing scientist and the death of a financier are linked, but Jason and Stewart keep forgetting about the case to the despair of Annabelle. | |||||
| 9 | 5115 | "Black Out" | Ray Austin | Philip Broadley | September 17, 1969 |
| A chef and food critic is found unconscious in the Mexican desert and cannot recall the last three days. Is there a connection to the American space program? | |||||
| 10 | 5119 | "Double Death of Charlie Crippen" | John Gilling | Leslie Darbon | September 24, 1969 |
| An assassination attempt leaves only a dummy as the victim and Department S has to discover who the real target is? | |||||
| 11 | 5120 | "Who Plays the Dummy" | John Gilling | Tony Williamson | October 1, 1969 |
| When a car crashes and the sole occupant is a dummy in the driving seat leads Department S on a trail leading to an imminent attack on N.A.T.O. senior officers. | |||||
| 12 | 5123 | "The Treasure of the Costa del Sol" | John Gilling | Philip Broadley | October 8, 1969 |
| Two dead fisherman and a haul of plastic fish containig $100,000 leads to a painter and engraver. | |||||
| 13 | 5107 | "The Man Who Got a New Face" | Cyril Frankel | Philip Broadley | October 15, 1969 |
| Department S investigate when a man is found dead with a clowns mask glued to his faceand the trail leads to a vicious vendetta. | |||||
| 14 | 5112 | "Les Fleurs du Mal" | Cyril Frankel | Philip Broadley | October 22, 1969 |
| Three plastic flowers contain a coded message that will lead to the proceeds of a bank robbery, but there are interested parties ready to kill for the flowers. | |||||
| 15 | 5104 | "The Shift That Never Was" | John Gilling | Donald James | October 25, 1969 |
| With one exception, every member of staff of a chemical factory take a day off. The one man who went in is murdered and the trail leads to a beauty parlour and nuclear power station. | |||||
| 16 | 5111 | "The Man from X" | Gill Taylor | Tony Williamson | November 5, 1969 |
| A man clad in a spacesuit staggers in a London street, unable to remove the jammed helmet, suffocates. Department S investigate and the only clue is the man has slight radiation burns and had been in vacuum. | |||||
| 17 | 5106 | "Dead Men Die Twice" | Ray Austin | Philip Broadley | November 12, 1969 |
| Department S find that 'dead man' can die twice when a man is murdered twice three years after his double had been murdered. | |||||
| 18 | 5122 | "The Perfect Operation" | Cyril Frankel | Leslie Darbon | November 26, 1969 |
| A surgeon performing a delicate brain operation on a senior British civil servant is forcibly removed and another surgeon enters and completes the operation saving the mans life. Department S investigate the only surgeon capable of doing the operation but he is Russian and too old. | |||||
| 19 | 5124 | "The Duplicated Man" | Paul Dickson | Harry W.Junkin | December 3, 1969 |
| A double agent is killed but is he really dead after he has spent ten years cultivating a second identity to escape from his masters. Department S investigate closely followed by enemy agents. | |||||
| 20 | 5113 | "The Mysterious Man in the Flying Machine" | Cyril Frankel | Philip Broadley | December 10, 1969 |
| A man is found murdered in a mock up aircraft in a warehouse. The team wonder why anybody should go to so much trouble. A message left scrawled on their car is the only clue. | |||||
| 21 | 5108 | "Death on Reflection" | Ray Austin | Philip Broadley | December 17, 1969 |
| Head of Department S, Sir Curtis Seretse is astonished to see a mirror at auction sell for four times its value and when the buyer is murdered asks the team to investigate. | |||||
| 22 | 5127 | "The Last Train to Redbridge" | John Gilling | Gerald Kelsy | January 14, 1970 |
| Multiple Murder on a tube train lead Department S to criminal speculators attempting to tap the hot line between The US. President and the UK Prime Minister. | |||||
| 23 | 5126 | "A Small War of Nerves" | Leslie Norman | Harry W.Junkin | January 21, 1970 |
| A fanatical scientist who has developed a deadly nerve gas threatens to wipe out London unless governments take notice and agree to live in peace. | |||||
| 24 | 5109 | "The Bones of Byrom Blain" | Paul Dickson | Tony Williamson | January 28, 1970 |
| A chauffeur arrives at his destination only to discover his passenger has disappeared leaving only his skeleton behind. Department S investigate and discover the chauffer's skeleton and the same fate awaits Sir Curtis Seretse and Jason King. | |||||
| 25 | 124 | "Spencer Bodily is 60 Years Old" | Leslie Norman | Harry W.Junkin | February 11, 1970 |
| Spencer Bodily is dead, he looks 20 but must be at least 60 and there is no record he ever existed. The body disappears and Department S suspect there could be more cases of 'eternal youth'. | |||||
| 26 | 5105 | "The Ghost of Mary Burnham" | Cyril Frankel | Harry W.Junkin | February 18, 1970 |
| John Burnham is tormented by the ghost of his wife shortly after she is shot and killed. He is a brilliant economist and is someone trying to unbalance him to prevent him taking an important job. Department S has to find out before he is driven insane. | |||||
| 27 | 5114 | "A Fish Out of Water" | Cyril Frankel | Philip Broadley | February 25, 1970 |
| When an Interpol agent is found dead, Jason King is sent to take over his mission to crack an international drug ring. Jason realises he has been identified and his life is in danger. Stewart and Annabelle are sent to back him up. | |||||
| 28 | 5128 | "Soup of the Day" | Leslie Norman | Leslie Darbon | March 4,1970 |
| When a crate of soup is stolen from a bonded warehouse. Department S suspect smuggling but when they locate the stolen soup cans, all intact and all contain only soup. A case of double cross. | |||||
References
- ^ Dates from ITC Episode guide issued with the Network DVD
- ^ History of ITV
External links
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