A workmanlike box set of the cult, downbeat spy series from the seventies...

Callan is a dry, downbeat show about an ex-serviceman used by British intelligence to deal with difficult situations, sometimes requiring him to kill. It's an unglamorous, un-romanticised account of the job, that lays bare the hypocrisy and unpleasantness of the Cold War struggle between the West and the former Soviet Union. The two series of gripping stories, 22 in all, hinge on the compelling central performance of Edward Woodward as complex reluctant anti-hero David Callan.

In the same way that wild optimistic flights of science fiction fantasy like Barbarella and 2001:A Space Odyssey gave way to cynicism and negative future visions like Planet Of The Apes and Soylent Green, spy films were also transformed from the slick, wise-cracking James Bond and Men From UNCLE, to the downbeat and unsettling Harry Palmer and Callan.

Discrediting, blackmailing, and ultimately killing people whose actions threaten the West is the stock in trade on the British secret service organisation portrayed as 'The Section' in the programme. Several of the plots involve revealing or hiding the truth of situations to 'discredit the opposition'.

Callan spends his time in a seedy top floor flat, hardening his fists by punching into a washing up bowl full of sand, or cleaning his gun ready for its next use. All the time he knows that if he is in trouble or caught, his bosses may find it better to pretend they have no idea who he is and what he is doing, rather than have to answer embarrassing questions about possible perversion of the course of justice. He gets light relief from his collection of model soldiers, his interest ironically mirroring how his actions are controlled in a complex war game by his masters.

In his work Callan is sometimes assisted by a petty criminal called Lonely, played with an authentic London accent by true Scot Russell Hunter. He is called Lonely because the stress of his adventures with Callan causes him to smell rather unpleasantly, so that people prefer not to be in his company. As a nobody, he is able to hide himself when observing shadowy goings on in the world of spies. He is terrified of Callan but also admires his strength. His relative innocence in the face of all the evil deeds shines a light onto Callan's conscience.

He also has a young ambitious colleague called Cross, convincingly portrayed by Patrick Mower, who lacks the judgement and thoughtfulness of Callan, and sometimes threatens to cause as much trouble as he's preventing. His boss, Hunter, is portrayed by William Squire, who brings a confident gravitas to the job of behaving amorally to achieve sometimes suspect political objectives.

The show started in black and white days at a time when broadcast programmes were sometimes 'wiped' from their original recordings, and several episodes from the first 2 series made this way have been lost. Thames TV won the London area TV franchise in the late sixties and produced the revived series in colour in the seventies. This box set brings together the Thames (third and fourth) series in their entirety.

"A compulsive high-quality drama experience"

Some years previous to Callan, George Markstein had been script editor on The Prisoner, Patrick McGoohan's legendary cult classic about a spy who resigns. Markstein had left before the end of the production, citing concerns about the more bizarre directions the programme was going in. On Callan, Markstein was story editor, and it seems likely that with the show he found the sorts of stories that he would have favoured, had his more realistic aspirations for The Prisoner been fulfilled.

In fact the programme has parallels with The Prisoner: The section's boss sometimes changes, but he retains the name 'Hunter', come what may, just like Number 2 in The Village of The Prisoner. Characters are routinely under surveillance, even when supposedly trusted, as when Hunter watches his staff on CCTV as they go about their duties.

The series is full of suspense, and although there is disturbing action and violence, it is used sparingly to powerful effect. As such it's a very cerebral show and so won't be satisfying viewing to those who like shoot'em-ups or long chase sequences. The filming is very studio based, and highly unglamorous, with Callan's dingy flat, or Hunter's brick-lined offices. This all adds to the gritty engaging realism and excellent stories that make the show a compulsive high-quality drama experience.

Special Features:

None. The set is as bare as Callan's flat, with very basic episode selection menus, no extra features and not even subtitles.

Running Time: 1100 minutes approximately
Certificate: 15
Price: £79.99
No of discs: 6

Callan - The Colour Years is released today.

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