When Patrick McGoohan abruptly left 'Danger Man' in 1966, the entire production team split in half - David Tomblin, George Markstein, and Don Chaffey followed him to Portmeirion to create the bizarre cult classic 'The Prisoner', while Sidney Cole, Barry Delmaine and John Glen set up a new show. Originally titled 'McGill', it was created by Dennis Spooner and Richard Harris, neither of whom had any further involvement.
'Man In A Suitcase' was an unusual series from the I.T.C. stable, insofar that it had a hero who wasn't respected or admired, simply misunderstood. McGill had been a top U.S. agent who'd been sacked for his part in a spy scandal for which he was blameless, and had become a private eye based in London and Europe.
Richard Bradford made 'McGill' harder than the heroes generally found on television at that time ( he chain smoked for one thing ) while the scripts were of a high standard, particularly 'The Whisper', 'Variation On A Million Bucks', 'Dead Man's Shoes', 'Day Of Execution', and 'Web With Four Spiders'. The guest-stars included John Gregson, Colin Blakely ( twice ), Edward Fox, Simon Williams, Rodney Bewes, Stuart Damon, Judy Geeson, Jacqueline Pearce, Patrick Cargill and Darren Nesbitt.
It is rumoured that some scripts were left overs from 'Danger Man'. 'The Boston Square' and 'Night Flight To Andorra' look as though they could have fitted into that series, while 'The Bridge' is more like an episode of A.B.C.'s 'The Human Jungle'. 'Jigsaw Man' was the only 'Suitcase' adventure to play for laughs.
Unlike the bloodless fights seen in 'The Saint', 'Suitcase' actually showed McGill getting hurt and, in a couple of instances, beaten senseless. By depicting the world of espionage in a realistic light, the show was slightly ahead of its time. It was a '70's show made in the '60's. Ron Grainer's theme tune is one of his best too!
Of all the I.T.C. action shows made in the mid-to-late '60's, 'Man In a Suitcase' was the most deserving of a second series.
'Man In A Suitcase' was an unusual series from the I.T.C. stable, insofar that it had a hero who wasn't respected or admired, simply misunderstood. McGill had been a top U.S. agent who'd been sacked for his part in a spy scandal for which he was blameless, and had become a private eye based in London and Europe.
Richard Bradford made 'McGill' harder than the heroes generally found on television at that time ( he chain smoked for one thing ) while the scripts were of a high standard, particularly 'The Whisper', 'Variation On A Million Bucks', 'Dead Man's Shoes', 'Day Of Execution', and 'Web With Four Spiders'. The guest-stars included John Gregson, Colin Blakely ( twice ), Edward Fox, Simon Williams, Rodney Bewes, Stuart Damon, Judy Geeson, Jacqueline Pearce, Patrick Cargill and Darren Nesbitt.
It is rumoured that some scripts were left overs from 'Danger Man'. 'The Boston Square' and 'Night Flight To Andorra' look as though they could have fitted into that series, while 'The Bridge' is more like an episode of A.B.C.'s 'The Human Jungle'. 'Jigsaw Man' was the only 'Suitcase' adventure to play for laughs.
Unlike the bloodless fights seen in 'The Saint', 'Suitcase' actually showed McGill getting hurt and, in a couple of instances, beaten senseless. By depicting the world of espionage in a realistic light, the show was slightly ahead of its time. It was a '70's show made in the '60's. Ron Grainer's theme tune is one of his best too!
Of all the I.T.C. action shows made in the mid-to-late '60's, 'Man In a Suitcase' was the most deserving of a second series.