The Sandbaggers (1978–1980)

The missions of an elite British Intelligence covert operations unit.

Creator:

Ian Mackintosh

Stars:

Roy Marsden, Ray Lonnen, Jerome Willis

Cast

Series cast summary:
Roy Marsden	...	Neil Burnside (20 episodes, 1978-1980)
Ray Lonnen	...	Willie Caine (20 episodes, 1978-1980)
Jerome Willis	...	Matthew Peele (20 episodes, 1978-1980)
Bob Sherman	...	Jeff Ross (17 episodes, 1978-1980)
Alan MacNaughton	...	Sir Geoffrey Wellingham (14 episodes, 1978-1980)
Michael Cashman	...	Mike Wallace (13 episodes, 1980)
Richard Vernon	...	'C' (12 episodes, 1978-1980)
Elizabeth Bennett	...	Diane Lawler (12 episodes, 1978-1980)

Storyline

THE SANDBAGGERS is a taut British spy series comprising twenty 50-minute episodes produced by Yorkshire Television, an ITV franchise (i.e., a commercial regional British television franchise). The stories centered on the elite covert operations section of British Intelligence, nicknamed the Sandbaggers, and their boss, Neil Burnside, himself a former Sandbagger but now having to battle more with British bureaucracy than with enemy agents. It was set contemporaneously with its original broadcast in the late '70s and early '80s when the Cold War still dominated the Western intelligence agenda.

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Plot Keywords:

spy | espionage | politics

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Genres:

Thriller

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 September 1978 (UK)

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Yorkshire Television (YTV)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min 60 min (20 episodes)

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Creator Ian Mackintosh was developing the next season of Sandbaggers at the time of his disappearance. According to actor Ray Lonnen, MacKintosh was considering having the character Willie Caine promoted to D-Ops, while Neil Burnside (played by Roy Marsden) would move up to "C" (head of S.I.S.). However, after MacKintosh's (apparent) death, the producers decided to end the series because they felt no one could write Sandbaggers as well as MacKintosh.

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Quotes

Burnside: If I want to send an agent to the lavatory, I need the Foreign Secretary's permission. If I want him to do anything when he gets there, I need the Prime Minister's written approval!

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Soundtracks

"The Sandbaggers Theme"
Written by Roy Budd

User Reviews

Heroic and Inspirational

This is probably the best TV series I have ever seen.

I also accidently stumbled upon the series while watching PBS. It caught my attention and I could not quit watching. My favorite episodes are "Decision by Committee" and "Who Needs Enemies". I particularly liked Burnside's dedication to his principles and also, the dedication of his fellow Sandbaggers to him. Anyone who admires the theme of "competence versus political influence" will enjoy this series. Glad to see that all of the series is now available on DVD.