"Enemy at the Door" (1978) TV series 1978-1980

Seasons:

1 | 2

Release Date:

21 January 1978 (UK)

Genre:

Drama | History | War

Plot:

Drama about the Nazi occupation of the Channel Islands during the Second World War.

Plot Keywords:

Occupation | Channel Islands | Guernsey | Doctor | SS Officer

Cast

Alfred Burke	...	Major Richter / ... (26 episodes, 1978-1980)
Bernard Horsfall	...	Dr. Philip Martel / ... (23 episodes, 1978-1980)
Antonia Pemberton	...	Olive Martel (22 episodes, 1978-1980)
Simon Cadell	...	Sturmbannführer Reinicke / ... (21 episodes, 1978-1980)
Simon Lack	...	Major Freidel (21 episodes, 1978-1980)
John Malcolm	...	Oberleutnant Kluge (19 episodes, 1978-1980)
Richard Heffer	...	Peter Porteous (16 episodes, 1978-1980)
Emily Richard	...	Clare Martel (15 episodes, 1978-1980)

Series Directed by
Bill Bain		(11 episodes, 1978-1980)
Jonathan Alwyn		(6 episodes, 1978-1980)
Christopher Hodson		(4 episodes, 1978)
Martyn Friend		(3 episodes, 1980)

Series Writing credits
Michael Chapman		(7 episodes, 1978-1980)
James Doran		(6 episodes, 1978-1980)
N.J. Crisp		(4 episodes, 1978-1980)
John Kershaw		(3 episodes, 1978-1980)
Kenneth Clark		(3 episodes, 1978)

Series Produced by
Tony Wharmby	....	executive producer (26 episodes, 1978-1980)
Michael Chapman	....	producer (13 episodes, 1978)
Jonathan Alwyn	....	producer (13 episodes, 1980)

Series Original Music by
Wilfred Josephs		(26 episodes, 1978-1980)

Series Film Editing by
Derek Bain		(12 episodes, 1978)
Ray Helm		(9 episodes, 1980)
Martin Hay		(2 episodes, 1980)

Series Casting by
Anthony Arnell		(26 episodes, 1978-1980)

Series Production Design by
Andrew Gardner		(9 episodes, 1978-1980)
John Emery		(5 episodes, 1978)
Frank Nerini		(4 episodes, 1978)
Rodney Cammish		(4 episodes, 1980)
Mike Oxley		(4 episodes, 1980)

Series Costume Design by
Gwenda Evans		(21 episodes, 1978-1980)
Michael Cocks		(13 episodes, 1978)
May Tapley		(7 episodes, 1980)

Series Makeup Department
Margaret Palphramand	....	makeup artist (14 episodes, 1978-1980)
Sabina Cowan	....	makeup artist (5 episodes, 1978)
Avril Goddard	....	makeup artist (5 episodes, 1978)
Lynda Bayne	....	makeup artist (2 episodes, 1978)

Series Production Management
Glen Jennings	....	production manager (12 episodes, 1980)
Mike Hack	....	production manager (7 episodes, 1978)
Michael Mcloughlin	....	production manager (3 episodes, 1978)
Brian Penny	....	production manager (3 episodes, 1978)

Series Art Department
Tony Oldfield	....	graphics / graphic artist (26 episodes, 1978-1980)

Series Sound Department
Alan Mills	....	film sound (18 episodes, 1978-1980)
Chris Clarke	....	sound supervisor (9 episodes, 1978-1980)
Bill Cross	....	film sound / sound recordist (6 episodes, 1978)
Mike Fairman	....	sound supervisor (5 episodes, 1978-1980)
Paul Faraday	....	sound supervisor (4 episodes, 1978-1980)
Bob Bell	....	sound supervisor (2 episodes, 1978-1980)
Don Chapman	....	sound supervisor (2 episodes, 1978-1980)
Mike Ayres	....	sound supervisor (2 episodes, 1978)

Series Camera and Electrical Department
Mike Humphreys	....	film camera (19 episodes, 1978-1980)
Laurie Bild	....	lighting director (10 episodes, 1978-1980)
Martin Bond	....	camera supervisor / camera operator (10 episodes, 1978-1980)
Derek Doe	....	senior camera operator / camera supervisor (7 episodes, 1978-1980)
Bert Wilkins	....	lighting director (7 episodes, 1978-1980)
Don Furness	....	vision controller (6 episodes, 1978-1980)
Frank Parker	....	vision controller (6 episodes, 1978-1980)
Barry Noakes	....	film camera (6 episodes, 1978)
Richard Cooper	....	vision controller (5 episodes, 1978-1980)
Trevor Saunders	....	lighting director (4 episodes, 1978)
Dave Taylor	....	camera supervisor / camera (4 episodes, 1980)
Terry Pyrke	....	vision controller (3 episodes, 1980)
Peter Stephenson	....	vision controller (2 episodes, 1978-1980)
Glen Jennings	....	vision controller (2 episodes, 1978)
Tim Piper	....	film camera (2 episodes, 1978)
Chris Bartlett-Judd	....	lighting director (2 episodes, 1980)

Series Editorial Department
Anne Gurney	....	vision mixer (18 episodes, 1978-1980)
Geoff Beames	....	editor: video tape / editor: Video tape (11 episodes, 1978-1980)
Graham Roberts	....	editor: video tape / video-tape editor (10 episodes, 1978-1980)
Michael Williams	....	editor: video tape (4 episodes, 1980)
Michael Elliott	....	vision mixer (3 episodes, 1978-1980)
Terry Kinane	....	vision mixer (3 episodes, 1980)
Sandra Vardy	....	vision mixer (2 episodes, 1980)

Series Music Department
Wilfred Josephs	....	composer: theme music (8 episodes, 1980)

Series Other crew
Peter McKay	....	location supervisor (25 episodes, 1978-1980)
Raymond Falla	....	technical advisor / technical adviser (24 episodes, 1978-1980)
Michael Chapman	....	script editor / story editor (22 episodes, 1978-1980)
Len Swainston	....	floor manager (20 episodes, 1978-1980)
Laurence Rooke	....	stage manager / studio manager (13 episodes, 1978-1980)
Marion Poole	....	production assistant (12 episodes, 1978-1980)
Vicki Miller	....	production assistant (10 episodes, 1978-1980)
Clare Daley	....	stage manager (6 episodes, 1980)
Rodney Figaro	....	stage manager (4 episodes, 1978)
Ruth Tester-Brown	....	production assistant (4 episodes, 1980)
Eric Cooper	....	floor manager (2 episodes, 1978)
Molly Somerville	....	stage manager (2 episodes, 1978)
John West	....	floor manager (2 episodes, 1978)
Ken Hounsom	....	floor manager (2 episodes, 1980)

Production Companies

• London Weekend Television (LWT)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

60 min (26 episodes) | USA:650 min (13 episodes)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

London Weekend Television (LWT)

Enjoyable series, a bit stagey

I came across this drama some months ago two-thirds of the way through its showing on the "Yesterday" channel here in the UK. Now it's being repeated again, and I've seen perhaps half the episodes. Hopefully I'll get around to seeing them all when/if it's repeated again! It's well worth watching and explores some interesting situations between the occupiers and residents. But it never ran to a third series, which would have had to deal with a worsening situation as the war progressed, supplies dried up and Jewish citizens deported.

I'm not one for characterising all, or indeed many, Germans in the war as Nazi thugs, but those most frequently featured in the series do come across as particularly humane, in fact benign - with the exception, of course, of Reinicke. I assume that all the characters are fictitious. With the series being first screened 35 years after the Occupation there would have been plenty of Guernsey people alive to have commented on the authenticity.

Perhaps now and then things get a bit stagey, that is, as it's a stage play, with some quite wordy dialogue. But I am looking forward to viewing the episodes I haven't seen yet.