"The Pathfinders" (1972) TV series

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Creator:

Gerry Brown

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

27 September 1972 (UK)

Genre:

Drama | War

Plot Keywords:

WWII | Royal Air Force | Bomber | England | Bombing Mission

Cast

Robert Urquhart	...	Wing Commander MacPhearson (7 episodes, 1972)
Jack Watling	...	Doc Saxon (7 episodes, 1972)
Julian Orchard	...	The Padre / ... (4 episodes, 1972-1973)
Jack May	...	Squadron Leader Shanks / ... (3 episodes, 1972-1973)

Runtime:

60 min (13 episodes)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

UK:PG

Company:

Thames Television

Movie Connections:

Edited into Nightmare (1972)

Just watching this series for the first time in nearly 35 years

Sometimes one wonders how the very best drama series' manage to disappear into utter obscurity. Unavailable in the UK for decades the copyright owners of this cracking historical drama really do need their knuckles wrapped for allowing such a gripping and faithful historically based record gather dust in an obscure film library somewhere.

Characterisations are sharp as a needle and the witty wartime banter alternates well with the seriousness of losing ones colleagues to tragic accidents, mistakes and enemy fire. Original wartime footage, much of it colour, is inter-cut bringing a genuine wartime tension to the small screen.

War, ironically, can bring out the best in people. As vanity, ego and other trifling worries are left behind, self-sacrifice, wit, and devotion to duty are the only parts of one's character worth a bean.

All in all a forgotten gem of a series which, considering original Pathfinder war heroes contributed throughout the script development process, should have been repeated many times on TV.

The trueness to history certainly comes across as the squadron battle episode after episode with new developments on the Nazi side and sometimes struggle with their own side to get the support they need to ensure bombing raids on the Nazi industrial targets are as effective as possible.

I'm off home now to watch the final two episodes - happy as Larry that someone has seen fit to dig this good old-style drama series out. Time to disconnect the TV aerial maybe as this kind of show could never be made today. Writers and commissioning editors are not made of such steely stuff and probably never will be again. Watch it and learn what our forefathers (and some WAAF's too!) did to protect our and our children's freedoms back in the 1940's.

Tony Gosling