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The Professionals

  • TV Series
  • 1977–19831977–1983
  • 50m
IMDb RATING
8.0/10
3.1K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,843
84
Episode guide
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
The Professionals (1977)
  • Action
  • Comedy
  • Crime
Bodie and Doyle, top agents for Britain's CI5 (Criminal Intelligence 5), and their controller, George Cowley fight terrorism and similar high-profile crimes. Cowley, a hard ex-MI5 operative,... Read allBodie and Doyle, top agents for Britain's CI5 (Criminal Intelligence 5), and their controller, George Cowley fight terrorism and similar high-profile crimes. Cowley, a hard ex-MI5 operative, hand-picked each of his men. Bodie was a cynical ex-SAS paratrooper and mercenary whose n... Read allBodie and Doyle, top agents for Britain's CI5 (Criminal Intelligence 5), and their controller, George Cowley fight terrorism and similar high-profile crimes. Cowley, a hard ex-MI5 operative, hand-picked each of his men. Bodie was a cynical ex-SAS paratrooper and mercenary whose nature ran to controlled violence, while his partner, Doyle, came to CI5 from the regular p... Read all
IMDb RATING
8.0/10
3.1K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,843
84
  • Creator
    • Brian Clemens
  • Stars
    • Gordon Jackson
    • Martin Shaw
    • Lewis Collins
Top credits
  • Creator
    • Brian Clemens
  • Stars
    • Gordon Jackson
    • Martin Shaw
    • Lewis Collins
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 41User reviews
    • 13Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Episodes57

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    The Professionals (1977)
    Lewis Collins, Gordon Jackson, and Martin Shaw in The Professionals (1977)
    The Professionals (1977)
    The Professionals (1977)
    The Professionals (1977)
    The Professionals (1977)
    The Professionals (1977)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Gordon Jackson
    Gordon Jackson
    • George Cowleyas George Cowley
    57 episodes57 eps • 1977–1983
    Martin Shaw
    Martin Shaw
    • Doyleas Doyle
    57 episodes57 eps • 1977–1983
    Lewis Collins
    Lewis Collins
    • Bodieas Bodie
    57 episodes57 eps • 1977–1983
    Bridget Brice
    Bridget Brice
    • Betty, Cowley's Secretaryas Betty, Cowley's Secretary
    8 episodes8 eps • 1977–1978
    Steve Alder
    • Murphyas Murphy
    7 episodes7 eps • 1980–1983
    Pat Gorman
    Pat Gorman
    • CI5 Agentas CI5 Agent…
    5 episodes5 eps • 1978–1982
    Pamela Stephenson
    Pamela Stephenson
    • Attractive Blondeas Attractive Blonde…
    3 episodes3 eps • 1978
    Allan Surtees
    • Ministeras Minister…
    3 episodes3 eps • 1978
    Nadim Sawalha
    Nadim Sawalha
    • Arab Diplomatas Arab Diplomat…
    3 episodes3 eps • 1978–1979
    Sally Harrison
    Sally Harrison
    • Chauffeuseas Chauffeuse…
    3 episodes3 eps • 1978–1979
    Diana Weston
    Diana Weston
    • Ruth, CI5 Girlas Ruth, CI5 Girl…
    3 episodes3 eps • 1978
    Trevor Adams
    • Benny, CI5 Agentas Benny, CI5 Agent…
    3 episodes3 eps • 1977–1978
    Frank Jarvis
    • Daleas Dale…
    3 episodes3 eps • 1978–1979
    Dick Sullivan
    • Priestas Priest…
    3 episodes3 eps • 1978–1979
    Del Henney
    • Benny Marshas Benny Marsh…
    2 episodes2 eps • 1978–1983
    John Castle
    John Castle
    • Peter Crabbeas Peter Crabbe…
    2 episodes2 eps • 1978
    Sheila Ruskin
    • Helenas Helen…
    2 episodes2 eps • 1977–1983
    Michael Latimer
    Michael Latimer
    • Georgias Georgi…
    2 episodes2 eps • 1978
    • Creator
      • Brian Clemens
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      For many years, Martin Shaw (Doyle) blocked repeat television showings of the series, disowning it almost immediately after it had finished. Although he gave his reason as not being able to negotiate fees for television repeats with program makers London Weekend Television, it was also alleged that he didn't want to be typecast with the "hard man" image the show portrayed him to have. He only eventually relented to repeat showings in the mid 1990s, when it was discreetly pointed out to him that the widow of Gordon Jackson (Cowley) could do with the income generated by repeat fees.
    • Quotes

      [scene-setting voiceover from Season 1 opening titles]

      George Cowley: Anarchy, acts of terror, crimes against the public. To combat it I've got special men - experts from the army, the police, from every service - these are The Professionals.

    • Alternate versions
      The Season 1 episodes were originally shown with an opening title sequence which included scenes of Bodie and Doyle on an assault course, intercut with a stopwatch. However for repeats and DVD release, the more familiar Season 2-5 title sequence which started with car crashing through a plate glass window was retro-fitted onto the Season 1 episodes.
    • Connections
      Featured in It'll Be Alright on the Night 2 (1979)
    • Soundtracks
      The Professionals (Main Title)
      Written by Laurie Johnson

      Performed by The Laurie Johnson Orchestra

    User reviews41

    Review
    Top review
    Why the Professionals is a T.V legend
    The Professionals is an extremely high quality cult t.v series that well and truly deserves its tag of "t.v legend".This is due to its excellent writing courtesy of Brian Clemens and co. and the outstanding theme and incidental scores of the incomparable Laurie Johnson.The series itself has a truly filmic quality due to the varied locations used - from beautiful shots of the English countryside with the immortal Ford Capris speeding by to the sweeping panning camera shots of the city of London.Everything about this series is memorable , from the exhilarating opening theme complete with wahwah guitar and "Shaft" style hihats to the abrasive , yet humorous relationship between the two leads.Even though most people seem to remember this series as so-called standard crime/adventure viewing , in reality , it is more than that.Particular episodes , such as "Wild Justice" , is about the character Bodie (Lewis Collins) in particular and asks whether he is able to continue working effectively under the stress placed on him by the demands of a job in an organisation such as Ci5.This sounds a reasonably formal premise for a plot , but on viewing the episode itself we see that unusual elements (such as Bodie going to an oriental martial arts/medical expert for help and advice) have been thoughtfully added by the writer to give an extra edge.To enhance this interesting angle further , the oriental character then proceeds to give Cowley - Bodies boss (Gordon Jackson) a lecture about where the soul might be placed in the body , definetly an unusual and welcome aspect to proceedings and it is precisely these element that make the Professionals linger in the mind long after an episode is over.

    Unfortunately , at the time the show was mauled by critics , being cited as "moronic" and overly violent.It is undoubtedly fair to say that the show most certainly was the latter of these two things , being primarily a contemporary crime/drama series.It is also fair to say that whenever there was violence present on the screen it was handled with a certain flair and portrayed realistically.However , the reason the vitriolic attack from the critics didnt sour the publics appetite for the show was this - excellent acting from the trio of Gordon jackson (Cowley) , Lewis Collins (Bodie) and Martin Shaw (Doyle) in the lead roles , first class writing and production , the special atmosphere that permeated every episode , the memorable chemistry between Bodie and Doyle and the music , which spawned a theme which is now a signature within the genre itself and incidental music which managed magnificently to capture many differing moods and emotions , some normally found outside the often narrowly viewed crime/drama division section of television entertainment.The Professionals was and still is different and set new standards in many areas that television today is still catching up to.BUGS , anyone ?
    helpful•23
    2
    • olomax
    • Feb 9, 2001

    FAQ2

    • Were any of the stories based on real life?
    • Why were the original actors playing Bodie and Doyle replaced?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 30, 1977 (United Kingdom)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Official sites
      • Distributor's Official Site
      • The Authorised Guide to The Professionals
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Die Profis
    • Filming locations
      • Beckton Gasworks, Beckton, London, England, UK
    • Production companies
      • London Weekend Television (LWT)
      • Mark 1 Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      50 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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