Series synopsis
The Professionals is a British action & adventure crime drama television series that premiered on ITV1 on December 30, 1977. It ended on February 6, 1983. It was created by Brian Clemens. It stars Lewis Collins, Martin Shaw, Gordon Jackson and Jasmina Hilton.
The lives of Bodie and Doyle, top agents for Britain's CI5 (Criminal Intelligence 5), and their controller, George Cowley.
The mandate of CI5 was to fight terrorism and similar high-profile crimes. Cowley, a hard ex-MI5 operative, hand-picked each of his men. Bodie is a cynical ex-SAS paratrooper and mercenary whose nature ran to controlled violence, while his partner, Doyle, comes to CI5 from the regular police force, and is more of an open minded liberal. Their relationship is often contenti ...
Premise
The lives of Bodie and Doyle, top agents for Britain's CI5 (Criminal Intelligence 5), and their controller, George Cowley.
The mandate of CI5 was to fight terrorism and similar high-profile crimes. Cowley, a hard ex-MI5 operative, hand-picked each of his men. Bodie is a cynical ex-SAS paratrooper and mercenary whose nature ran to controlled violence, while his partner, Doyle, comes to CI5 from the regular police force, and is more of an open minded liberal. Their relationship is often contentious, but they are the top men in their field, and the ones to whom Cowley always assigned to the toughest cases.
Premise: ANARCHY, ACTS OF TERROR, CRIMES AGAINST THE PUBLIC. TO COMBAT IT WE'VE GOT SPECIAL MEN...
Cast and characters
Leading cast
- Lewis Collins as Bodie
- Martin Shaw as Doyle
- Gordon Jackson as George Cowley
- Jasmina Hilton as Leia
- Al Matthews as Faroud
- Keith Barron as Charles Nesbitt
- Donald Douglas as Eric Sutton
- Di Trevis as Susan Fenton
Supporting cast
- Angus MacKay as Gerald Harvey
- Peter Penry-Jones as Cummings
- Penny Irving as Pam
- Donald MacIver as Hoskins
- Malou Cartwright as Ted Miller's Secretary
- Melanie Peck as Barmaid
- Anthony Steel as Sir Charles Milvern
- Walter Gotell as Sam Baker
- Felicity Dean as Sara Seaford
- Barry Justice as Simon Culver
- Maggie Wright as Paula
- Stefan Kalipha as Henry Aloysius Wences
Guest cast
- Jasmina Hilton as Leia
- Al Matthews as Faroud
- Keith Barron as Charles Nesbitt
- Donald Douglas as Eric Sutton
- Di Trevis as Susan Fenton
- Angus MacKay as Gerald Harvey
- Peter Penry-Jones as Cummings
- Penny Irving as Pam
- Donald MacIver as Hoskins
- Malou Cartwright as Ted Miller's Secretary
- Melanie Peck as Barmaid
- Anthony Steel as Sir Charles Milvern
Episodes
This series spans 5 seasons with 57 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 13 | December 30, 1977 | March 24, 1978 |
| Season 2 | 10 | October 7, 1978 | December 9, 1978 |
| Season 3 | 8 | October 27, 1979 | December 15, 1979 |
| Season 4 | 15 | September 7, 1980 | December 27, 1980 |
| Season 5 | 11 | November 7, 1982 | February 6, 1983 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Private Madness, Public Danger Charles Nesbitt, an expert on chemical weapons, threatens to contaminate the water sources of London with a lethal hallucogenic drug and in order to back up his claims, plans several small 'demonstrations' in warning to the local authorities - including CI5. |
December 30, 1977 |
| 2 |
The Female Factor An Iron Curtain agent is using a young girl to extort secrets from, and ultimately destroy the career of, a future British Prime Minister, unaware that the girl is the long-lost daughter of a well-known local prostitute. |
January 6, 1978 |
| 3 |
Old Dog With New Tricks A gangster called Turkel devises a plot to free his brother from jail by taking hostage an important figure in authority. He is unaware, however, that the 'important figure' he has taken in is actually Cowley masquerading as the Home Secretary, with Bodie as his bodyguard and Doyle ready to pull the trigger on Turkel's brother. |
January 13, 1978 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Hunter/Hunted Cowley assigns Doyle to test a brand new high-tech laser beam rifle. But the rifle is stolen from his flat and the thief decides to 'test' it on Doyle, sending him on a cat-and-mouse chase around London. |
October 7, 1978 |
| 2 |
The Rack A suspect being held under CI5's supervision is found dead in his cell - apparently after a fatal blow administered by Doyle. A public inquiry ensues and an influential lawyer calls for CI5 to be shut down. It's left to Cowley in fighting to save the organisation he founded. |
October 14, 1978 |
| 3 |
First Night CI5 are left to dig deep when an Israeli Minister is kidnapped, and the only clues to his whereabouts are a shadowy photograph and a coded tape message. |
October 21, 1978 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
The Purging of CI5 CI5 and their agents find themselves under attack from a vendetta of bombings and assassination attempts. Bodie and Doyle are on a chase to find out who the perpetrators are before they end up as the next victims. |
October 27, 1979 |
| 2 |
Backtrack It's just another routine house break-in for a cat burglar, until he accidentally uncovers a complex drugs smuggling operation. When CI5 step in, they realise it's not just the burglar's life that is now in danger. |
November 3, 1979 |
| 3 |
Stopover Cowley is offered the name of a highly-placed double agent from an old colleague - who in return wants to be guaranteed protection with CI5. This leads to the start of a dangerous stand-off between the two, using Bodie and Doyle as the pawns. |
November 10, 1979 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
The Acorn Syndrome The daughter of a British Government engineer who is working on a defence protect is kidnapped, and the only way she will be safely returned is if he agrees to betray secrets to enemy agents. |
September 7, 1980 |
| 2 |
Wild Justice Bodie's mental state is called ino question when he becomes obsessed with a local Hell's Angel motorcycle gang, gradually sending him further and further behind in training. Is he cracking up? |
September 14, 1980 |
| 3 |
Fugitive A CIA agent is murdered in London, prompting CI5 into launching a fake arms deal with the terrorists who were responsible for the killing. But the gang uncover the plot in time, taking Bodie hostage and using him as their meal ticket to escape the country. |
September 21, 1980 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Foxhole on the Roof A post-operative ward in a hospital is held to ransom by a newly-released convict who plans to make a fortune, setting up his own foxhole at the top of a nearby building. CI5 hatch a plot to bring him down before he takes a fatal shot at the hospital. |
November 7, 1982 |
| 2 |
Operation Susie A department in a British Government appears to be attempting to kill a bunch of drug-dealing students...but why? |
November 14, 1982 |
| 3 |
You'll Be All Right A leader of a criminal gang offers to surrender himself if in exchange he is guaranteed protection for his family. |
November 21, 1982 |
Production
Release
| Original network/platform | ITV1 |
|---|---|
| First aired | December 30, 1977 |
| Last aired | February 6, 1983 |
| Runtime | 60 minutes |
| Status | ended |