User Reviews

There are so many things Ralph Smart got right in the earliest Danger Man, it's almost a pity he couldn't stick to the commercially problematic 30-minute format. The stories are taut, clever Cold War mystery-thrillers. Within the hurried time constraints it isn't all plot as Smart finds room for characterization and texture, even to interject some interesting ideas and questions. A lot of this is done by way of the mercurial Patrick McGoohan but Smart had no shortage of talented collaborators in directors and actors.

McGoohan's early performances are fluid yet quirky. While he projects a kind of reserved elan, he also draws on a trove of itchy, improvisational mannerisms that allow us into more than a few nooks--not all of them pleasant--of John Drake's anxious cynicism. (McGoohan is to the TV spook what the late Jeremy Brett was to Sherlock Holmes: a perturbable, high-strung exotic, haunted but smirking.) I prefer him here to the more celebrated Prisoner, in fact, where he's customarily arch and lacks the variety of situation and emotional register. His narration is another treat, delivered in one of the most delectably ironic voices in dramatic TV history.

The writing bests most on TV, then or now. The tone in the better scripts is wry, veering toward acid, with more than a hint of melancholy. This is not the Cold War as a stage for Kennedyesque moxie, and certainly not the idiotic glamorization found in Bond, but rather as in Le Carré, a stage for the peeling away of deceptions that are as likely to originate at home as in dens abroad. This is not to say it isn't above the occasional stereotype; see, for instance, the leering North Koreans in the episode The Honeymooners. But a mark of this generally very humane work is that it more typically treats nationalistic conceptions of the enemy with skepticism, and even pits Drake in frustration against his own morally ambiguous NATO bosses. Nor is the day always won, and some seeming victories prove Pyhrric. How refreshing this is to watch in 2007, for obvious reasons.

The production design, fairly cheapo and simplistic, never detracts (charmingly, old file inserts make do for exterior locations) and in fact the studio sets somehow hold surprise delights: here a gloomy early 60s facsimile of a Munich street recalling Carol Reed's chiaroscuro in The Third Man, there the lobby of an International Style hotel with its sexy mid-century modernism. That it's all in gorgeous high-contrast black and white only deepens the interest: shadow play for shadowy deeds.

A word too about the memorable score by Albert Elms, particularly his incidental music. The understated jazz is part and parcel of the sensibility here--aloof and insinuating. There is so much intelligence pulsing through Elms' music and the series as a whole that it seems vaguely unlikely; watching this work, I can't help but admire its virtues while ruing what's become of the medium.

Danger Man in this early incarnation is grown-up art on TV, the likes of which in the U.S., anyway, we rarely hope to find today outside of HBO, practically its last refuge. A treasure.

In the "View from the Villa" agent John Drake pulls up in what looks like an Aston Martin DB4 or DB5, thus beating Sean Connery to the punch by several years. At least on the screen. I think it also appears in a few other episodes, but I am not certain.

I have spent the last few years slowly catching up on this superb series via net flicks. As other reviewers have noted already the plots were nearly always excellent. The understatement and laconic delivery of Mr. McGoohan a foretelling of others who would try the same style and mostly fail, except for the wonderful Le Carre adaptions, and Mr. Caine's superb Ipcress File. The satire of Establishment figures was often very droll.

In the current editions I am getting from Netflicks the music track is provided by a powerful jazz orchestra. What happened to the superb Harpsichord jazz music that I remember from the original UK broadcasts? So much more subtle and intriguing than the blaring band arrangement, although it does have a period flavor I cant deny.

Mr. McGoohan passed away recently. I will remember him and Danger Man as one of the very influential forces in my teenage years.

I think the "Danger Man" series I remember, with its distinctive racy theme tune, was the later hour-long remake series from 1964 onwards, which would fit in with my own youthful time-line I suppose. Hunting down the show on the web I came across the first episode from 1960 entitled "The View From The Villa", which I was interested to see was co-written by the great Brian Clemens of future "The Avengers" fame.

This episode contained a neat little mystery taking in a murder, the city of Rome, and an enigmatic femme fatale which Patrick McGoohan's John Drake solves with his eye for a painting, all in a brisk 25 minute time-frame. The show, unlike its successor, is pre-Bond so there are no gadgets and there's also an icy detachment from the glamorous and flirtatious ladies he encounters which 007 would never countenance.

No, Drake is there simply to get the job done, which he does with steely aplomb, dispensing what might have been an early catchphrase "Obliged" as he does so. He's handy with his dukes too, but again not in a flashy or contrived way.

McGoohan strolls through the part with laconic ease and as well as elements of the early Bond, you can also see the genesis of Roger Moore's Simon Templar character here, the latter of course with added humour, suavity and raised eyebrow.

I'll certainly make an effort to try to watch more of this entertaining series, confident it will retain the standard of this opening programme.

This show never laughs at itself (setting it apart from most of the James Bond and follow-on genre shows). Instead, it projects the inimitable Patrick McGoohan as a consistently efficacious hero: fast-thinking, innovative, ultra-capable, tenaciously-focused on the mission, yet when achieving the mission is not enough, he's able to think outside the box, to re-define his goals and achieve success in a wider context.

For a little boy starving to see a hero on television, "Danger Man" (and the subsequent "Secret Agent Man") was just what I needed. A hundred times over the years, facing my own moments of challenge, I remembered how John Drake had handled things. Nevermind the detail of his job being a "secret agent," the essential of this show is: a man of quintessential skill and reason who uses his mind to take him over, under, around or through all obstacles -- and *that* is what you take away from every episode.

It's food for the soul.

patrick mcgoohans's dicey 'new englander' accent notwithstanding, he's in fine form here. fast paced and inventive plots, exotic locales, and the extremely moral hero john drake all make the first series of danger man great television.

though he doesn't bed down with every girl he comes across, there's more than enough sexual tension to go around, as every female within a thirty-foot radius ends up throwing herself at johnny d. not keen on guns, drake's a master fighter and the resulting fight scenes are always fun to watch. his gadgets are realistic, much more believable than the ones used by bond or the man from wherever.

the very first episode, 'a view from the villa', takes us to portmeirion, PMG's inspiration for the village in 'the prisoner'. another one of the best television programs ever made.

you'll see a host of familiar faces in supporting roles here too. donald pleasance, barbara shelley--all kinds of great actors popped up on dm from time to time. by all means, if you're a fan of espionage shows, danger man should be high on your list of must-sees. it's got all the chewy goodness and none of the camp that marred so many spy programs in the sixties.

British spies became all the rage in the 1960s, thanks largely to James Bond. However, the British television series "Danger Man" actually predated the James Bond movie series. Curiously, Danger Man's protagonist, NATO Agent John Drake, is probably unique in that the character started out as an American and then somehow "morphed" into an Englishman. In the first year Drake, played by Patrick McGoohan, was based out of Washington DC (the Capital Dome is clearly visible behind him in the opening credits) and he spoke with what passes in Britain as an American accent. In the succeeding years, however, Drake, still played by McGoohan, was based out of London and spoke with a distinct English accent.

What makes Danger man stand out, however, is the high level of intelligence that went into the series. Unlike other 1960s spies Drake did not rely on violence to solve the problems he was given and he almost never resorts to killing anyone. Instead he relied on trickery, maneuver and mind-games, rather than firearms or explosives. In fact, I understand that McGoohan actually turned down the role of James Bond because he objected to the excessive degree of gratuitous sex and violence in the series. In an era when gratuitous sex and violence is far more prevalent than it ever was in the early 1960s, Danger Man makes a refreshing change of pace.

British spy/adventure series, with 39 half-hour episodes. Patrick McGoohan stars as John Drake, an American operative working for NATO. He travels all over the world on various missions, everything from rescuing high-profile kidnapping victims to thwarting drug rings and smuggling operations, from stopping assassins to solving public health crises. He often goes undercover, adopting the guise of the loud, obnoxious Ugly American type to lower the guard of his enemies. He generally eschews the use of guns, and is positively chaste compared to the womanizing James Bond stereotype. I thought McGoohan was very good in the lead, an unusual mix of honorable man-of-action and quick-witted malcontent. The stories got pretty monotonous by the end of the season, with many of the set-pieces repeated, and the guest cast reappearing as different characters.

The guest cast features many performers who would later appear in the James Bond films, including Lois Maxwell, Donald Pleasence, Robert Shaw, Honor Blackman, Charles Gray, Zena Marshall, Nadja Regin, Walter Gotell, Burt Kwouk, and Anthony Dawson. Other notable guests include Barbara Shelley, Hazel Court, Sam Wanamaker, Mai Zetterling, Nigel Green, George Coulouris, Bevely Garland, Jackie Collins, Judy Carne, Hermione Baddeley, Jack MacGowran, and William Marshall.

The spy adventure was one of the signature genres of the 1960's, and many cite Danger Man as ground zero for the phenomenon. It wasn't the first, but it was the impetus that led to The Avengers on TV, to the James Bond films, as well as the shows The Saint, The Man from U. N. C. L. E., Mission:Impossible, and more. However, the first (and technically only...but more on that in a moment) season wasn't very well received when it aired in the U. S. on CBS, and the show was ended. McGoohan was the first choice to play James Bond in the films, but he thankfully turned it down (too much sex!), and it went to Sean Connery. Meanwhile, after the genre exploded in popularity by the middle of the decade, Danger Man was revived, although changed a great deal. It went to an hour-long format, the character was made a British agent (although the John Drake name was kept), and the US title was held over: Secret Agent, while also adding the hit theme song "Secret Agent Man". This series eventually led to The Prisoner and cult immortality, but that's a story for another day.

If you've never watched the "Spy TV" of the 60s you are in for a treat. Two of the ones I especially enjoyed were the American based 'I Spy' series, starring the inimitable Bill Cosby and the show's co-creator Robert Culp, and the British based 'Danger Man' series (known as 'Secret Agent' in the US) starring the enigmatic Patrick McGoohan. Comparing I Spy to Danger Man helps ferret out the strengths of both shows.

To set a context, Danger Man came out in 1960. It was pre-James Bond, pre-I Spy, and pre-most anything else in the genre. Danger Man, which began life as a ½ hour production and later morphed into a 1 hour show in 1964, launched the first of the solo, lone wolf-esk, righter-of-wrong characters with that all important ultra-cool substrate. 6'2" consummate actor Patrick McGoohan is secret agent John Drake. Just as Peter Falk fully embodied 'Columbo' (a show that received both McGoohan and Culp as guest stars) it is impossible to imagine anyone other than McGoohan in the John Drake role. As with I Spy's Kelly Robinson & Alexander Scott, Danger Man's Drake traveled the world, engaging in high intrigue across other lands and within other cultures.

And it is the traveling element that let's us draw our first distinction between I Spy and Danger Man. I Spy was shot on location! With few exceptions, Danger Man was shot in the studio, with stock footage of other countries cleverly blended in. But I Spy was truly shot on location. They actually took the crew to Italy, to Greece, to Spain and to Asia. When you're watching I Spy you are getting a glimpse of what it looked like around the world in the 60s. In my view this is one of the best reasons to go through the series. It is 'boots on the ground' realism as we follow Robinson and Scott on their world-wide adventures.

I Spy does not hold up as well as Danger Man. The latter had very tight scripts, thanks in large part to the constant involvement of the show's creator and writing contributor Ralph Smart, as well as strong input from McGoohan. This may be hard to believe but I don't think I've ever seen a bad Danger Man. I Spy on the other hand sprouted a few stinker episodes. There is one reason for this; weak writing. Robert Culp actually discusses the show's writing in the commentary track he recorded for several episodes. The concept of I Spy was great, with Culp and Cosby adeptly pulling off the playful banter that was the substrate of the show. But the thing was, the writers often didn't get it. They often wrote *under* the show (scripts were often loose and full of plot holes).

However, the chemistry of Culp and Cosby, the locations shooting with its voyeuristic look at the 60s is without compare. I don't think I'd buy the whole series, but there are some great episodes. Conversely, I do own the entire Danger Man series. If you check it out don't overlook the earlier ½ hr series. It is surprisingly well done. They somehow managed to contain an integral story arc in that 28 or so minutes. The intro of this first series also has a very Bond-like McGoohan introducing himself as "Drake .... John Drake". This, two years before Sean Connery introduced himself as Bond ... James Bond in Dr. No. It should be noted too that McGoohan was offered the James Bond role but turned it down.

The last contrasting feature I can think to bring up is the use of firearms. Patrick McGoohan, who was a very moral man and had a heavy influence on the John Drake character, rarely used a gun. He wanted a family show, with minimal violence and sex. Drake was all about brains over brawn, and thanks to great writing the gun element is not missed. Scott and Robinson are more conventional spys and are rarely caught not packing. The pair are somewhat discreet with their use of unnecessary gun play however, so I would say this difference in the shows is less about any I Spy violence and more about the extra work required by the Danger Man writing staff to get Drake out of a jam without the quick and easy plot device afforded by a gun.

Music-wise I Spy and Danger Man are on similar footing, with memorable scores for both series. The 1960-62 ½ hr Danger Man has a punchy, jazzy theme, with an even punchier theme accompanying the 1964-66 1 hr version (sold in the USA as Secret Agent, with the unforgettable Johnny Rivers theme). I absolutely love the I Spy theme as well, which rests nicely on the opening visuals where Kelly Robinson, in the blink of an eye transforms from a racket swinging tennis bum to an armed spy, taking the shot, and disappearing through the doorway formed by the upper case "I" in the title. So, a total of four themes... all of them winners (as is true of so many 60s TV shows).

ps - Given the claim made about Danger Man being one of the first spy dramas with a super cool agent, it should be noted that a black & white production of Ian Fleming's 'Casino Royale' was aired in the 1950s on live TV in America. You can find this short but excellent production included in the extras on the DVD for the 1967 parody version of (ASIN:B00005JL0I) Casino Royale starring Peter Sellers. In another interesting parallel between John Drake and James Bond, the Bond in this 50's production is an American working for the CIA. Likewise the early Danger Man series had John Drake also portrayed as an American, albeit working for NATO. All subsequent Drake/Bond characters were of course British.

The pedigree for "Danger Man" is a bit confusing. So, I'll try to make sense of it. The show was on for one season and each episode lasted about 23 minutes. Three years later, an hour-long series was created and was called "The Secret Agent"--with Patrick McGoohan once again playing an international 'fixer', John Drake. Then, after this series ended, McGoohan made "The Prisoner"--a show which MIGHT be a sequel to "The Secret Agent"...or it might not. This is because McGoohan's character is not referred to by name...he's just called Number 6. And, you aren't sure whether or not it's meant as a follow-up or not--and I can only assume that the television folks deliberately kept it vague.

"Danger Man" begins oddly. It explains that John Drake is a sort of international agent--a guy who goes on special assignments for many NATO nations. His nationality is a bit vague and this works reasonably well since McGoohan has an American/Irish/British background, though they seem to imply he's from New England (but the accent clearly ISN'T). Each episode is set in a different locale around the world and, amazingly, the show is wrapped up in about 23 minutes. The show is very well written and interesting--and McGoohan is excellent. The only serious complaint is that the shows sometimes were too hasty and many would have benefited from an hour-long format--something they would get with "The Secret Agent". Well worth seeing and a clever show. Even the sub-par episodes are good--making it at least more consistent than "The Prisoner".

A few final observations. The DVD copy is just fine but there really are no special features or captions. Also, as an American born and raised in the Washington, DC area, the introduction makes me laugh. That's because a HUGE office building is superimposed next to the US capitol building. There IS no building this size or that looks remotely like this in DC--now or then. Very strict building codes in the city prevent such monstrosities in the District.

A low key, but absorbing, TV series of half-hour episodes, it is the first of three putatively related series, the latter two being (a) Secret Agent Man (hour long episodes), and (c) The Prisoner.

In the series, our protagonist John Drake (played by Patrick McGoohan) is an English spy - elegant, skilled, sophisticated, and never at a loss. He breezes through his weekly problem, and we enjoy every second of the short ride!

In my opinion, the series was the undisputed master of its era, and I loved its whimsy, its thoughtfulness, and good plot lines, simply and starkly delivered. The later Harry Palmer movies (with Michael Caine - for example, The Ipcress File) was reminiscent of this same style - austere story line, strongly built around its main character, employing few cinematic effects, yet full of impact.

It has been years since I have seen this series, but it it is still one I remember very fondly.

It is well worth noting that this high quality secret agent series with theme music rather similar to the Jerry Goldsmith theme for The Man from UNCLE 6 years later premiered on television two years before Dr. No was released to movie theaters, making Danger Man NOT a knock off, copy, tribute or homage to the James Bond films. It was already here well in advance.

By the way, the half-hour Danger Man episodes of the first season were of superior quality to the one hour retooling called Secret Agent with the theme by Johnny Rivers.

I just found this program and am amazed how great it is. It is smarter and far better than most of the television programming that has ever aired.One reviewer called it disturbingly addictive, and I would agree due to the unique story lines and character. Brisk, with smart action and great set points that whisk the viewer along with a fluid pacing and smart dialogue. Don't look for one liners or clichéd dialogue that manipulates the viewer for an emphatic effect. We like the main character because he is likable without effort , this is due to Patrick Mcgoohans talent. I am amazed that this show is not one that is spoken of when great television is mentioned, because it is so extremely cool. After the first episode,you'll want to binge watch, but don't, savor the flavor and stretch this viewing experience out, you'll be glad you did. As the series moves on, it just keeps getting better and the viewer is treated to many groundbreaking moments in television with camera styles, scripting, story lines and action. After viewing this, I can see where many filmmakers "sampled" some of the more iconic moments of the program and images. Finding this lost treasure was a real treat.

Long before I saw all these original half-hour episodes on the cable network "Z Living," I saw many of the one-hour, 2d iterations of Danger Man, which here in the States was called "Secret Agent." In the late 1960s, a local Chicago station ran episodes of the latter at 1:30 in the morning: Shows engaging enough to keep me up the last hour of babysitting assignments.

But the half-hour shows, from 1960 to early 1962, are incredibly hip & timely. Many deal with the growing pains of African nations in the throes of independence. How timely?: Algeria did not gain full independence from France until 1962.

& The guest star actors are a veritable who's who of latter day big names: Donald Pleasance (Halloween), Charles Gray (Seven Percent Solution, Rocky Horror), & Robert "Quint" Shaw, William "Heywood Floyd" Sylvester. Women make repeat appearances: Lisa Gastoni, Zena Marshall.

Steely eyed Patrick McGoohan is a NATO operative & impersonates arms dealers, chefs, drunks. He is alternately overbearing & understated. The story lines are complex, & so are the characters.

"DANGER MAN"-"SECRET AGENT"-Produced by ITC Productions. The Half-Hour Episodes,30 minutes each,1960-1961,black and white. The Hour Long Episodes,60 minutes each,1964-1966,black and white. Episodes ran on British Television from 1960-1961,1964-1966. Episodes that ran on American Television from 1965-1966,CBS-TV.

Out of all the espionage shows that came out in the 1960's,this show was among the tops of the list and set the standard for the next batch of espionage,intrigue shows to follow suit. This was indeed a highly entertaining series that was full of quick dialogue,twist endings,and some of the most inventive story lines anywhere. Besides,this was way better than James Bond! The series starred Patrick McGoohan as British secret agent John Drake. As for some of the episodes,this series was one action-packed show which feature McGoohan traveling to certain parts of the world to handle situations given to him by his superiors under orders of his Majesty's Secret Service. This was a show that had a lot of action-packed fighting scenes(where Patrick McGoohan's boxing experience shows in some of the episodes)which some were very inventive and very useful in taking out the baddies. The gadgets were amazing and for the most part which could actually exist,and are brought in as part of a plan in some dangerous situations. The gadgets were really cool items like The Exploding Pen,The Watch with a hidden camera and lots more cool stuff! And had a fare for a ladies as well and also show it in some of the love scenes where he trades affairs for sex secrets on the show and in some segments made him a detail well-crafted character. As for the diabolical villains,Drake had the deal with the evil doers out to destroy the world,but saves the day and the organization he works for.

ABOUT DANGER MAN-SECRET AGENT............... The series consisted of four seasons done in a unusual manner. In the first season,televised from 1960-1961,Patrick McGoohan's character of John Drake is a NATO intelligence officer working for the UN in New York. There were only 39 half-hour episodes filmed in black and white and some of the earlier Danger Man material hasn't been seen since its original broadcast,and most recently they are now on DVD for your enjoyment. The series was cancelled after its first season,and it was not until 1964 that it was reprised,when the "spy craze" of the time exploded with not only James Bond 007,but for every aspects of a lot of television shows that followed including,"The Avengers","The Man From U.N.C.L.E.",and so many more. It was here during its new format and under its second season,that John Drake not longer works for NATO,but for the British Government Intelligence Agency,"M9",which consisted of hour long episodes for seasons two and three(combined total of 45 episodes),which are filmed in black and white. It wasn't until the summer of 1965,that American audiences were interested in this series as well seeing the exploits of John Drake each week,and from that period in 1965,the ratings soared in which the "Danger Man" was shown as an summer replacement here in the states. The last two episodes of the series,also an hour long each,were filmed in color,and these two episodes were combined into a two hour TV-movie entitled "Koroshi" from 1966. This was actually a compilation of two Danger Man episodes,"Koroshi",and "Shinda Shima". Unfortunably,this was the last of the series,before Patrick McGoohan would made the transition from this role to the next series,"The Prisoner". The storyline deals with John Drake who is being sent to Japan to investigate the murders of two British agents who were under the society of the Koroshi who in turn plan to execute world leaders. However,Drake is sent to destroy the organization and at the end becomes sufficient in destroying the society and from there Drake sets out to destroy the society that is handling the affairs. If you wonder where the producers for the Sean Connery/James Bond thriller,"You Only Live Twice" came up the ideas,then you'll see why the last episodes of Danger Man were brilliant to the core.

Patrick McGoohan, I read turned down the offer to be James Bond. After binge watching The Prisoner and watching this show all I can say is how regretful that he didn't on the role of Bond. He's perfect, suave tall and witty. But this series is a delicious spy drama. And I actually like that it's 25 minutes long and each episode set all over the world.

There's a man who leads a life of danger.

To everyone he meets he stays a stranger.

With every move he makes, another chance he takes.

Odds are he will not live to see tomorrow.

-- Johnny Rivers

Secret Agent John Drake (Patrick McGoohan), Secret Agent has just the right attitude and skill set to be a cult classic. If you are looking for sex, blood, and gratuitous mayhem this is not the series for you. Agent John Drake completes his missions in unique but morally superior ways; oh, did I forget to say it is also fun to watch.

Series 1960-1961 Series 1964-1966 Series 1967-1968 "The Prisoner" 1967.

They were beachhead in the mod British Invasion, paving the way for The-Beatles 64 landing at the newly renamed JFK (Idlewild) airport, signaling a cultural revolution. No Redcoats this time, colors black & white TV in wave of early 60s spy series, shows like The-Avengers (61-9), Danger-Man (60-2) and The-Saint (62-9). Better than the Bond movies for which they were template (Dr-No & Goldfinger exceptions), sex was not a selling point but a suggestion, and this time the Yanks loved the takeover, for as the English were steeping in style on their side of the Pond, Americans were, apart from Camelot (61-63), still wearing poodle-skirts and sporting crew-cuts (3.5/4).

Danger Man bears more than a passing resemblance to "Dangerous Assignment," Brian Donlevy's radio program and brief syndicated TV adventure show from 1952, a program that pre-dated even Ian Fleming's James Bond novels. Donlevy's character galavanted all over the world beating people up on behalf of an obscure security agency, just as Drake does here. This parallel may explain why McGoohan had no qualms about hijacking the Danger Man character later on for his own "Prisoner" production, knowing that the whole concept of the secret agent goes back as far Hitchcock and Joseph Conrad and a lot further, and can't really be copyrighted.

Often unfairly overshadowed by it's sequel series' (Secret Agent and "The Prisoner"). Dangerman is a kick-ass (Often literally) spy show, which follows N.A.T.O. agent John Drake around the world.

The great thing about this show is it's length at just 25 minutes per episode it's the perfect thing to have on video when you want to kill a quick half-hour,

the only problem is it'll soon become a quick 4 or so hours as you watch every episode on the disc backwards searching for demonic messages from Patrick McGoohan. (?rettoP ysuB) (aet fo puc a evol dluow i eladgniD .srM, sey yhW)

It'll then develop into a quick 4 days as you roam the country abducting people and then bludgeoning them with to death with ring-binders when they refuse to participate in your home-produced screenplays.

During your 72 hour manhunt you can amuse yourself by giving your REAL name as your alias (John Drake, must have single-handedly brought about the collapse of communism by operating under such crafty Codenames as "Johnny").

While the prosecution is wondering why corpses with nametags reading "Hobbs","Keller","Hardy" and "Potter" were found in your apartment you can tell them (under oath) that although not quite as eccentric as "Secret Agent" or as downright mad as "The Prisoner" the general undercurrent of weirdness is palpable , (In Fact it comes to the fore in some of the later episodes,"The Contessa" for example features Drake being Drugged by a beutiful angel-like woman.

While your Defence lawyer rattles on about your upbringing in a racoon hive and your "Obsessive" collecting of electronic cow prodders. You can pass the time by humming "yellow submarine"AND commenting on the often sublime balance of storyline and style, of narrative and direction, of Nachos and chillypeppers.

You can inform the Large bearded man in your cell that "Dangerman" is to "the Prisoner" as the Old Testament is to Christianity. You can also tell him that you are flattered by his gift of a scented candle but you don't think of him that way.

So if you don't mind your children growing up in a Drakist temple in Southern Cambodia, or you feel your family can deal with you writing "redrum sbboH" in your finest red crayon all over their walls then Dangerman is the relig......, then Dangerman is the TELEVISION SERIES for you.

However if you harbour notions of ever Having a Career/Living over 30/feeling the wish to go outside again. Then perhaps it would be better not to watch this show.

I remember watching this series on TV back in the 1960s. I thought it was terrific then even if I can't recall many details.

Seeing it again on DVD, nearly 50 years on, I must confess to being very disappointed. The story lines are boring, predictable and without any finesse whatsoever. And the 25 minute format just doesn't work: it is simply to short to allow any kind of reasonable character and story development. It is all very formulaic and bland.

The only saving grace is some of the actors, even if they don't get much chance of real acting.

We must have been really starved back in the 1960s, to have considered this series good. Oh well, another fond memory out the window.