Bodie and Doyle, senior agents of the British intelligence service CI5 (Criminal Intelligence 5), and their handler George Cowley fight terrorism and similar high-level crimes.Bodie and Doyle, senior agents of the British intelligence service CI5 (Criminal Intelligence 5), and their handler George Cowley fight terrorism and similar high-level crimes.Bodie and Doyle, senior agents of the British intelligence service CI5 (Criminal Intelligence 5), and their handler George Cowley fight terrorism and similar high-level crimes.
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaFor 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 versionsThe 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.
- ConnectionsFeatured in It'll Be Alright on the Night 2 (1979)
However, it's only through the reruns over the last decade or so, on ITV 4, that I've gained a proper perspective on the show, albeit a show that was very much of its time. And by golly, how times have changed.
If you haven't seen The Professionals for many years, it may take an episode or two to adjust your mindset to the 80's scenery and values. Once you do, it is understandable why it was so popular with then audiences.
First of all, and vitally important, a superb theme tune. Still one of the best after all these years, with accompanying images that really whet the appetite. Secondly, both leads (Martin Shaw and Lewis Collins) are likeable and very much the sort of guys I still wish I was, dishing out the justice to the bad guys in a manly way, making the ladies swoon and still with enough time to splash on the Old Spice. Bodie the more rugged of the two, more brutal and blunt than Doyle who was the more emotional of the pairing (although pretty much everybody was more emotional than Bodie).
The action is hard and raw, there's plenty of it, and there's none of the sugary sweetness that spoilt some of the US cop shows of the time. The Professionals also wasn't afraid to end on a low note. One example, 'Operation Susie', sees a woman (played by a young Alice Krige) that Bodie and Doyle are protecting at a safe house, shot dead in the final moments. The episode ends with a few words from Bodie, as he and Doyle look down at her lifeless body.
London of the time, initially enduring and then recovering from the economic decline of the 70s, was a perfect backdrop for the car chases and shoot outs. The show benefitted from the derelict buildings and disused land around the city at the time, and knew how to use it to help ramp up the tension.
Overall, a well-made, enjoyable and iconic show from a bygone era. Cue theme tune.
- MrJRGO
- May 20, 2020
Details
- Runtime1 hour
- Color
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![Lewis Collins, Gordon Jackson, and Martin Shaw in The Professionals (1977)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNGFkNzVlMGUtMWVlMS00NGRiLTllMGEtZmYwMmQwNzIwM2E4XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjg1NzcwODE@._V1_QL75_UY133_CR6,0,90,133_.jpg)