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ACTION
TV ONLINE EPISODE GUIDE
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Notes : Actor Tom Bell was born in Liverpool on 2nd August 1933. He started his career in local rep theatre with training at Bradford Civic Theatre School. After a spell in National Service he began to find roles in TV with early credits in Armchair Theatre: No Trams to Lime Street and films including Damn the Defiant! (1962), The L-Shaped Room (1962). Film kept him busy throughout the 60's and early 70's with notable appearances in Lock Up Your Daughters! (1969), Quest For Love (1971), Straight On Till Morning (1972) and Royal Flash (1975). The 70's saw Bell increasingly appear on TV as the film industry dwindled with roles in Play for Today: Angels Are So Few (1970), Play of the Month: Hedda Gabler (1972), The Protectors (Shadbolt), Play for Today: Stronger Than the Sun and an astonishing portrayal of Adolf Eichmann in the mini-series Holocaust (1978). Bell continued to specialise in menacing and brooding roles with further TV credits in Reilly: Ace of Spies, Van Der Valk (Doctor Hoffman's Children), Chancer and the Prime Suspect trilogy as DS Bill Otley. This role won Bell a BAFTA for Best Actor. His film career has also continued to thrive with memorable roles in Wish You Were Here (1987), The Krays (1990), Let Him Have It (1991) and more recently Long Time Dead (2002).
Notes : Prior to Out writer Trevor Preston had contributed to The Adventures of Proffesor Branestawn, The Freewheelers, Public Eye, Special Branch, The Protectors and The Sweeney. In 1970 he created the cult children's drama Ace of Wands which ran for three seasons. Preston later wrote the epic thirteen episode family drama Fox for Euston Films and the bizarre film musical Billy the Kid and the Green Baize Vampire (1985) (with music by George Fenton). His most recently produced work is the forthcoming film I'll Sleep When I'm Dead (2004) which tells of a former gang boss who is drawn back into the game to avenge his brother's death. The film is directed by Mike (Get Carter) Hodges and stars Charlotte Rampling, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Malcolm McDowell and Brian Croucher.
Notes : Brian Croucher's intial career was as a printing apprentice. He trained at LAMDA and is perhaps more widely recognised today for his role as Ted Hills in Eastenders. Cult TV fans will remember him as the second incarnation of Travis in Blake's 7. Croucher has a plethora of credits with TV appearances in episodes of Callan, The Hanged Man, Doctor Who, The XYY Man, Shoestring, Qautermass, The Sweeney, The Professionals, Edge of Darkness, Cats Eyes, The Comic Strip, Rockliffe's Babies, Birds of a Feather and The Bill. He will soon be seen in the Trevor Preston scripted and Mike Hodge's directed film I'll Sleep When I'm Dead.
Notes : Born in 1946 Brian Cox established himself with an early role in The Year of the Sex Olympics. He toiled in TV and theatre throughout the 70's and ealry 80's before reaching a wider audience with his role as the first version of Hannibal Lector in the film Manhunter. In recent years he has prospered with supporting roles in Hollywood blockbusters including Braveheart, Rushmore, Super Troopers, The Bourne Identity, The Ring, Adaptation and X2.
Notes : Previous to appearing in Out actor Derrick O'Connor had appeared in Doomwatch, The Sweeney and The XYY Man. His role as McGrath's thug John Pavey led to in another Trevor Preston scripted series - Fox. O'Connor has more recently earnt a living in the US with the recurring role of Alexander Khasinau in the TV series Alias and in the films Lethal Weapon 2, Deep Rising, End of Days and Daredevil.
Notes : Actor Norman Rodway was born in 1929 and had been active onscreen from the late 50's with roles in films such as This Other Eden (1959), The Quare Fellow (1962) and I'll Never Forget What's 'isname (1967). Early TV roles came in the 60's including a credit on Wednesday Play: The Girl Who Loved Robots (1965). Prior to appearing in Out Rodway also had TV roles in episodes of Thriller (A Midsummer Nightmare), The Sweeney (Lady Luck) and Play of the Month: Danton's Death. After Out Rodway concentrated mainly on TV notching up credits in Reilly: Ace of Spies, The Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare, Rumpole of The Bailey, Ruth Rendell Mysteries, Inspector Morse, CI5: The New Professionals and The Lakes. Film roles include Who Dares Wins (1982), Mother Night (1996) and County Kilburn (2000) as the strangely titled Mr Bollox. He was the stepfather of actress Tara Fitzgerald and died in 2001 following a series of strokes.
Episodes were networked on Monday nights at 9:00pm. The director was Jim Goddard and the writer was Trevor Preston, the series was produced by Barry Hanson. The series was transmitted on Monday nights. |
The series was shot entirely on location utilising the production techniques Euston had perfected previously on series such as The Sweeney and Special Branch. The production was originally planned to have two directors working on it, but it was suggested that the series would greatly benefit from the continuity gained by a single director. Writer Trevor Preston had long admired director Jim Goddard's previous TV work and was very pleased to finally be working with him. The partnership was successfully repeated with the epic family drama Fox, also for Euston Films, in 1980. The theme music was composed by George Fenton who would also collaborate with Preston and Goddard on Fox. The
series ended on a cliffhanger with the informer, finally revealed to
be
McGrath,
having fled the country after his associates have been arrested. Ross
vows to
go after him. A sequel was never produced, despite healthy ratings,
audience feedback and reviews. The series was novelised by Max Austen
and published by Corgi Books. The complete series was released
on DVD by
Network in
2007.
Text © Andrew Screen, 2003.
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