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MOGUL - Production Notes / Series Overview / Episode Guide / Character Biographies / Cast And Crew / Cast Biographies / Crew Biographies

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TROUBLESHOOTERS - Production Notes / Series Overview / Episode Guide / Character Biographies / Cast And Crew / Cast Biographies / Merchandise / Links

The Troubleshooters Season Four episode guide

The Troubleshooters Season Six episode guide

Episode Guide

SEASON FIVE Originally transmitted between 9:05pm and 9:55pm on Monday nights.

A Dirty Old Man And A Rare Bird

TX : 6th January 1969 Director : Michael Hayes Script : David Weir Cast : Robert Hardy (Alec Stewart), Ray Barrett (Peter Thornton), Geoffrey Keen (Brian Stead), Philip Latham (Willy Izard), Jayne Sofiano (Doctor Ginny Vickers), Nicholas Simons (Doctor Ash), Bernard Hepton (Mayne), Bruce Boa (Douglas), Dave Cash (Newscaster), Hal Galili (Guard), Dora Reisser (Mrs Foss) and Esmond Knight (Foss).

Synopsis : Brian Stead, Peter Thornton, Alec Stewart, Willy Izard - all are back at work in the Mogul Empire. They are joined by a glamorous new girl, Doctor Ginny Vickers, played by Jayne Sofiano, Stewart's personal assistant. "She's sort of my Peter Thornton," says Stewart. There are also other new faces which will be seen again during the series, notably the exciting Mrs Foss, played by Dora Reisser; Bill Douglas, Zenith's troubleshooter - played by Bruce Boa; and Zenith President Harry Mayne, played by Bernard Hepton. In tonight's story, Zenith drops a bombshell into the world of Mogul. The repercussions will influence the company for a long time to come.

Trivia : As a tribute to Tony Hancock, who died on 25/06/1968, his final BBC Television series, Hancock!, was repeated on BBC-1 at 9:55pm, following the opening episode of the fifth series of The Troubleshooters. The season started with the episode The Blood Donor by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson.

Radio Times publicity :January 2, 1969 - The Troubleshooters: The men from Mogul have been all over the word preparing for the new series which begins this week - as producer Anthony Read explains … SCENE: The main stree of Colombo, Ceylon. Time: 9 a.m. on a pre-Poya day, the equivalent of our Saturday. The camera was set and ready to roll. Two hundred yards away a large black car awaited the signal to start. Then, in the words of Ray Barrett who was sitting in the car, "somebody drew the curtain". Camera, director, everything, disappeared completely behind a solid wall of rain. The monsoon had arrived with perfect timing on the first shot of the first day's filming for the new series of The Troubleshooters. In true Troubleshooters tradition, we have been out and about since the end of the last series. We concentrated our efforts on Ceylon and Singapore, where locations come thick and fast. Tropical beaches with outrigger canoes skimming the waves, dense jungle steaming in equatorial heat, elephants blocking the road, the clamorous din of Singapore's markets, Death street, the temples of Kandy - all these feature in the coming twenty-six episodes. It started during the pilots' strike. The main party flew into Ceylon from London. Our cameraman was to join us from Hong Kong. At two o'clock in the morning before we were due to start shooting we were anxiously inquiring what aircraft were due from the east. But he eventually staggered in, followed by a train of bearers carrying his equipment. From then on, the journey becomes a hectic jumble of images. Ceylonese drivers, hands firmly on horns, careering round the country. Smiling people shaking their heads at every question, which worried me until we discovered this meant "yes". A luxurious guest house high above the beautiful lake at Kandy, where the famous dancers performed for our cameras at seven o'clock on the morning. Magnificent curries at old-fashioned rest houses along the route. Tea plantations dripping in the gills. The bliss of emerging into the dry of North-East Ceylon, where the monsoon comes at a different time of the year and the Indian Ocean turned blue at last. Trincomalee, where the hotel menu for dinner was mulligatawny soup, fried fish and chips, roast beef, and Yorkshire pudding. A canoe carrying Ray Barrett and our camera crew along a tropical river overturning and spilling everyone into the water while the cameraman held his precious equipment aloft like Excalibur. (We went back and did that one again for real). In Singapore, we flew with the R.A.F, and winches Ray down from a helicopter into genuine jungle. We shot in the oil refinery where coolie-hatted Hakka women worked as labourers on construction jobs. We cornered the most glamorous girls on the island for a luxury poolside sequence complete with bikinis. We ate and filmed at night-time eating stalls. We pulled off a scoop by filming at Changi prison, with its memories of war-time prisoners, and completed our work with a sobering, emotional sequence at the war cemetery, among thousands upon thousands of graves. The Far East, however, does not occupy the whole series. Later, we journeyed to Malta for a sequence with a genuine millionaire's yacht. You will also be seeing episodes set in places as far apart as America, Papua, Alaska, Iceland, and Fiji - where writer John Lucarotti, on a round-the-world research trip, stopped and nearly didn't come back. It's that sort of place, as you will see. The old firm is back in business, Brian Stead, Peter Thornton, Willy Izard, plus an exciting new girl, Ginny Vickers, played by Jayne Sofiano. The big business is as big as ever, but for once Mogul itself is threatened, and Stead and Company will be fighting for survival. Just how, you can see on Monday night..

Twenty Years Is No Time At All

TX : 13th January 1969 Director : Ronald Craddock Script : Anthony Read Cast :Ray Barrett (Peter Thornton), Geoffrey Keen (Brian Stead), Philip Latham (Willy Izard), Jayne Sofiano (Doctor Ginny Vickers), Jane Walker (Miss Clarke), Grant Taylor (Jack Burns), Burt Kwouk (Tamira Hitaki) and Lucille Soong (The Chinese Hostess).

Synopsis : Singapore past and present features in tonight's Troubleshooters. Street food stalls at night, teaming crowds, the great harbour, gleaming new hotels, wartime gun sites and Changi jail itself. Location filming with Ray Barrett in Singapore was shot by Ernest Christie, one of the world's great news photographers who has just been named Cameraman of the Year for work in the Far East.

How Much Is One Man Worth?

TX : 20th January 1969 Director : Anthony Read Script : John Lucarotti

Cast : Ray Barrett (Peter Thornton), Geoffrey Keen (Brian Stead), Philip Latham (Willy Izard), John Carson (Ted Kihl), Frank Gatliff (Lin Dok San), Richard Wyler (Michael Stenman), John Bown (Gerry Frobisher), Johnny Briggs (Tim Devlin), Keith Bonnard (Joe), Walter Gotell (Ian Webster), Sheila Gish (Sue Kihl), Carole Mowlam (Fran), Martin Boddey (Clayton), Frank Williams (Finch) and Ian Fairbairn (Jimmy).

Synopsis : How much is one man worth? When Ted Kihl is trapped in a Malaysian cave, Peter Thornton turns the huge resources of Mogul and his own skill as an oil man to a rescue operation. The director and his team spent a whole week underground shooting the film sequences, and the RAF in Singapore and a major airline in London also mobilized their resources to help The Troubleshooters. As the man in the cave, John Carson gives one of his most memorable performances. Some of it is real, for it was not until filming was completed that he admitted he suffers badly from claustrophobia.

If He Hollers, Let Him Go

TX : 27th January 1969 Director : Ridley Scott Script : Tom Clarke Cast : Robert Hardy (Alec Stewart), Geoffrey Keen (Brian Stead), Philip Latham (Willy Izard), Jayne Sofiano (Doctor Ginny Vickers), John Rye (John), Garfield Morgan (Comber), Edward Fox (Jocelyn Traddle), Maurice Quick (Head Waiter), Dora Reisser (Ghislaine Foss), Lucy Griffiths (Elsie Byers), Sidney Johnson (Man) and Basil Clarke (Sir Victor Petty, Q.C).

Synopsis : The lovely Mrs Foss, wife of Mogul's founder, turns up in London in the middle of a takeover battle. Inevitably, she brings confusion and chaos - particularly to Alec Stewart. For once, The Troubleshooters is confined to London. But Mogul's London is as exciting as any exotic location. Scenes range from the floor of the Stock Exchange and the head office of a bank in the City - both real - to the glitter of the West End by night and the calm of Hyde Park at dawn.

A Very Special Relationship

TX : 3rd February 1969 Director : Henri Safran Script : Roy Russell Cast : Ray Barrett (Peter Thornton), Geoffrey Keen (Brian Stead), Philip Latham (Willy Izard), Peter Copley (MacLaren), Evie Kyrol (Suzanne Tricot), John Abineri (Valois), Veronica Hurst (Janet Valois), Katie Fitzroy (Jacqueline Brown), Sheila Sands (Strip Artist), Guy Rolfe (Paul Boulet) and Joan Cookham (Simone Boulet).

Synopsis : Willy Izard has the leading part in this episode, which is based on a case of fraud which author Roy Russell himself came across when he was working in business. For once, Izard is seen away from Mogul House, visiting Paris and Malta, where he filmed with Ray Barrett on board a genuine millionaire's yacht in the harbour. The launch which they used was a last-minute replacement - the one which was booked blew up the night before filming in the open Mediterranean. The owner and his family were rescued by a passing yacht, but the boat sank in flames. Tonight, Brian Stead's plans for expansion in Europe as part of his fight against Zenith take a knock when a French multi-millionaire, Paul Boulet, marries a film starlet.

There's A Nasty Word - Love

TX : 10th February 1969 Director : Robert Tronson Script : David Weir Cast : Robert Hardy (Alec Stewart), Geoffrey Keen (Brian Stead), Philip Latham (Willy Izard), Deborah Stanford (Roz Stewart), Francisca Tu (Sachiko), Burt Kwouk (Tamira Hitaki), Gillian Hawser (Emily Ryan), Jeremy Wilkin (Clifford Marshall), David Toguri (Ibuki), Bruce Boa (Douglas) and Robert Beatty (Kirby).

Synopsis : Tonight The Troubleshooters penetrates the fascinating world of Japan. Stewart and Roz find themselves in the uncomfortable world between East and West, where the traditions of a thousand years conflict with life in the 20th Century lie. Tamira Hitaki, who was seen in Singapore four weeks ago, is back in his own country, Japan. His background as a samurai who survived the Hiroshima bomb causes problems for Mogul. Tonight's Troubleshooters features a welcome return to the small screen for Canadian star Robert Beatty, giving a memorable performance as the American Ambassador in Tokyo, and glamorous oriental actress Francisca Tu as Hitaki's tragic sister.

You're Not Going To Believe This, But…

TX : 17th February 1969 Director : Lennie Mayne Script : John Lucarotti

Cast : Ray Barrett (Peter Thornton), Edward Cast (Andrew Frazer), Solomon Agasee (Sultan), Dennis Chin (Chauffeur), Richard Wyler (Michael Stenman), Barbara Yu Ling (Jenny Kwong), Don Chan (Tan Lee Haut), John A Tinn (Government Assistant), David Davies (Police Chief Robertson), Christopher Carlos (Minister), Derek Sydney (Doctor), Dino Shafeek (Abdhul), Azad Ali (House Boy), Kristopher Kum (Peng San), Paul Tann (Bemoh) and Jack Lee (Barber).
Synopsis : Why should the manager of Mogul's Malaysian refinery insult the local sultan? Why does he not remember things? Why does he turn against Peter Thornton, an old friend, when he tries to help? This is one of Peter Thornton's most puzzling assignments - and even when he solves it, he does not believe what he finds. This story is based on a true incident discovered by author John Lucarotti. Once again, the film was shot for this programme on location in the Far East.

Take-Over Is Two Four-Letter Words

TX : 24th February 1969 Director : Cyril Coke Script : Roy Russell Cast : Geoffrey Keen (Brian Stead), Ray Barrett (Peter Thornton), Philip Latham (Willy Izard), Jayne Sofiano (Doctor Ginny Vickers), Donald Pickering (Benson Taylor), Sylvester Morand (Bagley), James Kerry (Grieve), Ingrid Sylvester (Linda), Stephanie Bidmead (Chrissie Grieve), Margery Withers (Mrs Grieve), Robert Henderson (Sellerman) and Donald Tandy (Julians).

Synopsis : Protests and demonstrations have recently become part of our way of life, as have mergers and takeovers. In tonight's story, Mogul faces the effects of both when a group of redundant employees occupy a distribution depot. A situation which starts as something small quickly develops into tension and danger. Starring with the Mogul regulars is James Berry, whom viewers will remember as Stephen Champion, managing director in Champion House. But tonight he has a very different role.

Everybody Is That Kind Of Man

TX : 3rd March 1969 Director : Michael Armstrong Script : George Byatt Cast : Robert Hardy (Alec Stewart), Geofrrey Keen (Brian Stead), Philip Latham (Willy Izard), Deborah Stanford (Roz Stewart), Bruce Boa (Douglas), Bill Nagy (Stein), Roddy McMillan (MacTavish), Roy Sampson (Dominic), Edith MacArthur (Mrs MacTavish) and Bryden Murdoch (Robertson).

Synopsis : "Blackmail, Mr Stewart. Bribery and corruption". Are Alec Stewart and Brian Stead trying to bribe their way to an important refinery project in Scotland? And what part does Zenith play in the attempts to corrupt a Scots official? Location film was shot in Scotland, and the story brings together two artists who have each starred in series recently on BBC Television. Edith MacArthur, from the BBC-2 colour series The Borderers and Roddy McMillan, star of Para Handy and The Dark Number.

So You Think You're One Of Us

TX : 10th March 1969 Director : Anthony Kearey Script : Ludovic Peters Cast : Ray Barrett (Peter Thornton), Geoffrey Keen (Brian Stead), Philip Latham (Willy Izard), Roger Delgado (Souza), Raf De La Torre (Torres), Clifton Jones (Nogemba), Norman Beaton (Amos Tucker) and Murray Evans (Bosterac). Synopsis : Angola spells trouble for Mogul when Peter Thornton becomes a pawn in the struggle between African rebels and Portuguese authorities. This is the first script for The Troubleshooters by Ludovic Peters, who is well known as the author of many thriller books.

They've More Than Their Assets Frozen

TX : 17th March 1969 Director : Henri Safran Script : John Lucarotti Cast : Ray Barrett (Peter Thornton), Geoffrey Keen (Brian Stead), Philip Latham (Willy Izard), Jayne Sofiano (Doctor Ginny Vickers), Neil McCallum (Jean-Paul), Bill Hutchinson (Mort), George Murcell (Pazoli), John Horton (Scobie), Leslie Schofield (Meakin), Valerie Stanton (Girl), Larry Cross (Skipper), Peter Bennett (Howard), Jack Gwillim (Sir Giles Bliss), Geoffrey Wincott (Jeremy Oldham) and Philip Ray (Board Member).

Synopsis : The life of an oil man is always tough. He must drill in gale-swept seas, baking deserts, steaming jungles. But the toughest of all is the Arctic. There, one false move could mean certain death. Peter Thornton faces incredible hardship this week in Alaska. But added to the dangers and difficulties is the knowledge that the whole future of Mogul could depend on his success or failure. This is one of the most powerful stories in The Troubleshooters, backed by spectacular film of living and drilling in frozen Alaska.

There's This Bird, See…

TX : 24th March 1969
Director : Paul Ciappessoni
Script : John Elliot

Cast : Geoffrey Keen (Brian Stead), Ray Barrett (Peter Thornton), Philip Latham (Willy Izard), Jayne Sofiano (Doctor Ginny Vickers), John Hussey (Dentist), Joseph O'Connor (Frank Follett), Leonard Maguire (Malcolm Evershields), Fabia Drake (Maud Price), Montgomery Brown (Jim), Linda Cole (Elka Lingstrum), Nick Tate (Gurd Lingstrum) and Margaret Dalton (Air Hostess).. Synopsis : A remote island in the Indian Ocean may seem the perfect drilling location. No population, beautiful weather, not even a foreign government to deal with for it is British-owned. But - there's this bird, see … and birds, feathered, of course, spell trouble for Mogul. Filmed on location in Ceylon, this story brings two fine guest stars to The Troubleshooters, Fabia Drake as Maud Price, proving that even Brian Stead can be brow-beaten, and Joseph O'Connor, whom viewers will remember as Old Jolyon in The Forsyte Saga.

Radio Times publicity :March 27, 1969 - It's A Man's World At Mogul: The Birds Are Beautiful - But It's Goodbye Unless They Marry The Boss! In the oily, combustive, power-driven world of the Mogul troubleshooters, girls don't seem to last long. Some of Britain's most beautiful young actresses have come, dazzled awhile, and then disappeared from the series. Nothing to do with not liking the girls (producer Anthony Read hastily points out), it has simply proved difficult to extend female roles. But happily new plot developments have offered opportunities for the introduction of new talent. Herewith a brief reminder of a few of the lovelies who have so far graced The Troubleshooters. Philippa Gail was in at the start and played Brian Stead's secretary Jane Webb. Writing about her in 1966 I gushed: "The real person is not only gigglier, she looks younger and tinier and because of a luminous golden quality in skin (and hair) even more exciting". Though the part may not have brought out the full gorgeousness of Philippa's personality, Jane Webb nevertheless exerted a profound effect on the usually steely Stead: before she disappeared from the series he was thinking of asking her to marry him. The following summer RADIO TIMES actually paid me to spend an afternoon with Isobel Black at her home. She played Stead's personal public relations assistant - a good part that kept her fairly fully occupied. "It certainly did me a lot of good," says Isobel. "I found that I became much more recognizable to people in the street. And I had a BBC Television play, `The Lower Largo Sequence, written for me. I've been busy ever since, but I don't exclude the possibility of returning one of these days to an episode of The Troubleshooters if I'm asked!". Virginia Wetherall went through a series as Peter Thornton's steady girl-friend. His marriage had broken up as a result of the pressure of his Mogul work; he had various girl friends for a while before settling down to a relationship with one woman. However, Thornton remained more involved with his job than his woman, so - exit Virginia. Jayne Sofiano has had the oddest career with The Troubleshooters. A couple of series back, Jayne - fresh from drama academy - was rehearsing a big part in an episode written by the series creator John Elliot. "It was to be my first television break and, of course, I was very happy. I wasn't feeling too well and though this was nerves. I went to a hospital and they told me it was appendicitis and I was very ill. Somebody else took over the part at a couple of days' notice" Still, poor Jayne was remembered and, in the last series, cast in an episode as a neurotic American girl. This year she's a regular as Ginny Vickers, personal assistant to Alec Stewart. No chance of her being confused with the character of her previous appearance: "With every part I change completely, quite unrecognizable. It starts with my mind and this transforms my physical appearance. Even bewilders me!". There is just one lady who has enjoyed a measure of regular employment in The Troubleshooters. She's Deborah Stanford who plays Mrs Alec Stewart. The fictional marriage has had its troubles, but, since Roz Stewart is an ardent Roman Catholic convert, is likely to last. Deborah is contracted by the episode, which leaves her free to accept other work. In the last three years she's managed a West End play, three plays in repertory, small parts in two films and a World of Wooster tale for BBC Television. As a veteran of over thirty Troubleshooters she has, she says, gained valuable insight into her acting craft through watching her performances as the same character. "I see little mannerisms and acting habits I didn't know I had. And I used to be terribly punctilious about looking as good as I could all the time. I don't worry so much about it now - who looks perfect anyway?".

You Want A Clockwork Nightingale

TX : 31st March 1969
Director : Paul Ciappessoni
Script : David Fisher
Cast : Robert Hardy (Alec Stewart), Ray Barrett (Peter Thornton), Philip Latham (Willy Izard), Calvin Lockhart (Zeke `Nkosi), John Lee (Ronnie Darling), David Chant (Solly Levison), Julie Paulle (Mrs Darling), Kevin Stoney (Doctor Van Rhysmann), Richard Caldicot (Masters), Charlotte Rhys (Girl), Barry Savage (Hendryk Van Veda), Bloke Modisane (Casey), Daphne Cline-Thomas (Mrs 'Nkosi), Princess Patience (Butter Lobenga) and Ilarrio Pedro (Kansas Kid).

Synopsis : The executives of Mogul's South African subsidiary think their office boy Zeke is only capable of "toting barges and liftin' bales", but Willy Izard has other ideas. Zeke has secret ambitions - and qualifications - which Willy decides to further. He expected to come up against apartheid but another completely unexpected obstacle crops up which calls for uncharacteristic forcefulness from the gentle Izard. Regular Troubleshooters Philip Latham, Ray Barrett and Robert Hardy are joined by the young Bahamian star Calvin Lockhart as Zeke. BBC viewers will remember him as the coloured boyfriend in the award-winning play Talking To A Stranger - a part written especially for him by John Hopkins. To film-goers, Calvin Lockhart will be known as Rod Taylor's co-star in Nobody Runs Forever. He has just finished another big film, Hung Up, and is currently working with Marcello Mastroianni in London before departing for Hollywood.

Don't Ask, Take

TX : 14th April 1969 Director : Ronald Craddock Script : David Fisher Cast : Geoffrey Keen (Brian Stead), Ray Barrett (Peter Thornton), Philip Latham (Willy Izard), Haydn Jones (Doctor Rowbottom), Julia Arnall (Kelly Lee Marcus), Brenda Saunders (Isobel Walker), Richard Pearson (Augustus Walker), Betty Cooper (Sheila Grant) and Gilbert Wynne (Doctor Palmer).

Synopsis : Eccentric individualists cannot successfully be absorbed into big organizations, but Brian Stead decides to take up the challenge. He realizes that an inventor has got something Mogul needs. The big question is: what has Mogul got that the inventor needs? Richard Pearson, one of country's foremost character actors, adds another excellent performance to his long list of credits with his portrayal of inventor, Augustus Walker. Another familiar face is that of Gilbert Wynne, formerly Detective Constable Dwyer in Softly Softly.

Radio Times publicity : April 10, 1969 - Clash Of Giants: In tonight's Troubleshooters episode, Don't Ask, Take, Richard Pearson plays a scientific genius who stands in danger of being "conned" by Brian Stead (Geoffrey Keen) into handing over the patents to one of his inventions. But is he as simple as he seems?

Doctor Liebling, I Presume

TX : 21st April 1969 Director : Ken Hannam Script : David Fisher Cast : Ray Barrett (Peter Thornton), Philip Latham (Willy Izard), Jayne Sofiano (Doctor Ginny Vickers), Glyn Owen (Bill Brough), Anthony Villaroel (Kabu), Charles Tingwell (Matthew Barber), Mark Heath (Boatman), David Healy (Doctor Liebling), Isaac Bamgbosf (Malakulu), Jack Shepherd (Police Constable), Earl Jardine (Prisoner) and Harry Tracey (Killer).

Synopsis : Papuan headhunters are not a common danger to Mogul. But this week they are only one of the hazards which Peter Thornton has to face. Why does the Australian District Commissioner try to stop him going to see Doctor Liebling? And what is Doctor Liebling doing there anyway? It takes a terrifying experience to clear up the mystery. This episode reunites for the first time the three stars of Emergency Ward 10: Ray Barrett, Glyn Owen and Charles Tingwell. Also starring David Healy, an American who recently played the role of Falstaff for the Royal Shakespeare Company. It is the first television production in this country by Australian director Ken Hannam, who recently lived and worked in Papua.

You Can't Trust Women

TX : 28th April 1969 Director : Cyril Coke Script : David Weir Cast : Robert Hardy (Alec Stewart), Ray Barrett (Peter Thornton), Geoffrey Keen (Brian Stead), Philip Latham (Willy Izard), Jayne Sofiano (Doctor Ginny Vickers), Deborah Stanford (Roz Stewart), Bruce Boa (Bill Douglas), Tom Minnikin (Priest), Hilary Tindall (Ingrid Lever), John Devaut (Head Waiter), Antony Scott (U.S State Trooper), Dora Reisser (Ghislaine Foss) and Bert Brownbill (Reporter).

Synopsis : Ghislaine Foss' hand is sought by both Mogul and Zenith. Why? Because besides having a young and glamorous millionairess at the end of it, it contains a fistful of Mogul shares! Vital shares as the Mogul-Zenith battle nears its climax. Everything seems to be coming to a head - and not only in the business sense. All along the line the female of the species is the calayst. For Alec Stewart, this means trouble from all directions. Dora Reisser returns as Ghislaine Foss and Hilary Tindall plays Ingrid Lever, an innocent bystander who gets mixed up in something she knows nothing about.

Radio Times publicity : In tonight's episode of The Troubleshooters at 9:05pm, Brian Stead is called on to woo Ghislaine Foss, the glamorous jet-set millionaires, who is in a position to make or break Mogul - but his methods are a bit rusty. It falls to Alec Stewart, whose marriage to Roz is going through a bad patch, to come to the rescue.

Really. She Did, She Really Did

TX : 5th May 1969
Director : Michael Armstrong
Script : David Weir
Cast : Geoffrey Keen (Brian Stead), Robert Hardy (Alec Stewart), Philip Latham (Willy Izard), Jayne Sofiano (Doctor Ginny Vickers), Deborah Stanford (Roz Stewart), Dora Reisser (Ghislaine Foss), Bernard Hepton (Mayne), Bruce Boa (Bill Douglas), Harvey Ashby (Chester), Margaret Ward (Joan Izard), Jack Gwillim (Sir Charles Bliss), John Lawrence (Steward) and Jackie Trent (Singer).

Synopsis : . "Let's show the Yanks what it is to be British," says Brian Stead. And to prove it he takes the entire board of Mogul International across the Atlantic on the Queen Elizabeth II. But this is no empty gesture. The moment of decision has arrived in the Mogul-Zenith battle. For the crucial board meeting the directors must be away from outside interference. The whole of this episode, apart from a short opening scene in Mogul House, is sent on board the QE2. As a bonus, night-club entertainment is provided by singing star Jackie Trent. Because of the changes in the QE2's schedule, actress Dora Reisser (Mrs Foss) had to be especially flown back from Acapulco to film on the ship. The biggest headache, however, was given to designer John Hurst, who has required to recreate the interiors of the QE2 for studio work - quite a task.

Some Of The Mud Is Bound To Stick

TX : 12th May 1969
Director : Lennie Mayne
Script : John Lucarotti

Cast : Robert Hardy (Alec Stewart), Geoffrey Keen (Brian Stead), Philip Latham (Willy Izard), Jayne Sofiano (Doctor Ginny Vickers), Deborah Stanford (Roz Stewart), Rex Robinson (Rashuda), Renu Setna (Customs Officer), Norman Florence (First Policeman), Yashar Adem (Second Poiliceman), Michel Faure (Police Captain), Peter Miles (Interpreter), Patricia Pryor (Secretary), Earl Jardine (First Guard), Mohammed Soufi (Second Guard), Hugo de Vernier (Besada), John Ringham (Mr Perfect), Ahmed Osman (Yemin B'Dhulla), Ralph Ball (Steward) and Jerry Ram (Prisoner).

Synopsis : Is Alec Stewart a spy? The Algerian authorities say yes, Mogul says no. It is possible: he travels all over the world, is accepted everywhere without question, and moves in the highest circles. But he has never expressed strong political opinions and he certainly doesn't need the money, so why does he spy? Stewart's close friends and colleagues think and think again while he is in captivity. Guilty or not, he can certainly never be regarded in exactly the same light again.

Lord, What A Tangled Web

TX : 19th May 1969
Director : Lennie Mayne
Script : John Lucarotti
Cast : Geoffrey Keen (Brian Stead), Philip Latham (Willy Izard), Richard Marner (Andrei Alexandrov), Arnold Diamond (Willi Muller), Olive McFarland (Nina Kapler), Ken Wynne (Henri Guillard), John Stone (Alan Tasman), Hans Meyer (Joachim Schmitt-Klever), Jo Leggo (Stripper), Roy Purcell (Henry Davant), Graham Armitage (Mr Osborne), Joanna Royce (Katie Tasman), Suana (Fire Eater) and Hatti Riemer (Hostess In Garten Von Eden).

Synopsis : Memories of 1945 come flooding back to Brian Stead when he revisits Berlin, where Mogul are drilling for natural gas. He served there at the end of the war as a Major organizing petrol supplies for Allied Forces and an incident twenty-four years old is dragged up now in an attempt to discredit him. Geoffrey Keen was especially flown to Berlin to film at the Wall, Checkpoint Charlie and the Kurfurstendamm area of Berlin, and the bulk of this episode rests on him. Hans Meyer, star of many Continental films, makes his first British television appearance as an entrepreneur who can make or mar the negotiations.

Trivia : This episode attracted 5.4 million viewers and hit number 15 in the top 20 programmes for the week of transmission.

And One Wise Man Came Out From The East

TX : 2nd June 1969 Director : Ken Hannam Script : John Lucarotti Cast : Ray Barrett (Peter Thornton), Geoffrey Keen (Brian Stead), Philip Latham (Willy Izard), Kit Taylor (Ted Raven), Veronica Strong (Erica Taplow), Denis Quilley (Reg Whitmore), Ron Welling (Waiter), Linda Liles (Ann Carlson), Alex MacIntosh (Television Interviewer), Peter Bathurst (Jim Harris), Jan Dinnen (Jenny) and Charles Workman (Charlie).

Synopsis : Brian Stead is the only man who would dare ask Peter Thornton to travel directly from Alaska to Western Australia - a temperature change of one-hundred-and-sixty-four degrees. What is more, Stead is the only man Thornton would do it for. Thornton questions his loyalty, though, when he is lost in the outback without radio or salt tablets. Struggling to survive he wonders whether Mogul's demands are too great. There is plenty of genuine Down Under in this episode. Ray Barrett is joined by fellow Australians Kit Taylor (Ted Rowen) and Peter Bathurst (Jim Harris), and by Denis Quilley (Reg Whitmore), who has just returned to Britain after a highly successful spell in Sydney. Director Ken Hannam is another recent import from Australia. Kit Taylor has worked in the exact part of the outback where this story is set and bears witness to the problems of survival there - salt tablets and all.

Let's All Drop Out Together

TX : 9th June 1969
Director : Robert Tronson
Script : John Lucarotti
Cast : Ray Barrett (Peter Thornton), Geoffrey Keen (Brian Stead), Philip Latham (Willy Izard), Hilary Dwyer (Rolli Johnson), Robert Raglan (Michael Carter), Salmaan Peer (Nika), John Sterland (Andy Kershaw), Pam Saire (Secretary), Michael Feast (Zap), Terence Bayler (David Neville) and Alan White (Jeff Bellinger).

Synopsis : "Peter Thornton not interested in oil? That's like Lawrence Olivier saying the theatre's a bore". That's the reaction when Thornton, exhausted after being frozen in Alaska and fried in Australia, resigns from Mogul and turns his back on the world of oil. Can Brian Stead get his number one troubleshooter to change his mind? Thornton, lying peacefully on a beach in Fiji, says no. Willy Izard, lecturing hippies in California, has his doubts but agrees to try. Exotic Fiji peace, and a beautiful girl (of course) are powerful influences on a disillusioned Thornton. But Stead has a few tricks to pull before he will admit defeat. Writer John Lucarotti stopped off in Fiji on a round-the-world research trip for The Troubleshooters last year - and nearly didn't come back. "It really is the sort of place that makes you want to forget everything," he says. "And that was the start of this story. I thought if this can happen to me, it could certainly happen to Thornton…".

She'll Be Right Mate

TX : 16th June 1969
Director : Ronald Craddock
Script : John Lucarotti
Cast : Geoffrey Keen (Brian Stead), Ray Barrett (Peter Thornton), Philip Latham (Willy Izard), Inia Te Wiata (Ed Ahu Riri), Arthur Williamson (Johnny Savage), Hilary Dwyer (Rolli Johnson), Athol Coats (Tony Haldane), Deirdre Denham (Haldane's Secretary), Jerold Wells (Cookie), Martin Terry (Mike), John Scholes (George), Walter Sparrow (Jack), Anthony Chinn (Kesimishu), Jerry Stovin (Ric Boyden) and Martin King (News Reporter).

Synopsis : Peter Thornton returns to the fold - straight into the thick of a row between the New Zealand Government and Mogul over the shifting of a drilling rig from that country to Indonesia. Why should Thornton want to return to do Stead's dirty work? Because he wants to win a seat on the Mogul Board. Also, the man who is leading a mutiny on the rig is an old mate, Ed Ahu Riri. Ultimately, the friendship proves to be a hindrance rather than a help and Thornton's loyalties are stretched to breaking point. Maori opera star Inia Te Wiata makes a rare and very welcome television appearance as Ed Ahu Riri, and Hilary Dwyer appears as Thornton's girlfriend, Rolli Johnson. The part of Haldane gives a British debut for Athol Coats, one of New Zealand's leading actors. This is the one-hundredth Troubleshooters story. Of these, no less than twenty-one have been by writer John Lucarotti, author of tonight's story.

It's A Very Bad Day For Travelling

TX : 23rd June 1969
Director : Frank Cox
Script : Anthony Read
Cast : Ray Barrett (Peter Thornton), Marne Maitland (Da Silva), Saeed Jaffrey (Anton Salgado), Maurice Denham (Henry Burton), Zienia Merton (Liane), Mona Hammond (Secretary), Nik Zaran (Lucien) and Mohan Singh (Professor).

Synopsis : "I used to think," says Peter Thornton, "that once you got a real big shot, a director of the company, your problems would be over. Believe me - they're not". An important contract can be won in Ceylon. But Mogul's manager there, Henry Burton, does not seem to be trying. Thornton is on his own. He must not only find out why but also take the decisions needed to put things right. Including, if necessary, sacking Burton. His investigations give him an insight into the ways of the country and plenty of surprises - including a powerful astrologer. Location filming for this episode was shot in Ceylon, where the unit had to dodge a late monsoon. Other local hazards include elephants wandering across the road - not the easiest of animals for a fast car to miss! And the famed dancers of Kandy performed for the cameras at 7:00am, surely the earliest show they have ever given. This story brings to Mogul, for the first time, guest star Maurice Denham - whose credits in every medium are too many to list here. But for Zienia Merton, who plays the beautiful Liane, even the world of Mogul must seem tame after her last assignment - seducing Gregory Peck in the forthcoming 20th Century Fox film The Chairman.

This Place Is A Paradise, Mister

TX : 30th June 1969 Director : Malcolm Taylor Script : David Weir Cast : Ray Barrett (Peter Thornton), Geoffrey Keen (Brian Stead), Philip Latham (Willy Izard), Jayne Sofiano (Doctor Ginny Vickers), John Cobner (Jackson), Edwina Carroll (Elizabeth), Iain Cuthbertson (King Watt), Stanley Jact (Rog), Allister Bain (Jerry) and Sheila Steafel (Doctor Leduc).

Synopsis : Brian Stead sends Peter Thornton to a Caribbean island paradise - where he is taken prisoner! "King" George Watt is the benign but powerful ruler of the island and if he says he doesn't want a Mogul invasion, there's wont be one. He is supported by a French woman anthropologist, Doctor Yvette Leduc, who is dangerously using the islanders in a sociological experiment. She doesn't want Mogul there either, and it is she who triggers off an explosive situation by helping Peter Thornton escape.

They Call Me Israel

TX : 7th July 1969
Director : Lennie Mayne
Script : David Weir
Cast : Robert Hardy (Alec Stewart), Geoffrey Keen (Brian Stead), Ray Barrett (Peter Thornton), Philip Latham (Willy Izard), Jayne Sofiano (Doctor Ginny Vickers), Deborah Stanford (Roz Stewart), Amos Mokadi (Captain Katz), Pamela Saire (Miss Clark), Valerie Stanton (Thornton's Girlfriend), Martin Miller (Doctor Israel Berg), Dora Reisser (Ghislaine Foss), Bruce Boa (Bill Douglas), Roy Patrick (Mr Hoskins) and Willy Bowman (Shaikh).

Synopsis : Alec Stewart is holidaying in Israel, in a bid to put the horror of his stay in an Algerian jail behind him. Incredibly, he hits another load of trouble and this time it's not only his reputation that is threatened, but his whole future. This week's episode explores the war-torn Arab-Israeli border troubles and demonstrates the very delicate way in which both sides have now to be handled by big business in order to protect their interests. Dora Reisser appears again as millionaires Ghislaine Foss and Bruce Boa returns as Bill Douglas - Zenith's Alec Stewart. The part of Doctor Israel Berg is played by distinguished character actor Martin Miller.

Over The Hill

TX : 14th July 1969 Director : Michael Armstrong Script : John Elliot Cast : Geoffrey Keen (Brian Stead), Ray Barrett (Peter Thornton), Robert Hardy (Alec Stewart), Philip Latham (Willy Izard), Deborah Stanford (Roz Stewart), Jayne Sofiano (Doctor Ginny Vickers), Audrey Muir (Mrs Kleep), Anne Kristen (Audrey Randall), Arthur Hewlett (Bellinshaw), Brian Hayes (Coppard), Pamela Saire (Secretary), Bella Emberg (Nurse), Edward Burnham (Longden), Ken Wynne (Henr Guillard) and Michael Sheard (German).

Synopsis : Is Brian Stead over the hill, about to die? Can Peter Thornton really be sacked? Can Alec Stewart survive in Mogul after his recent disasters? Will Willy Izard retire when Stead goes? The future of just about everybody is in jeopardy in this, the final episode of the current series. The theme of the story is the eternal conflict between youth and age. All the doubts and fears, hopes and anxieties are exposed as Stead's life hangs in the balance, and with it his dream of a great future for Mogul International. This week there are no guest stars, only a number of brilliant supporting roles. This week the regular stars of Mogul dominate the screen, bringing to a climax their efforts, achievements and adventures during the series.

The Troubleshooters Season Four episode guide

The Troubleshooters Season Six episode guide