Die Profis

'The Professionals' came into being at a time when the media was obsessed with secret services, specialist divisions, gun crime, and terrorism. For five years this expensive LWT series had a prime time slot just after the watershed and entertained us with its mix of violence, cars, guns, and sexist banter.

Lewis Collins (Bodie) and Martin Shaw (Doyle) became household names in their portrayals of the laconic, cynical, and fearless agents who saved the day from grenade-carriers, gunmen, and gangsters. Gordon Jackson as Cowley, their boss, had another plum TV role and was perfect in it. Sexist and silly the series may have been, but it has perhaps stood up better than other crime programmes made in the late 1970s.

Curtailed too soon because of the mood of the time, 'The Professionals' still looks good when viewed today, and enjoys re-runs on one of the many digital TV channels.

The Professionals is an extremely high quality cult t.v series that well and truly deserves its tag of "t.v legend".This is due to its excellent writing courtesy of Brian Clemens and co. and the outstanding theme and incidental scores of the incomparable Laurie Johnson.The series itself has a truly filmic quality due to the varied locations used - from beautiful shots of the English countryside with the immortal Ford Capris speeding by to the sweeping panning camera shots of the city of London.Everything about this series is memorable , from the exhilarating opening theme complete with wahwah guitar and "Shaft" style hihats to the abrasive , yet humorous relationship between the two leads.Even though most people seem to remember this series as so-called standard crime/adventure viewing , in reality , it is more than that.Particular episodes , such as "Wild Justice" , is about the character Bodie (Lewis Collins) in particular and asks whether he is able to continue working effectively under the stress placed on him by the demands of a job in an organisation such as Ci5.This sounds a reasonably formal premise for a plot , but on viewing the episode itself we see that unusual elements (such as Bodie going to an oriental martial arts/medical expert for help and advice) have been thoughtfully added by the writer to give an extra edge.To enhance this interesting angle further , the oriental character then proceeds to give Cowley - Bodies boss (Gordon Jackson) a lecture about where the soul might be placed in the body , definetly an unusual and welcome aspect to proceedings and it is precisely these element that make the Professionals linger in the mind long after an episode is over.

Unfortunately , at the time the show was mauled by critics , being cited as "moronic" and overly violent.It is undoubtedly fair to say that the show most certainly was the latter of these two things , being primarily a contemporary crime/drama series.It is also fair to say that whenever there was violence present on the screen it was handled with a certain flair and portrayed realistically.However , the reason the vitriolic attack from the critics didnt sour the publics appetite for the show was this - excellent acting from the trio of Gordon jackson (Cowley) , Lewis Collins (Bodie) and Martin Shaw (Doyle) in the lead roles , first class writing and production , the special atmosphere that permeated every episode , the memorable chemistry between Bodie and Doyle and the music , which spawned a theme which is now a signature within the genre itself and incidental music which managed magnificently to capture many differing moods and emotions , some normally found outside the often narrowly viewed crime/drama division section of television entertainment.The Professionals was and still is different and set new standards in many areas that television today is still catching up to.BUGS , anyone ?

As a young boy in the early 1980s, The Professionals was arguably the 'adult' programme I acted out the most with my friends. The names Bodie and Doyle were on the tips of our tongues as we strove to emulate their diving around, car chases (on our bikes) and shoot outs. The characters and the theme tune were always going to be etched in my memory for life.

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.

When 'The Professionals' was aired at first in Germany - I believe it must have been some when in the eighties - I *loved* this show. I had never seen anything that grim and realistic before. What I liked most about it was that the 'good guys' weren't really 'good', they were complex character- and morality- wise and, especially the Bodie character, could as well have played on the other side of the fence. The violence was portrayed rather realistic and unstylised and the characters looked gritty enough to feel real.

Feeling somewhat nostalgic (must be my old age) I just bought the complete DVD set and found that I still like it a lot - although I see it differently nowadays. Analysing my feelings for it I found that what I like most about it now is the interaction between the main characters, and on my second watching of the complete series I find myself often ff-ing through the story to the parts with the lads (MS and LC). For me it's all about seeing pretty (but undoubtedly male) men run, jump, fight, shoot, saving each other's lives and - banter with each other. No wonder that it still has a major following among females and inspires reams of fanfiction!

Nearly thirty years since it was first seen on TV and still highly enjoyable despite the outdated fashion, hairstyles, motors and technique (have a look at those computers!) - this is a true classic that has proved its erstwhile critics wrong. An endeavour all participants (including Martin Shaw) can and should be proud of, I think, because it is no small feat to inspire such love and loyalty in their fans.

All I can add to what has been said before is, what an excellent series this was. It had to be London Weekend Television's most expensive production at the time, and you could see that every penny appeared on screen. There were shoot-outs, explosions, and fist-fights galore every friday night at 9pm, when the episodes were originally shown during the late '70s and early '80s. The sexist banter between the heroes Bodie and Doyle is typical of the period, but stills remains funny to watch. One episode called 'Klansman', about a British right wing group to which Bodie becomes sympathetic, has to this day never been screened in the U.K. for fear of inflaming racial tensions, which were at their height during the Professionals' five year run. It has however, been transmitted in other parts of Europe.

Due to the media, and the then Tory government's paranoia about 'Video Nasties' and TV violence, a sixth series was never made with the original actors. Unfortunately though, it's creator Brian Clemens, decided to update and resurrect the series about four years ago. It sank without trace.

My fave episode has to be 'Hunter Hunted', in which the heros have to recover a stolen prototype rifle, which has a laser aiming system. This series was truly revolutionary!!!