Die Profis

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!!!

"The Professionals" has been slated from all sides over the years. It's fallen foul of, among others, the self-appointed moralist zealots of television watchdog groups because of its often hard-hitting violence, and the feminist lobby for its portrayal of most of its female characters as bimbos and ciphers. Even Martin Shaw, one of its three main stars, was so embarrassed by the show that for years his veto prevented it from being repeated in the UK (or perhaps it was simply because he was ashamed of the perm which he sported throughout the show's six-year run and which led to co-star Lewis Collins giving him the nickname "the Bionic Gollywog"). Whatever the reason, "The Professionals" won few critical admirers at the time and now - in the age of political correctness - is perhaps even more widely pooh-poohed. So why did it run for 6 years and become one of British TV's biggest ever, and most popular, exports? And why does it still enjoy cult status? The answer, paradoxically, lies in the reasons why it was so widely reviled in the first place. It's violent, politically incorrect and - to put it kindly - doesn't demand that its audiences have the intellect of rocket scientists to follow its plots. It was escapist entertainment aimed at boys of all ages from 10 to 50. Pictures of Bodie & Doyle adorned the bedroom walls of teenage girls up and down the land as they got in on the act too. And the show practically became an hour-long advertisement for the Ford motor company. In the UK during the late 70s and early 80s, it was positively hazardous to venture forth on a Friday night during a "Professionals" run, for fear of being knocked over and hospitalised by some young Johnny screeching round the corner in his Ford Capri, pretending to be Bodie & Doyle. Sure, "The Professionals" (like most shows of the genre) had its moronic moments, but who can forget classics like the episode in which two anti-social misfits holed up on a high rooftop and started taking pot-shots at a nearby hospital? Or the one with Bodie trapped in a country house, under siege by a bunch of German terrorists and with all contact to the outside world lost? Everything the critics accuse "The Professionals" of may well be true. But who cares? It's still a cult classic. They don't make 'em like that any more.

On the surface the success of The Professionals is something of an enigma. Two characters with embarrassing haircuts, dreadful dress-sense, little respect for birds... err, women, in a show almost universally panned by the critics...

Yet the Professionals not only succeeded in its day but continues to do so in repeat runs almost 25 years on.

Bodie and Doyle's characteristics arguably had near-plagiaristic similarities to that of Starsky & Hutch. The action and (more particularly) violence depicted was essentially a continuation of the "rules" laid down by The Sweeney. Yet The Professionals still carved out a niche for itself. What sets it apart from the other shows is the firework chemistry between the two leads (as much down to the good fortune of casting Shaw and Collins together - two completely different actors) and the jibing, black humour they share and harangue each other with.

Gordon Jackson's searing performance as Cowley, meanwhile, proved to be a formidable boss for the two reprobates.

The humour also extended to the situations and the show was not afraid to make fun of itself occasionally.

In the early years the exciting, varied plots were a bonus, too (Contrary to other remarks, they were often quite complex). Action-wise, Collins and Shaw gamely tackled much of their own stuntwork.

Although characterisation was never the primary objective of the show, the characters were given a reasonable opportunity to add facets to their personae. Doyle, in particular, emerged as a surprisingly rounded, unpredictable and constantly surprising character - due mainly to Shaw's splendid acting skills.

Unlike other British action shows, the Professionals gained an immense female following - indeed its fandom is probably split 50:50 between the sexes.

In the meantime London Weekend Television exported the show massively to eager overseas broadcasters (and continues to do so to this day).

However the programme was not without faults. By the fourth season (1980) the writing team were struggling to find new ideas and the boys of CI5 often found themselves lumbered with jobs that more traditional law forces would normally take on.

By 1981 the show was clearly running out of steam and with Shaw and Collins keen to move on to other things, LWT decided to call it a day after a grand total of 57 episodes.

Today it's easy to say the whole reason it's such a success again is because of its refreshingly un-PC image. Yet there is more to it than that and, indeed, what were seen as the strengths of the show in 1977 are being appreciated by new audiences the world over.

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.