Los campeones

My siblings and I stumbled upon The Champions when our local station aired re-runs of it one summer in the 1970's. We absolutely adored it. There was something so exotic and mysterious about it, especially when compared to the usual American re-runs (Petticoat Junction, Green Acres... you get the idea). It had a similar feel to The Avengers (not too much of a surprise, since it was also British and in the spy/adventure genre).

I would love to see it again now -- hopefully it holds up. I've mentioned this show to others and no one has ever heard of it, so I began to wonder if I'd imagined its whole existence. But the wonder that is the web has allowed me track down information about it. Hopefully it will find a new generation of fans.

I don't know what was the more "out-there" ITC fantasy series from the late 60's, this or the equally wonderful "Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)". I think I'll call it a draw and a high-scoring one at that.

As a child of 8, I slavishly watched this series on first release so my warm memories of it are very strong and long-lasting, completely over-powering my critical faculties screaming how improbable and incredulous the concept and plot-lines were.

The three actors in the lead roles gelled together so well, Stuart Damon, the handsome, smooth-talking athletic American, Richard Gaunt the more grounded, thoughtful Britisher second wheel while Alexandra Bastedo provided the glamour and feminine wiles, triggering a major crush in my boyhood self.

The trio's special powers weren't so all-powerful as to make them immune from danger (unlike say Steve Austin's in the next decade) and they invariably relied on teamwork to get the job done, usually to the consternation of their permanently flummoxed boss Anthony Nicholls.

Looking back, I just feel so pleased that I started watching TV as a boy when adventure series like this were airing, including "The Avengers","Mission Impossible", "Department S" and others too numerous to mention. How lucky for us nostalgia-freaks that they are almost all readily available again on DVD or streaming channels.

All I could remember of this show was something about them wearing white; that I loved it at the time (I must have been five when it first aired - I suspect I caught repeats, but it would all have been watched on a B&W TV), and it had something to do with telepathy. Oh, and I thought that there was a connection with Switzerland. I knew the title was something like 'The Persuaders', but that that was another great show (Roger Moore and Tony Curtis). I typed 'telepathy' into the 'plot' search in IMDb TV and 'The Champions' was the first option offered. Eureka! I have had this programme bugging me on and off for about ten years - it was such a relief to find out what it was called and to see those iconic photos. IMDb is such a great site. I'm off to buy the DVDs.

Oh, the 60's were a great era for all genres from action to sci-fi to comedy. Will we ever reclaim those days?

The Champions was an outstanding fantasy show about three agents who worked for Nemesis, an international agency. In the pilot episode they were given powers by a mysterious monk. They had powers of telepathy, super strength and other powers.

As for the adventures themselves, the Champions battled villains who were threatening no less than the world itself. The Champions were a bit too powerful at times but it was still fun seeing them beat the bad guys. And for a male like myself, it was fun to see the beautiful Alexandra Bastedo kicking butt.

The Champions was one of many great 60's shows.

What a fantastic show! It's not perfect, but I enjoyed almost every single episode. The set-up: The Champions tells the story of Richard Barrett, Craig Stirling, and Sharron Macready. They are agents for an organization dedicated to law, order, and justice known as Nemesis. During a mission to China, their plane crashed in the mountains of Tibet. They were rescued by a secret civilization, nursed back to health, and given superpowers to use in their work with Nemesis. They keep their powers secret so they can best us them as they see fit.

The Champions stars William Gaunt, Stuart Damon, and Alexandra Bastedo as Richard, Craig, and Sharon. It's a strong core cast. Each of the three main actors brings something different to the show. They are joined by Anthony Nicholls as Tremayne, head of Nemesis. Each week, a new supporting cast was featured that included some very capable actors. Overall, the cast is a real plus to the show.

Next, the writing and directing are also responsible for making The Champions what it was. While I tend to favor the episodes written by Tony Williamson, there were a lot of talented people writing for the show. As for directors, The Champions employed some of my favorite directors working in England at the time. Names like Freddie Francis, Roy Ward Baker, John Giling, and Don Sharp popped up in the credits each week. It's a talented line-up.

As far as episodes go, I definitely have favorites. My top 5 would include: Project Zero (my absolute favorite), Shadow of the Panther, Nutcracker, The Dark Island, and Happening. It was hard picking just 5 as I rated 12 episodes an 8 or higher. Unfortunately, there were episodes that didn't quite measure up. The Iron Man, Reply Box 666, Twelve Hours, Full Circle, and The Interrogation didn't do it for me. i realize the last pick might be controversial as there are many fans of that particular episode.

While I really enjoy The Champions, it's not perfect. I have three complaints worth writing about. First, the unequal screen time given to the three main characters. As I wrote in a couple of episode reviews, Sharon too often has little to do other than play the damsel in distress. More Sharon would have been a good thing. Second, there are several instances in The Champions where their super powers are put in check for the sake of the plot. For example, in Full Circle, Richard gets destroyed by three attackers who he should have easily tossed aside. Third, even after 30 episodes, Richard, Craig, and Sharon still feel like 2-D characters. We learn almost nothing about them beyond their roles at Nemesis. They never seem like real people. Still, these quibbles are minor when compared to my overall enjoyment of The Champions.

I suppose that if I had to list one more issue I have The Champions it is that it ended after one season. I would have loved more.