Callan

Callan was a very dark series which has never been given the credit it deserved. I'm glad to see the series on DVD here in England because it is a series I would recommend to anyone who wasn't born when it first aired.

A pre-Equalizer Edward Woodward played Callan who was an agent for British Intelligence. He was no James Bond however; Callan's was a dark world where everyone had their own agenda and no-one could be trusted. Things were not black and white; there were plenty of shades of grey. Unlike James Bond, Callan didn't have a posh car, plenty of beautiful women and he didn't get to jet off to sunny locations. Callan hated his job, he had no choice but to work for British Intelligence (watch the first episodes to see why that is). He was a good man deep down and cared about people but he was constantly required to lie and deceive people and cheat. He was given the dirty jobs no-one else wanted and whilst his superior (a man called Hunter, played by various actors)knew that Callan was good at his job, he also didn't care about Callan at all. Callan was a loner.

The premise was very interesting indeed. Callan was reluctantly doing a dirty job and his emotions came into conflict with his job at times. It was fascinating viewing.

Over the years there have been many dark series where you can never be sure who is good and who is bad. In a way, I guess it is indicative of the times we are living in. However, I think it is important to remember that Callan was the benchmark for many of the dark and pessimistic shows we see today and without Callan, many of them would not have arisen.

My review is on the colour series as I've not yet watched the first two b&w series, but the fact that they were so popular they led to a successful public campaign not to end the show after Series 2 as originally planned, and long before the days of social media, means they must be good! I can say the next two series were extremely good, equating to one of the highest quality TV dramas I've ever watched.

The best episodes, and there are many excellent ones, are tightly written gems of intrigue that if you missed a minute of you might lose the plot, which turns and twists like a poisonous snake. It's very surprisingly hard hitting for a 50 year old show, it's made for adults and is all the better for it. This is of course a major reason why it's so popular with fans and so highly rated.

The casting and resulting acting is top notch, it made a star of Woodward here, whose star eventually and rightly shone in America, after a long career outside the A List. Callan's scruples and doubts are as enthralling as the Cold War plots of Red Files on Russian agents and his methods of dealing with them, sometimes coldly and ruthlessly, sometimes cleverly, and not strictly to orders.

Another highlight is the relationship he has with his colleagues, all of whom are in a strict hierarchy, one or two of which he dislikes far more than the targets he's asked to do a job on. The favourite for me is Cross who appears in most of the colour series, superbly played by Mower, a very under rated actor, who portrays his seething dislike of being under Callan, because he comes from a higher social class and in Military terms, where most of the agents are picked from, would have been an Officer to Callan's Corporal. Highly recommend others watch the repeats now showing on TV or get hold of the DVDs. IMO the most compelling espionage TV show of them all.

I'm young, just entered my 20s and yet I know they don't make spy series like this anymore. Callan was light but has certain depth on each and every episode. The writing was unique and somehow relatable. It centered not only in storytelling but also character development (which in today's standard is a bit hard to find. At least a good one). I personally think that's what series should do: showing characters development/arcs that movies mostly can't do. And they executed it perfectly when they decided to write Callan.

Woodward was such a phenomenal gem in this one. He pictured Callan so perfectly. His fears, his dislikes, his interests, all was in the right place. It's as if he was born to play Callan. I have absolutely such a delightful time watching him.

Initially I'd give it a 8.5 but alas... But after I think about it again, Callan deserve a spot of 9 on IMDB.

The other reviews will tell you that this is one of the best TV series ever, much under-appreciated, and worth your time. They are mainly right, with a few exceptions. First the genesis of the series is odd. Callan was originally a successful novel (younger readers, this would be in the days of paper and ink, not portable devices) and a solid action-thriller. The original Callan, as written, did indeed have a conscience but always preferred a quick and reliable solution (guns and bullets) to soul-searching. When the author, Mitchell, was approached to turn the story into a TV series, he did something very unusual. Where other authors will usually blame someone else for interfering with their work, Mitchell re-imagined Callan entirely on his own initiative, turning a man of action into man of conflict. With hindsight it was a brilliant decision. While we may never know what the British public would have thought of Callan as originally conceived (remember that TV violence was very stylized at the time, look at the Avengers, or Batman in the US) they simply fell in love with the re-imagined Callan as a soul-searching and reluctant spy. The show was #1 for several years and ultimately a much pudgier Woodward shuffled off to America to attempt to re-create the Callan persona for US tastes. With mixed success.

I remember watching this as a teenager and thought it was really very good. In retrospect, it still is! Edward Woodward in the series long before The Equaliser (a watered down type of US show) gives a credible performance of Callan. It is reminiscent of The Ipcress File style and all the characters are well crafted. Russel Hunter as Linely the slightly freaky, weird unwilling accomplice with his Taxi as a cover is just superb. went on for four years and spawn a good movie. Spying in those days was a dirty game but one seemed to know who the enemy was most of the time. Today, one has no idea. Would like to see some reruns.