Ghost Squad

Ghost Squad was a British series that commenced in 1961. The first 13 episodes were shot on high quality film and still look great today.Unfortunately the second, longer series suffered from a strike at the time and was therefore shot on video tape and it shows.The first series starred Michael Quinn as Nick Craig, special Ghost Squad operator.Also starring as his boss was the legendary theatre actor, Donald Wolfit.This first series is a gem. Espionage, murder, robbery, international intrigue and Nick Craig was always there.Great to see so many British upcoming actors, Honor Blackman, Douglas Wilmer, Roger Delgado, John Cairney, William Hartnell, so many more.The entire series has now been released on DVD in the U.K. I recommend it strongly to the t.v. collector.The second series gave Craig a new boss , Donald Wolfit was gone. Neil Hallett came in as another agent and his stories generally rotated with Craig's.It's still a good show but the loss of quality really does show on video tape.Michael Quinn was an American actor with only a few bit parts to his name when he landed the lead. In the beginning his inexperience shows but to his credit he vastly improves quickly and for me despite other actors appearing as agents , Craig is always the interesting one.Neil Hallett is fine and probably the better actor of the two. However there is something about Quinn as Nick Craig that really does convey the life of a lonely agent.Some sources state that Craig is blown up in the episode "A first class way to die". This is untrue, he is alive and well at the end of series 2.However when the series returned a year later under the title, GS.5 , Nick Craig was gone and Miller ( Neil Hallett) sets out to avenge his death, but Craig's demise is never shown to the audience. Was Quinn dropped or did he leave? We shall never know.Quinn went back to America and only managed small roles in shows like Bewitched and Dallas. I have heard he then went to Australia and appeared in Neighbours as a doctor. I have been unable to verify this, so if anyone could help, please do let me know.Would be interesting to know if he is still alive, if he is it seems a shame he is not there giving a commentary on a landmark t.v. series.Ghost Squad was the first British one hour dramatic show and to this day the majority of the stories stand up well, give it a whirl.

A difference in tastes here, but despite the helpful and detailed review of this programme from a previous reviewer, I can't endorse it as a great series. Possibly an important pioneer for the cheap and cheerful globetrotting police/spy shows shot in Pinewood that we all enjoyed in the 1960s, but in itself not quite there.

Michael Quinn was not really a success as Craig, although he was such an unusual character, he certainly stood out among the rest of the cast (Angela Browne made a strong impression in series 1). The trouble was Quinn was very tall, and a bit dopey-looking, and by series 2 even his haircut looked dopey. He also got everything wrong, and he could mangle almost any accent on the planet. He was built for Dick Van Dyke-style comedy, not a proto-Roger Moore.

There was also a splendidly ludicrous title sequence, which bizarrely refers to the 'almost legendary Ghost Squad' - why 'almost'? - and shows Craig emerging with a surge of commuters at what looks like Victoria Station in London, extolling his ability to merge with the crowd, while he stands out like a sore thumb, towering a foot taller than everyone else.