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Product details
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Introduced in "A Magnum for Schneider", the hour-long 1967 Armchair Theatre episode of Callan written by James Mitchell about a disillusioned British secret agent of the same name (starring Edward Woodward), went on to offer four popular (if downbeat) series, a spin-off movie remaking the original story and a some-years-later wrap-up play "Wet Job". Remembered for its very distinctive opening titles, with a swinging broken-light bulb and a memorable theme tune, the series adopted a Deighton-LeCarré approach to the grim, treacherous, grubby business of Cold War espionage and made a TV star of the intense Woodward as the sweaty, sometimes conscience-stricken, sometimes robotic Callan. Even in the 21st century this still seems as strong, its complex stories and impressive performances outweighing a low-budget mix of video and film in the production that makes it seem less "professional" than other shows of the time.
A great deal of the series opener is devoted to bringing on new regulars. There's a fresh Mr Hunter who, like Number Two on The Prisoner--with which Callan shares series editor George Markstein--was a title not a name, so several actors held the position over the course of the show. There's also the trendily mulleted thug Cross (Patrick Mower), who would go spectacularly off the rails in the next series and a half. In a dramatic device that has long since fallen out of fashion in television, Callan episodes tend to wind up by leaving the audience to work out all the connections of the plot while Callan himself sits gloomily and ponders the wretchedness of his squalid world. --Kim Newman
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I was only 7 when this series of Callan first graced TV screens. I wouldn't have been allowed to see it at that age, so must have picked it up as a repeat.
I deliberated for a while before puchasing it - could it really have stood the test of time? The answer is a resounding "yes". No TV series in my DVD collection, regardless of era, has made such an impression. I have lent it to my father and some friends: each has said exactly the same thing - "I can't believe how good this still is".
Five stars are not enough - this is possibly the finest TV series ever made. Yes, the picture and sound quality are mediocre. But the quality of the writing, Edward Woodward's portrayal of the tortured David Callan, his interactions with Hunter, Lonely and Cross, the unrelenting tension and the simple but totally believeable stories are quite extraordinary.
This DVD release has been around for a quite a while now without any sign of the next series. Apparently the previous series (in black and white) are lost as are so many 1960s BBC shows. Hopefully, the second and third colour series still exist, and some day soon, they will be released.
Otherwise, we'll have to send Callan and Lonely around to find out why.
I deliberated for a while before puchasing it - could it really have stood the test of time? The answer is a resounding "yes". No TV series in my DVD collection, regardless of era, has made such an impression. I have lent it to my father and some friends: each has said exactly the same thing - "I can't believe how good this still is".
Five stars are not enough - this is possibly the finest TV series ever made. Yes, the picture and sound quality are mediocre. But the quality of the writing, Edward Woodward's portrayal of the tortured David Callan, his interactions with Hunter, Lonely and Cross, the unrelenting tension and the simple but totally believeable stories are quite extraordinary.
This DVD release has been around for a quite a while now without any sign of the next series. Apparently the previous series (in black and white) are lost as are so many 1960s BBC shows. Hopefully, the second and third colour series still exist, and some day soon, they will be released.
Otherwise, we'll have to send Callan and Lonely around to find out why.
18 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
It was a pleasure to be able to re aquaint myself with such well drawn characters as Callan, his smelly little helper Lonely and their ruthless boss Hunter.
The production quality isn't up to the standards that we in the year 2001 have come to expect, however for a 30 year old show it doesn't look that shabby...
The stories were just as well written and interesting as i remembered them from over 17 years since Callan was last on tv.
The only complaint, where is Toby Meres that wonderfully chiling pyscopath played so well by Anthony Valentine..
On a scale of 1 to 10,I would have to say 7/10.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Oh No It Isn't
It is series 2 as there is no Toby Meres and a "different" Hunter. Was series one B/W? Nevertheless this series stands up well against today's efforts as it is less flashy and more "real". Edward Woodward is superb. You live the wracking of his concience and his fears with him and are continually shocked by his violence. Russel Hunter too has a magnificent character as the smelly sidekick "Lonley". With good plots and a good suppporting cast Callan is a delight.
But where is series 1
It is series 2 as there is no Toby Meres and a "different" Hunter. Was series one B/W? Nevertheless this series stands up well against today's efforts as it is less flashy and more "real". Edward Woodward is superb. You live the wracking of his concience and his fears with him and are continually shocked by his violence. Russel Hunter too has a magnificent character as the smelly sidekick "Lonley". With good plots and a good suppporting cast Callan is a delight.
But where is series 1
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