Starring: Roy Marsden , Ray Lonnen , Jerome Willis
Directed by: Michael Ferguson , Peter Cregeen
Produced by: Michael Ferguson
Written by: Ian Mackintosh , Gidley Wheeler
Now digitally remastered, this timeless series is rich in detail and dialogue, gripping action, nail-biting tension and stunning plot twists. Spymaster Neil Burnside (Roy Marsden, P.D. James' first Adam Dalgliesh) and his team sweep from Westminster's corridors of power to international Cold War espionage.
Item Number: 15674
Now digitally remastered, this timeless series is rich in detail and dialogue, gripping action, nail-biting tension and stunning plot twists. Spymaster Neil Burnside (Roy Marsden, P.D. James' first Adam Dalgliesh) and his team sweep from Westminster's corridors of power to international Cold War espionage. All 20 episodes are "wonderful" -The Wall Street Journal.
First Principles Set
First Principles: Neil Burnside, the Director of Operations for Britain's Secret Intelligence Service, objects to sending his best agents, the Sandbaggers, on a mission into Russia for Norway's Secret Service.
A Proper Function of Government : The Sandbaggers may be sent to Vienna to keep tabs on a possible defector, while Burnside tries to get official approval to assassinate an African dictator.
Is Your Journey Really Necessary? :Alan Denson threatens to quit the Sandbaggers after a rough, unauthorized mission near the Soviet border, so Burnside applies pressure to Denson's fiancee.
The Most Suitable Person:Sandbagger One Willie Caine goes to Gibraltar to investigate the murder of an SIS agent, and potential new Sandbagger Laura Dickens goes to Morocco to get more clues in the case.
Special Features: Prequel Story by Series Creator Ian Mackintosh
At All Costs Set
Always Glad to Help :Dickens is assigned to find out where an Arab sheik's sympathies lie while Burnside clashes with Deputy Chief Matthew Peele and the Ministry of Defence over a covert scuba-diving operation.
A Feasible Solution :Caine and an agent fresh out of field school go to Cyprus on the trail of some missing rocket scientists while Neil lets his romantic guard down at home.
Special Relationship :Laura Dickens is the most qualified agent for a risky mission in East Berlin and Burnside has to double-deal to make sure her presence there won't pose other security risks as well.
At All Costs:The head of the Bulgarian Secret Service asks to meet with Sandbagger Tom Elliott in Sofia, but Burnside doesn't like it and intends to give Elliott backup whether his bosses approve or not.
Special Features: Roy Marsden Biography & Selected Filmography
A Question of Loyalty Set
Enough of Ghosts:Permanent Under-Secretary of State Sir Geoffrey Wellingham goes missing in Brussels and the Sandbaggers are dispatched to find him, for Burnside's sake as well as Wellingham's.
Decision by Committee :On an airline flight back from Sri Lanka, Caine and CIA covert-action agent Karen Milner run into trouble during their stop in Turkey, and Burnside runs into bureaucratic opposition when trying to help them.
A Question of Loyalty : Sandbagger Mike Wallace runs afoul of the local SIS station while on a risky mission in Warsaw, and Burnside risks his own career to show him support by sending him on a subsequent mission to Stockholm.
It Couldn't Happen Here:In the wake of the assassination of one U.S. senator, the Sandbaggers are assigned to bodyguard another, while Burnside gets wind of a traitor in the British cabinet.
Special Features: The Sandbaggers Abbreviations Guide / Memorable Dialogue from the Series
Operation Kingmaker Set
Operation Kingmaker:When there's talk of getting a new 'C', Burnside decides to back Peele for the job, believing him more malleable than the other most likely candidate, whom Burnside once clashed with.
All in a Good Cause:CIA Head of London Station Jeff Ross asks for Burnside's help when Ross' marriage is in trouble, but then Burnside starts to suspect that the KGB and MI5 have an interest in that marriage as well.
To Hell with Justice:SIS Director of Intelligence Edward Tyler meets a suspicious woman while on holiday in Malta, so Burnside secretly sends the Sandbaggers to keep an eye on him.
Unusual Approach:'C' orders Burnside to go on a working holiday in Rhodes, and while he's gone, Ross asks Caine for some risky backup in the USSR, but as Acting D.Ops., Caine would have to send Wallace.
Special Features: Ian Mackintosh Biography by his brother Lawrie Mackintosh
Who Needs Enemies Set
My Name is Anna Wiseman :Burnside tries to get approval to plant a woman in the Soviet Union as a long-term double agent, but he neglects to mention that her real mission is short-term human rights propaganda.
Sometimes We Play Dirty Too:When a British intelligence source is killed in an accident in Prague, Caine is sent in to find out what really happened while Wallace and Burnside look for clues at home.
Who Needs Enemies:When a rival for Burnside's job gets hold of a CIA document that describes Burnside as a divisive influence, SIS upper management contrives to promote Burnside ``sideways'' to Madrid.
Opposite Numbers:Burnside is opposed to an East-West arms treaty being negotiated in Malta, so he and the Sandbaggers conspire to scuttle the talks by encouraging a Soviet double agent to defect.
Special Features: Secrets Declassified: Interview with Ray Lonnen and Bob Sherman / Complete Episode Guide
| Neil Burnside | --- | Roy Marsden |
| Willie Caine | --- | Ray Lonnen |
| Matthew Peele | --- | Jerome Willis |
| Jeff Ross | --- | Bob Sherman |
| Sir Geoffrey Wellingham | --- | Alan MacNaughton |
| Mike Wallace | --- | Michael Cashman |
| ‘C' | --- | Richard Vernon |
| Diane Lawler | --- | Elizabeth Bennett |
| 'C' | --- | Dennis Burgess |
| Marianne Straker | --- | Sue Holderness |
| Sam | --- | Brian Osborne |
| Karen Milner | --- | Jana Shelden |
| Bruce | --- | Paul Haley |
| Edward Tyler | --- | Peter Laird |
| Laura Dickens | --- | Diane Keen |
| Brian | --- | Barclay Johnson |
| Jake Landy | --- | David Glyder |
| Alan Denson | --- | Steven Grives |
| Stan | --- | Michael O'Hagan |
| Ted | --- | Richard Shaw |
Directed by Michael Ferguson, Peter Cregeen, David Reynolds
Written by Ian Mackintosh, Gidley Wheeler
Produced by Michael Ferguson
Executive Produced by David Cunliffe
Original Music by Roy Budd
Film Editing by Tim Ritson, Peter Taylor, Allen Jewhurst
"Classy and intelligent spy drama series." - Sunday Mirror
"The real stuff" - The New York Times
"Gritty... a deserving addition to the hall of espionage heroes" - Los Angeles Times
"Wonderful" - The Wall Street Journal
"The best spy series in television history" - The New York Times