A handful of what might be described as ‘cult’ TV shows – Doctor Who, Star Trek, The Prisoner, The X Files – have enjoyed detailed scrutiny over the decades; books chronicling their history, their origins, their making, their hidden meanings (where appropriate) are legion. Many other shows, however, if not exactly forgotten, have rather fallen by the wayside and are in danger of being consigned to the darker corners of TV appreciation, remembered with fondness by a small but devoted generation of viewers who fell in love with shows like The Saint, The Champions and Man in a Suitcase. These – and many others – are the action/adventure series created by the prolific ITC in the 1960s and 1970s, glossy, often high-concept shows made with one eye on the lucrative American market and often treated dismissively by the British ITV Network who rarely gave them their full support. But many of these series (most of which ran for just one lengthy season) developed devoted fan followings and Playboys, Spies and Private Eyes is their long-overdue love letter to an age of television long gone but forever remembered by those who were inspired by the adventures of Simon Templar, Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) and the heroes of Department S.
The book consists of a series of essays written by fans and admirers of the ITC series from a modern-day perspective as they remember their encounters with the shows either from their youth or when they discovered them years later on VHS or DVD. Even though some of the essays are written by fans who moved on to work in the industry or on the periphery of the industry in a fan capacity, this isn’t a revelatory ‘warts and all’ examination of the ITC phenomenon. One or two of the essays are dotted with interesting ‘behind the scenes’ snippets gleaned across the years via interviews and encounters with the shows’ stars or creators and there’s the odd titbit of gossip to be gleaned here and there but generally the book fulfils its real remit to provide a warm, affectionate and rather charming collection of tributes to the shows and to explain what these series meant to them and why. More importantly, many of these series fundamentally affected the way the contributors lived their lives and the directions they moved in professionally; it’s a testament to the power of good, quality television, a sobering reminder of an era long before the medium was swamped by reality shows and talent competitions.
Naturally the ‘big guns’ generate the most interest in Playboys, Spies and Private Eyes with the likes of Danger Man (the precursor to The Prisoner), Man in a Suitcase and Randall and Hopkirk receiving the most attention, but lesser-known shows such as The New Adventures of Charlie Chan, The Four Just Men, The Sentimental Agent and The Zoo Gang haven’t been forgotten, and there are a couple of hilarious essays dismantling the notoriously-tacky 1970s Gene Barry half-hour series The Adventurer hailing from the tail end of the ITC era.
Playboys, Spies and Private Eyes isn’t a dry textbook, it’s not a list of facts and figures and story synopses; it’s much more personal, intimate and special than any full-colour, bigger-budgeted coffee table book because it’s written from the heart by the people who genuinely cared about (and often still care about) these shows and whose memories of and passion for The Baron, Return of the Saint and yes, even Jason King, will help to keep the flame of the ITC era alive for years to come. Not only is it the perfect antidote to the barking madness of much online fandom with the proceeds being donated to the Born Free foundation (www.bornfree.org.uk), it’s also a lively, chatty, occasionally rambling, sometimes informative but always passionate tribute to a wonderful period in the history of British television.
PLAYBOYS, SPIES AND PRIVATE EYES / EDITOR: ALAN HAYES, RICK DAVEY / PUBLISHER: QUOIT MEDIA/HIDDEN TIGER / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
Find out more about Playboys Spies and Private Eyes at www.quoitmedia.co.uk/inspiredbyitc.htm
