Department S (TV series)

*Department S*
Department S
	Alt=Full screen Red letter S with the word Department in the centre of letter.
Created by	Dennis Spooner; Monty Berman
Developed by	Dennis Spooner
Starring	Peter Wyngarde; Joel Fabiani; Rosemary Nicols; Dennis Alaba Peters
Theme music composer	Edwin Astley
Composer	Edwin Astley
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No. of series	1
No. of episodes	28 (list of episodes)
Production
Producer	Monty Berman
Cinematography	Frank Watts; Brian Elvin
Running time	49 mins
Production company	ITC production
Original release
Network	ATV
Release	9 March 1969 –; 4 March 1970

Department S is a United Kingdom spy-fi adventure series produced by ITC Entertainment. It consists of 28 episodes which originally aired in 1969 and 1970. It starred Peter Wyngarde as author Jason King (later featured in spin-off series Jason King), Joel Fabiani as Stewart Sullivan, and Rosemary Nicols as computer expert Annabelle Hurst. These three were agents for a fictional special department (the "S" of the title) of Interpol. The head of Department S was Sir Curtis Seretse (Dennis Alaba Peters).

Production and influence

"When a case proves too baffling for the minds of Interpol, they turn to the talents of Department S." – from the ITC trailer for the series.

The series was created by Dennis Spooner and Monty Berman, although neither wrote any of the episodes. Episodes were instead written by ITC veterans such as Terry Nation and Philip Broadley. Many of the directors on the show had also worked on several other ITC shows such as The Saint, Danger Man and Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased). Like many ITC shows Department S gained cult status.

The series was filmed on 35mm and designed, like all ITC's film productions, to fit the United States commercial format. Unusually, however, the episode title, writer and director credits appear on screen before the opening title sequence, though after the theme tune has started. With a few exceptions, the principal cast is always studio-bound. Some exteriors are represented by studio buildings, while the rest are mainly shown in second-unit footage using doubles where necessary. Exotic locations are usually established by the use of stock footage. To further cut costs, the series was produced back-to-back with Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased).

The character of Jason King was the basis for Jason Bentley (Peter Richardson) in the 1993 Comic Strip Presents film Detectives on the Edge of a Nervous Breakdown.

Details

Department S was a section of Interpol with an office in the Paris headquarters that investigated international cases other crime agencies were unable to solve. Sir Curtis Seretse, an international bureaucrat, was in charge of the team.

Stewart Sullivan was the head of Department S, taking instruction from Seretse. Sullivan was a former FBI agent, professional, pragmatic and hands-on. He did much of the leg-work, confronting the criminals. Jason King was the ideas man, but also helped in the field. King was often seen with beautiful women before being called in on an assignment but had no permanent love interest in the series. King's sideline was as an adventure novelist. He managed to use details from their cases to write his novels. A playboy with a woman in every city, he had once been married to a woman named Marion who had died in a plane crash (see episode 'A Fish Out Of Water').

Annabelle Hurst was a computer expert taking an analytical role in investigations. However she also went on assignment as a conventional investigator, sometimes appearing in seductive, glamorous disguises. There were hints of romantic interest between Sullivan and Hurst (see e.g. episodes 'Handicap Dead', 'Black Out', 'The Mysterious Man in the Flying Machine', et al.).

DVD Releases and Repeats

The first two episodes of Department S were released on a now-deleted DVD in Britain by Carlton Television (now ITV plc). Department S was released on DVD in Australia by Umbrella Entertainment in a box set. This version is in PAL with no region code. Network released the series on DVD in the United Kingdom [1] featuring many exclusive extras including commentaries and part of a documentary series also covering Jason King: Wanna Watch a Television Series? Chapter One: Variations on a Theme.

A repeat run of Department S began on ITV4 in November 2005, alongside a large number of similar ITC productions.

Cast

Peter Wyngarde – Jason King
Joel Fabiani – Stewart Sullivan
Rosemary Nicols – Annabelle Hurst
Dennis Alaba Peters – Sir Curtis Seretse; listed as Dennis Alba Peters in first series credits

Episode list

Filming took place between April 1968 and June 1969.

The airdates^[1] are for ATV Midlands. ITV^[2] regions varied date and order.

The production numbers here refer to ITC synopsis guide numbers and the sequence in the Network DVD booklet.

Episode #	Prod #	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original airdate
1	5101	"Six Days"	Cyril Frankel	Gerald Kelsey	9 March 1969
When an aircraft goes missing for six days and the crew members have no recollection of events, Department S investigates.
2	5102	"The Trojan Tanker"	Ray Austin	Philip Broadley	16 March 1969
A crashed tanker has a room built inside and an unconscious girl who disappears before help arrives.
3	5116	"A Cellar Full of Silence"	John Gilling	Terry Nation	23 March 1969
Department S is called in after four dead men are found in a cellar, wearing fancy dress.
4	5110	"The Pied Piper of Hambledown"	Roy Ward Baker	Donald James	30 March 1969
When an entire village disappears overnight except for one girl, Department S is called in.
5	5103	"One of Our Aircraft Is Empty"	Paul Dickson	Tony Williamson	6 April 1969
An airliner lands at Heathrow but the crew and passengers are missing. (Made back to back with 'Six Days').
6	5118	"The Man in the Elegant Room"	Cyril Frankel	Terry Nation	13 April 1969
When a dead girl and a demented man are found in a room inside a disused factory, Department S investigates.
7	5117	"Handicap Dead"	John Gilling	Philip Broadley	20 April 1969
When a tournament golfer is found dead on a nearby beach, Sullivan investigates.
8	5121	"A Ticket to Nowhere"	Cyril Frankel	Tony Williamson	27 April 1969
A disappearing scientist and the death of a financier are linked, but Jason and Stewart keep forgetting about the case, to the despair of Annabelle.
9	5115	"Black Out"	Ray Austin	Philip Broadley	17 September 1969
A chef and food critic is found unconscious in the Mexican desert and cannot recall the last three days. Is there a connection to the American space program?
10	5119	"Double Death of Charlie Crippen"	John Gilling	Leslie Darbon	24 September 1969
An assassination attempt leaves only a dummy as the victim and Department S has to discover who the real target is.
11	5120	"Who Plays the Dummy"	John Gilling	Tony Williamson	1 October 1969
When a car crashes and the sole occupant is a dummy in the driving seat, Department S follow the trail to an imminent attack on N.A.T.O. senior officers.
12	5123	"The Treasure of the Costa del Sol"	John Gilling	Philip Broadley	8 October 1969
Two dead fisherman and a haul of plastic fish containing $100,000 leads to a painter and engraver.
13	5107	"The Man Who Got a New Face"	Cyril Frankel	Philip Broadley	15 October 1969
Department S investigate when a man is found dead with a clown's mask glued to his face and the trail leads to a vicious vendetta.
14	5112	"Les Fleurs du Mal"	Cyril Frankel	Philip Broadley	22 October 1969
Three plastic flowers contain a coded message that will lead to the proceeds of a bank robbery, but there are interested parties ready to kill for the flowers.
15	5104	"The Shift That Never Was"	John Gilling	Donald James	25 October 1969
With one exception, every member of staff of a chemical factory takes a day off. The one man who went to work is murdered and the trail leads to a beauty parlour and a nuclear power station.
16	5111	"The Man from X"	Gil Taylor	Tony Williamson	5 November 1969
A man clad in a spacesuit staggers in a London street and, unable to remove the jammed helmet, suffocates. Department S investigates and the only clue is the man has slight radiation burns and had been in a vacuum.
17	5106	"Dead Men Die Twice"	Ray Austin	Philip Broadley	12 November 1969
Department S finds that a 'dead man' can die twice when a man is murdered twice three years after his double had been murdered.
18	5122	"The Perfect Operation"	Cyril Frankel	Leslie Darbon	26 November 1969
A surgeon performing a delicate brain operation on a senior British civil servant is forcibly removed and another surgeon enters and completes the operation saving the man's life. Department S investigate the only surgeon capable of doing the operation but he is Russian and too old.
19	5124	"The Duplicated Man"	Paul Dickson	Harry W. Junkin	3 December 1969
A double agent is killed, but is he really dead after he has spent ten years cultivating a second identity to escape from his masters? Department S investigate closely followed by enemy agents.
20	5113	"The Mysterious Man in the Flying Machine"	Cyril Frankel	Philip Broadley	10 December 1969
A man is found murdered in a mock-up aircraft in a warehouse. The team wonder why anybody should go to so much trouble. A message left scrawled on their car is the only clue.
21	5108	"Death on Reflection"	Ray Austin	Philip Broadley	17 December 1969
Head of Department S, Sir Curtis Seretse is astonished to see a mirror at auction sell for four times its value, and when the buyer is murdered asks the team to investigate.
22	5127	"Last Train to Redbridge"	John Gilling	Gerald Kelsey	14 January 1970
Multiple murders on a tube train lead Department S to criminal speculators attempting to tap the hot line between the US President and the UK Prime Minister.
23	5126	"A Small War of Nerves"	Leslie Norman	Harry W. Junkin	21 January 1970
A fanatical scientist who has developed a deadly nerve gas threatens to wipe out London unless governments take notice and agree to live in peace.
24	5109	"The Bones of Byrom Blain"	Paul Dickson	Tony Williamson	28 January 1970
A chauffeur arrives at his destination only to discover his passenger has disappeared, leaving only his skeleton behind. Department S investigates and discovers the chauffeur's skeleton; the same fate awaits Sir Curtis Seretse and Jason King.
25	124	"Spencer Bodily is 60 Years Old"	Leslie Norman	Harry W. Junkin	11 February 1970
Spencer Bodily is dead, he looks 20 but must be at least 60 and there is no record he ever existed. The body disappears and Department S suspects there could be more cases of 'eternal youth'.
26	5105	"The Ghost of Mary Burnham"	Cyril Frankel	Harry W. Junkin	18 February 1970
John Burnham is tormented by the ghost of his wife shortly after she is shot and killed. He is a brilliant economist and someone is trying to unbalance him to prevent him taking an important job. Department S has to find out why before he is driven insane.
27	5114	"A Fish Out of Water"	Cyril Frankel	Philip Broadley	25 February 1970
When an Interpol agent is found dead, Jason King is sent to take over his mission to crack an international drug ring. Jason realises he has been identified and his life is in danger. Stewart and Annabelle are sent to back him up.
28	5128	"The Soup of the Day"	Leslie Norman	Leslie Darbon	4 March 1970
When a crate of soup is stolen from a bonded warehouse, Department S suspects smuggling but when the team locates the stolen soup cans, all are intact and contain only soup. A case of double-cross?

References

^ Dates from ITC Episode guide issued with the Network DVD
^ History of ITV

External links

[1] Dates from ITC Episode guide issued with the Network DVD

[2] History of ITV

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[2]