Callan is a British action-drama spy television series created by James Mitchell, first airing between 1967 and 1972.
It starred Edward Woodward as David Callan, an agent of a state secret service dealing with internal security threats to the United Kingdom. Though portrayed as having responsibilities similar to those of the real-life MI5, Callan's fictional "Section" has carte blanche to use the most ruthless of methods. In the storylines, interrogation is by means of torture, while extrajudicial killings are so routine, they have a colour-coded filing system.
Despite being an assassin who stays in the socially isolating job because it is the only thing he is good at, Callan is a sympathetic character by comparison to his often-sadistic upper-class colleagues and implacable superiors. The downbeat cover for the Section's headquarters was a scrap-metal business in a former school, belonging to "Charlie Hunter"—an alias inherited by each of Callan’s superiors.
Produced by ABC Weekend TV and Thames Television, the programme proved extremely popular; in addition to four series between 1967 and 1972, a feature-length film was released in 1974, and a TV film produced by Associated Television in 1981 was aired.
Characters 'A Magnum for Schneider' Regular Series 'Wet Job' "Callan" David Callan Edward Woodward Lonely Russell Hunter Hunter Ronald Radd Ronald Radd, Michael Goodliffe, Derek Bond, William Squire Hugh Walters Eric Porter Liz(Hunter's Secretary) Judy Champ (voice only)'A Magnum for Schneider' cast list, IMDB Lisa Langdon Felicity Harrison Veronica Lang Toby Meres Peter Bowles Anthony Valentine Peter Egan Dr. Snell Clifford Rose Clifford Rose James Cross Patrick Mower Bishop Geoffrey Chater David Callan (Series 1–4): his name is a pseudonym, as when meeting with an old acquaintance, he remarks (in the episode "Where Else Could I Go?") that he knew him by a different name during their military service together. He often uses the alias David Tucker, who is officially in the scrap-metal business, but is also a qualified bookkeeper, which he uses both to support himself when not working for the Section and occasionally in undercover work. From a working-class background, he was born in London, an only child whose parents were both killed towards the end of World War II in a V2 rocket attack. He served as a National Serviceman in the British Army during the Malayan Emergency with the Green Howards, attained the rank of corporal, and saved his company commander's life, winning a medal, but twice being demoted from corporal for fighting with a sergeant and arguing with a colonel. The said officer, Colonel Pringle, who was later promoted to brigadier, sacked Callan from the army when they were back in peacetime conditions, and Pringle later remarked that Callan was too much of an individualist for the army, that Callan always questioned orders and had twice been demoted from corporal. Pringle also remarked that Callan was unequalled as a killer. Afterwards, Callan became a bank robber, but was caught on one job, served two years in Wormwood Scrubs prison, and was subsequently recruited by the Section. He served in Hong Kong and Beirut, where he became romantically involved with a woman who was shot and killed in his arms by an enemy agent. He is a crack shot, normally preferring a (fictional) snub-nosed Nogouchi .357 Magnum revolver and a karate expert, demonstrating the ability to kill an opponent with his bare hands using only three blows. He is a skilled burglar and safe cracker, although not as good at this as Lonely, whose expert help he regularly requires. Callan speaks fluent Russian. He drinks whisky with Hunter and keeps gin and light ale at his flat. He is appalled by his work for the Section and regularly worries and wonders about the people whom he has killed, although he seems to accept it as a necessary evil of the Cold War, feeling that not only has he no choice, but also that it is what he is genuinely good at. His social life largely consists of military history and collecting militaria like model soldiers, and spending his free time with other collectors and enthusiasts, with his speciality being the Napoleonic period. When distraught, he gets drunk with Lonely and confesses to witnessing another soldier ruthlessly shooting down the enemy in an ambush during the Malayan Emergency, vowing to become just like him to survive. Lonely (Series 1–4): his real name is never revealed. (In Series 2, Episode 13, one character addresses Lonely as "Mr Bellamy". When visiting him in jail, Callan calls Lonely "Arthur". However, given his nature, they may not be his real names.) He is a small-time thief, former forger and burglar and has been since childhood. He has an aunt who is his "fence" and runs a snack bar in a market along with her statuesque son called Wellington and an unnamed friend who is a blind beggar. Lonely earns his nickname due to bouts of extreme body odour which is psychosomatic and occurs when he is frightened, which is often when in Callan's presence. He is an expert at surveillance and burglary and is Callan's link to criminal resources such as an underworld doctor ("The Groper") and black-market weapons (although he personally dislikes guns intensely). He takes various straight jobs throughout the series, such as a lavatory attendant at a strip club, but the Section eventually arranges a career for him as a black cab driver, both in its service and to support himself (and keep out of trouble) between assignments. He and Callan met in Wormwood Scrubs prison where Callan defended the vulnerable Lonely from other more violent criminals. Although they seem to genuinely care for one another, Lonely always refers to him as "Mr Callan" and is perpetually afraid of him. Callan never actually tells Lonely the nature of his work although it is hinted at that Lonely suspects him to be more than just an everyday gangster, notably when he aids Callan in helping a KGB agent escape from prison. He likes his tea "interfered with" (meaning laced with whisky) and enjoys gambling. Hunter (Series 1–4): head of the Section. Five different men, including Callan himself, have served in the position over the course of the series. Although their personalities differ, they share several traits, such as callousness and a tendency for secretiveness and manipulation. Despite their ruthlessness, they tend to tread carefully around Callan, knowing that if they push him too far, he will retaliate with not-inconsiderable force. Liz (Series 1–4): secretary of the various Hunters. It is revealed that she was a survivor of a Nazi massacre in Poland as a child and was adopted by a British intelligence officer, which eventually led her into being recruited by the Section. She and Callan seem fond of one another but their relationship appears to be wholly professional. Toby Meres (Series 1–2, 4): an upper class agent who attended Eton school followed by Oxford University and then the Brigade of Guards, recruited by the Section after being forced to leave the army because he caused the death of one of his men. He wears distinctive blue glasses, uses a .38 Special and spent a year attached to the CIA as the Section's Washington representative. Meres is highly ambitious and enjoys his work with the Section, a quality that Hunter finds very useful but which irritates the sentimental Callan no end. Meres has an adversarial relationship with Callan, but he respects Callan's abilities and works very effectively in a team with him. Dr Snell (Series 2–4): a sinister and seemingly emotionless doctor who works for the Section. As well as standard medical care, he is involved in the psychological evaluation of Section personnel, the mental torture of Section prisoners and even brainwashing a criminal so that he forgets witnessing Callan kill one of his henchmen. James Cross (Series 3–4): a replacement agent for Toby Meres (who had been posted to the US) and Callan's rival within the Section. He is ambitious and extremely ruthless, bordering on the sadistic, although more reckless than Meres. Cross drives a white Jaguar, drinks whisky, smokes cigarettes and uses a snub-nosed .38 calibre revolver. He has a casual affair with Hunter's secretary, Liz, and later kills the Nazi war criminal who tried to murder her by throwing him out of a window, although Callan opines this was purely to save his own career (possibly as a ruse to prompt Liz into ending their destructive relationship). Whilst Callan is on friendly terms with the other members of the Section, he and Cross share a mutual antipathy that borders on hatred, Cross even disagreeing with Hunter's decision to trade the captured KGB agent Richmond in return for rescuing an imprisoned Callan from behind the Iron Curtain. Bishop (Series 3–4): a civil servant, and Hunter's superior.
Series overview The series pilot episode aired in February 1967, in an Armchair Theatre play entitled A Magnum for Schneider by James Mitchell. Mitchell was later responsible for creating When the Boat Comes In (1976–81) for the BBC. The haunted character of Callan caught the public's imagination to such an extent that a six-episode series was commissioned and broadcast, later in the same year. A further series of 16 followed, though with both ABC and Associated Rediffusion (broadcasters in the London region) going through the process of merging, by the time the second series was broadcast in 1969 it was attributed to Thames Television (the result of the merger).
Overall, the series was successful in the television ratings, running between 1967 and 1972. The closing episode of the 1969 series saw a severely under-pressure Callan get shot, with a clever publicity campaign following to ensure that viewers cared whether the character lived (he did) or died. The last two series were in colour and proved as popular as ever. A cinema film simply entitled Callan followed in 1974, directed by Don Sharp. Callan was last seen in the 1981 feature-length television story made by ATV, entitled Wet Job. Though less satisfactory than the preceding series, it was a chance for viewers to see the main characters of Callan and Lonely one more time.
Colour-coded files The Section used a series of colour-coded files to indicate targets of different priorities (with much relevance for the title of the novel Red File for Callan);
Red File Dangerous targets of most urgent priority, marked for death Yellow File A subject under occasional surveillance Blue File Members of the 'wrong' party White File People to be put out of action by sending them into divorce courts, bankruptcy, prison or mental homes
Episodes
The original TV play was screened in 1967 as part of ITV's Armchair Theatre series. This was followed by a first series of six episodes, a second series of fifteen episodes, a third series of nine episodes and a fourth series of thirteen episodes (in all, 22 black-and-white and 22 colour episodes). These were supplemented by a 1974 colour film re-working of the pilot, A Magnum for Schneider, .and a 1981 feature-length TV movie, Wet Job.
Pilot: A Magnum for Schneider (1967)
Callan has been retired from an anonymous government agency known as "the Section", run by Colonel Hunter (the name "Hunter" is used as a code name for the current Section Chief, similar to the C of SIS). The Section removes those who pose a danger to the public, by means of either persuasion, blackmail, extortion or death. David Callan had been the Section's top operative, but had become too curious about his targets and the rationale for their removal. The Section considered him vulnerable, volatile and dangerous, so had laid him off to a dead-end book-keeping job with an ungrateful employer.