Danger UXB
Encyclopedia
Danger UXB is a 1979 British ITV
television series developed by John Hawkesworth
and starring Anthony Andrews
as Lieutenant Brian Ash, a new direct commission officer in World War II
.
Ash's first posting is to 347 Section of 97 Tunnelling Company, a bomb disposal
unit of the Royal Engineers
, which is assigned the duty of defusing unexploded bombs
("UXBs") in London
during the Blitz
, a job he must learn with the most rudimentary of training. The series primarily featured military storylines, with a romantic thread featuring an inventor's married daughter, Susan Mount (Judy Geeson
), with whom Ash falls in love, and other human interest vignettes.
The programme was titled and partly based on the memoirs of Major A. B. Hartley, M.B.E, RE, Unexploded Bomb. The series was filmed in 1978 in and around the Clapham
, Streatham
, and Tooting
areas of south London.
The programme appeared on the U.S. PBS as a segment of Masterpiece Theatre
from 1980 to 1981. It was also screened in Australia on the public broadcaster ABC Television
.
The series was first broadcast between 8 January and 2 April 1979 on Monday nights at 21:00.
in 1978, and an annual was published by World Distributors in 1980.
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
television series developed by John Hawkesworth
John Hawkesworth (producer)
John Hawkesworth was an English television and film producer and writer best known for his work on the period drama Upstairs, Downstairs.-Early life:...
and starring Anthony Andrews
Anthony Andrews
-Life and career:Andrews was born in London, the son of Geraldine Agnes , a dancer, and Stanley Thomas Andrews, a musical arranger and musical conductor. He grew up in the North Finchley district of London...
as Lieutenant Brian Ash, a new direct commission officer in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Ash's first posting is to 347 Section of 97 Tunnelling Company, a bomb disposal
Bomb disposal
Bomb disposal is the process by which hazardous explosive devices are rendered safe. Bomb disposal is an all encompassing term to describe the separate, but interrelated functions in the following fields:*Military:...
unit of the Royal Engineers
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
, which is assigned the duty of defusing unexploded bombs
Unexploded ordnance
Unexploded ordnance are explosive weapons that did not explode when they were employed and still pose a risk of detonation, potentially many decades after they were used or discarded.While "UXO" is widely and informally used, munitions and explosives of...
("UXBs") in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
during the Blitz
The Blitz
The Blitz was the sustained strategic bombing of Britain by Nazi Germany between 7 September 1940 and 10 May 1941, during the Second World War. The city of London was bombed by the Luftwaffe for 76 consecutive nights and many towns and cities across the country followed...
, a job he must learn with the most rudimentary of training. The series primarily featured military storylines, with a romantic thread featuring an inventor's married daughter, Susan Mount (Judy Geeson
Judy Geeson
Judith Amanda "Judy" Geeson is an English actor.-Early life:Geeson was born in Arundel, Sussex, England on 10 September 1948. She came from a middle class family; her father edited the National Coal Board magazine. Her sister, Sally Geeson, is also an actress and is known for her roles in British...
), with whom Ash falls in love, and other human interest vignettes.
The programme was titled and partly based on the memoirs of Major A. B. Hartley, M.B.E, RE, Unexploded Bomb. The series was filmed in 1978 in and around the Clapham
Clapham
Clapham is a district in south London, England, within the London Borough of Lambeth.Clapham covers the postcodes of SW4 and parts of SW9, SW8 and SW12. Clapham Common is shared with the London Borough of Wandsworth, although Lambeth has responsibility for running the common as a whole. According...
, Streatham
Streatham
Streatham is a district in Surrey, England, located in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is situated south of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-History:...
, and Tooting
Tooting
Tooting is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is situated south south-west of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-History:...
areas of south London.
The programme appeared on the U.S. PBS as a segment of Masterpiece Theatre
Masterpiece Theatre
Masterpiece is a drama anthology television series produced by WGBH Boston. It premiered on Public Broadcasting Service on January 10, 1971, making it America's longest-running weekly prime time drama series. The series has presented numerous acclaimed British productions...
from 1980 to 1981. It was also screened in Australia on the public broadcaster ABC Television
ABC Television
ABC Television is a service of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation launched in 1956. As a public broadcasting broadcaster, the ABC provides four non-commercial channels within Australia, and a partially advertising-funded satellite channel overseas....
.
Cast
- Anthony AndrewsAnthony Andrews-Life and career:Andrews was born in London, the son of Geraldine Agnes , a dancer, and Stanley Thomas Andrews, a musical arranger and musical conductor. He grew up in the North Finchley district of London...
as Brian Ash - Maurice RoëvesMaurice RoëvesMaurice Roëves is a British actor, born in Sunderland, County Durham on 19 March 1937.His television roles include Danger UXB , The Nightmare Man , the 1984 Doctor Who serial The Caves of Androzani, Days of our Lives , Tutti Frutti , Rab C...
as Sergeant James - George InnesGeorge InnesGeorge Innes is an English actor.-Stage career:He began his career on the stage with the National Theatre of Great Britain under Laurence Olivier. Before that, he trained at Toynbee Hall and evening classes at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art , where he was awarded the Shakespeare Cup...
as Sapper Wilkins, a conniving petty crook who avoids as much work as he can - Gordon Kane as Sapper Mulley, Ash's batman. He moves in with the Bakers to be close to Ash, and falls in love with Norma.
- Robert PughRobert PughRobert Pugh is a Welsh film and television actor.Pugh was born in Cilfynydd and graduated from Rose Bruford College in 1976. In 2007, he co-starred alongside Genevieve O'Reilly and Geraldine James in ITV1 drama The Time of Your Life, where he played a parent whose 36-year-old daughter was...
as Sapper Powell - Ken KitsonKen KitsonKenneth "Ken" Kitson is a British actor who has been active on British television since the early 1970s....
as Corporal Horrocks - Jeremy SindenJeremy SindenJeremy Sinden was an English actor who specialised in playing eccentric military men and overgrown schoolboys.-Early life:...
as Ivor Rodgers, one of Ash's fellow officers and a good friend. He is later promoted to major and given command of the company. - Judy GeesonJudy GeesonJudith Amanda "Judy" Geeson is an English actor.-Early life:Geeson was born in Arundel, Sussex, England on 10 September 1948. She came from a middle class family; her father edited the National Coal Board magazine. Her sister, Sally Geeson, is also an actress and is known for her roles in British...
as Susan - Kenneth CranhamKenneth CranhamKenneth Cranham is a film, television and stage actor. He starred in the title role in the popular 1980s comedy drama Shine on Harvey Moon. He also appeared in Layer Cake, Gangster No. 1, Rome, Oliver! and many other films. He is probably best known to horror genre fans as the deranged Dr...
as Sapper Salt, a married man who worries about his wife and children - Osmund Bullock as Lieutenant Pringle
- Deborah WatlingDeborah WatlingDeborah Watling is a British actress best known for her role as Victoria Waterfield, a companion of the Second Doctor in the BBC television series Doctor Who....
as Norma, Mrs. Baker's promiscuous daughter - Peter CartwrightPeter Cartwright (actor)Peter Cartwright is an actor who has made hundreds of appearances in television, film and on radio and has worked extensively in the theatre, both in the provinces and London's West End....
as Major Luckhurst, the respected commanding officer - Iain CuthbertsonIain CuthbertsonIain Cuthbertson was a Scottish character actor. At 6' 4", he was known for his tall imposing build and also his distinctive "gravelly" heavily accented voice.-Early life:...
as Doctor Gillespie - Marjie Lawrence as Mrs. Baker, Ash's landlady
- Royston TicknerRoyston TicknerRoyston Tickner was a British actor.He was born in Leicester and trained as an actor at Scarborough repertory theatre...
as Lieutenant Leckie, a Scottish veteran of the First World War who handles the administrative duties - David ShaughnessyDavid ShaughnessyDavid James Shaughnessy is a British-born theatre and television director, producer and actor. Educated at Eton College and the Central School of Speech & Drama, London. He started in repertory theatres all around the UK and went on to become a principal actor with the famous Old Vic Theatre...
as Lieutenant Carter-Brown - David AukerDavid Auker- Filmography :Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason .... Clive*aka Bridget Jones - Am Rande des Wahnsinns *aka Bridget Jones - L'age 2 raison *aka Bridget Jones 2...
as Sapper Baines - Robert Longden as Sapper Copping
- Kenneth Farrington as Captain Francis
- John BowlerJohn Bowler (actor)John Bowler is an English actor who is best known for playing P.C. Roger Valentine in ITV’s The Bill since 2004.-Career:He was educated in Yorkshire, and trained in acting in Glasgow...
as Sapper Scott - Norman ChappellNorman ChappellNorman Chappell was a British character actor most known for his roles in the Carry On films and in The Avengers...
as Corporal Mould, the orderly in charge of the officers' mess
Episodes
- "Dead Man's Shoes" - Ash joins his new company and learns its mission. He is quickly given command of a section whose previous officer was blown to bits. Under the tutelage of his sergeant, he defuses his first bomb.
- "Unsung Heroes" - Ash is reprimanded, first by Captain Francis for a newspaper story about the section, then by Major Luckhurst for his reckless behaviour defusing a low-priority bomb. Ash becomes acquainted with a new officer, Ken Machin, who is billeted with him, and meets his wife.
- "Just Like a Woman" - Charged with showing Machin what to do, Ash gives in to Machin's pleadings and allows him to finish disarming what seems to be a straightforward bomb alone while Ash goes to deal with a more urgent situation. While he is gone, it explodes, killing Machin. He later learns that the dead man had only just got engaged to his "wife" and that she is pregnant.
- "Cast Iron Killer" - Ash's guilt over Machin's death is eased when it is learned that the Germans have begun boobytrapping the bomb fuses so they cannot be safely removed. A skeptical Ash delivers a disarmed bomb to Dr. Gillespie, an inventor who has come up with a novel solution: drilling a hole in the side and piping in steam to melt the explosive out. Ash meets Gillespie's married daughter Susan. During its first trial, the new method works, but Sapper Copping is killed.
- "The Silver Lining" - The section digs for a bomb in a risqué nightclub. When Susan comes up to London, Ash takes her out for a night of dining and dancing. This episode takes place in September of 1940.
- "The Quiet Weekend" - Ash and Susan's relationship turns serious, and they spend a weekend together at a hotel. However, Ash is called back to work, cutting short their tryst. Susan grows impatient waiting for him and returns home to find an unexpected visitor - her husband, Stephen.
- "Digging Out" - While the section works on a bomb at an abandoned factory, Corporal Salt wanders off and finds a young woman trapped beside a second bomb with a time fuse. Without Ash's knowledge or permission, Salt and several other men take a great risk and manhandle the bomb into the nearby river just before it explodes. Later, unable to get a leave, Salt goes AWOL to try to persuade his wife to leave ManchesterManchesterManchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
with their children, but a German bomb kills her and injures him. When Salt recovers, he is demoted to sapper. Major Luckhurst informs Captain Francis that he will shortly take command of the company, as Luckhurst has been promoted. - "Bad Company" - Francis's heavy-handed measures to instill more discipline cause widespread resentment. He is particularly harsh with Ash for a more personal reason; Ash's affair with a married woman reminds him of his own wife's infidelity. When Francis is seen secretly burning papers commending Ash, Susan gets her father to use his influence, and Francis is posted to a construction unit in Scotland. Ash's men misbehave. One pawns his "best boots" to pay off a debt without knowing how he will redeem them, while another gets involved in a bar-room fight, bringing him to the attention of the military policeRoyal Military PoliceThe Royal Military Police is the corps of the British Army responsible for the policing of service personnel, and for providing a military police presence both in the UK, and whilst service personnel are deployed overseas on operations and exercises.Members of the RMP are generally known as...
. - "Seventeen Seconds to Glory" - Ash helps a Royal Navy officer defuse a mine that gives a man just seventeen seconds to get clear once the clock mechanism starts. Susan's husband, working on code-breaking at Bletchley ParkBletchley ParkBletchley Park is an estate located in the town of Bletchley, in Buckinghamshire, England, which currently houses the National Museum of Computing...
, has a nervous breakdown. She is advised to look after him, prompting her to break off her relationship with Ash without explaining the reason, just after he has proposed and she has accepted. - "Butterfly Winter" - The Germans attempt to sow confusion and fear in the British countryside by dropping large numbers of food can-sized butterfly bombButterfly BombA Butterfly Bomb, or was a German 2 kilogram anti-personnel submunition used by the Luftwaffe during the Second World War. It was so named because the thin cylindrical metal outer shell which hinged open when the bomblet deployed gave it the superficial appearance of a large butterfly...
s from bombers. Some have impact fuses, while others are time-delayed or set off by movement. The bombs have a way of finding themselves into all manner of places, and their sheer numbers make it impossible for Ash to deal with them on his own; his entire unit down to the lowest rank must now be directly involved in securing and blowing up these bombs. Salt is killed as a result. - "Dead Letter" - 14 months have passed since Ash and Susan broke up, but they have an awkward reunion when her father, Dr Gillespie, asks for Ash to be assigned to help him figure out how to defuse the new German Y fuse. The new design uses a mercury tilt switch to detect movement of the bomb after it lands; thus, the fuse cannot be touched. Ash is the first to try out Gillespie's solution: freezing it to neutralise its battery. Ash has a liaison with a woman who has lost the man she loves.
- "The Pier" - Susan and Ash get engaged once again following her husband's suicide. Ash's unit is relocated to BrightonBrightonBrighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
. He is assigned a seaside pleasure pier that had been mined heavily in anticipation of the German invasion that never came in 1940. Ivor Rogers, now in overall command, tells Ash to delegate the work, but when a promising new officer under his command is killed by an unmarked mine, Ash goes back to work. While attempting to defuse one device, it explodes and badly injures him. - "With Love, From Adolf" - When Norma finds out she is pregnant, she finally agrees to marry Mulley. Ash has a difficult recovery, both physically and mentally, and his relationship with Susan is strained nearly to the breaking point. He worries about being useless and discarded. When he sees Ivor about going back to work, he is sent to deal with a routine older-model bomb. Dismantling the fuse, however, Ash finds a note inside that says "With Love, from Adolf". Ivor, it seems, was testing him.
The series was first broadcast between 8 January and 2 April 1979 on Monday nights at 21:00.
Books
Hartley's book provided many of the plot details. Danger UXB, a novel based on the series and written by Michael Booker, was published by Pan BooksPan Books
Pan Books is an imprint which first became active in the 1940s and is now part of the British-based Macmillan Publishers owned by German publishers, Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group....
in 1978, and an annual was published by World Distributors in 1980.
Production
Many of the bomb-disposal scenes were filmed in what appeared to be deep, freshly dug holes lined with wooden shoring (the way real bomb disposal often happened). In fact, these scenes were shot using two different physical sets interlaced:- a short above-ground wooden fence that appeared to be the top of the shaft down to the bomb (but was not in fact excavated), and
- a 30-foot above-ground hollow wooden tower with a muddy area inside at the bottom (often shot from above, looking down). (A side of the bottom was also removable to facilitate "bottom-of-shaft" close-ups.)
External links
- Episode Guide- Dead link.