Department S
Encyclopedia
Department S is a United Kingdom
spy-fi
adventure series produced by ITC Entertainment
. The series consists of 28 episodes which originally aired in 1969–1970. 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. The trio 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).
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 – The Saint
, Danger Man
, The Protectors
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 before the opening title sequence, though after the theme tune has started.
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
. King was also the model for the journalist character Montgomery Berman - the name itself a twist on series creator Monty Berman - in the 2011 novel Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat
.
Stewart Sullivan was the head of Department S, taking instruction from Seretse. Sullivan 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 (A Fish Out Of Water episode).
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 many seductive, glamorous disguises. There were hints of romantic interest between Sullivan and Hurst.
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 UK http://www.networkdvd.net/product_info.php?products_id=523 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.
Airdate is for ATV
Midlands. ITV
regions varied date and order.
Production number here refers to ITC
synopsis guide number and the order in the Network DVD booklet.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
spy-fi
Spy-fi
-Definition and characteristics:It often uses a secret agent or superspy whose mission is a showcase of science fiction elements such as technology and ideas used for extortion, plots for world domination or world destruction, futuristic weapons, gadgets and fast vehicles that can travel on land,...
adventure series produced by ITC Entertainment
ITC Entertainment
The Incorporated Television Company was a British television company largely involved in production and distribution. It was founded by Lew Grade.-History:...
. The series consists of 28 episodes which originally aired in 1969–1970. It starred Peter Wyngarde
Peter Wyngarde
Peter Paul Wyngarde is an Anglo-French actor best known for playing the character Jason King, a bestselling novelist turned sleuth, in two British television series in the late 1960s and early 1970s: Department S and Jason King .-Biography:He was born Cyril Goldbert in Marseilles, France, the...
as author Jason King (later featured in spin-off
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
series Jason King
Jason King (TV series)
Jason King was a British television series produced from 1971 to 1972. Each episode was one hour in duration , and the series had a run of one season of 26 episodes. As well as its native UK, the series was also screened in countries as far afield as Australia, Norway, Argentina and Peru...
), Joel Fabiani
Joel Fabiani
Joel Fabiani is an American film and television actor.Fabiani was born in Watsonville, California. He co-starred in the British espionage series Department S as Stewart Sullivan in 1969-1970...
as Stewart Sullivan, and Rosemary Nicols
Rosemary Nicols
Rosemary Nicols is a British actress, born Rosemary Claxton in Bradford, West Yorkshire.She comes from a theatrical family and was the author of the 1967 book The Loving Adventures of Jaby....
as computer expert Annabelle Hurst. The trio were agents for a fictional special department (the "S" of the title) of Interpol
Interpol
Interpol, whose full name is the International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL, is an organization facilitating international police cooperation...
. 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
Dennis Spooner
Dennis Spooner was an English television screenwriter and story editor, known primarily for his programmes about fictional spies and his work in children's television in the 1960s...
and Monty Berman
Monty Berman
Nestor Montague Berman was a British cinematographer and film and television producer.-Early career:...
, although neither wrote any of the episodes. Episodes were instead written by ITC veterans such as Terry Nation
Terry Nation
Terry Nation was a Welsh screenwriter and novelist.He is probably best known for creating the villainous Daleks in the long-running science fiction television series Doctor Who...
and Philip Broadley. Many of the directors on the show had also worked on several other ITC shows – The Saint
The Saint (TV series)
The Saint was an ITC mystery spy thriller television series that aired in the UK on ITV between 1962 and 1969. It centred on the Leslie Charteris literary character, Simon Templar, a Robin Hood-like adventurer with a penchant for disguise. The character may be nicknamed The Saint because the...
, Danger Man
Danger Man
Danger Man is a British television series that was broadcast between 1960 and 1962, and again between 1964 and 1968. The series featured Patrick McGoohan as secret agent John Drake. Ralph Smart created the program and wrote many of the scripts...
, The Protectors
The Protectors
The Protectors is a British television series, an action thriller created by Gerry Anderson. It is Anderson's second TV series using live actors as opposed to electronic marionettes, and also his second to be firmly set in the present day...
and Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)
Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)
Randall and Hopkirk , first transmitted during 1969-70, is a British private detective television series starring Mike Pratt and Kenneth Cope as the private detectives Jeff Randall and Marty Hopkirk, respectively. The series was originally created by Dennis Spooner and produced by Monty Berman...
. 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 before the opening title sequence, though after the theme tune has started.
The character of Jason King was the basis for Jason Bentley (Peter Richardson) in the 1993 Comic Strip Presents
The Comic Strip
The Comic Strip is a group of British comedians, known for their television series The Comic Strip Presents.... The core members are Adrian Edmondson, Dawn French, Rik Mayall, Nigel Planer, Peter Richardson and Jennifer Saunders, with frequent appearances by Keith Allen, Robbie Coltrane and...
film Detectives on the Edge of a Nervous Breakdown
Detectives on the Edge of a Nervous Breakdown
Detectives on the Edge of a Nervous Breakdown is a short comedy film made by The Comic Strip for the BBC, first broadcast in the UK in 1993....
. King was also the model for the journalist character Montgomery Berman - the name itself a twist on series creator Monty Berman - in the 2011 novel Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat
Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat
Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat is a science fiction/noir novel by Australian author Andrez Bergen. It is set in a post-apocalyptic, near-future Melbourne, Australia. It features cover art and some illustrations by American artist Scott Campbell, and was first published through Another Sky Press in...
.
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 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 (A Fish Out Of Water episode).
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 many seductive, glamorous disguises. There were hints of romantic interest between Sullivan and Hurst.
DVD Releases and Repeats
The first two episodes of Department S were released on a now deleted DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
in Britain by Carlton Television
Carlton Television
Carlton Television was the ITV franchise holder for London and the surrounding counties including the cities of Solihull and Coventry of the West Midlands, south Suffolk, middle and east Hampshire, Oxfordshire, south Bedfordshire, south Northamptonshire, parts of Herefordshire & Worcestershire,...
(now ITV plc
ITV plc
ITV plc is a British media company that operates 12 of the 15 regional television broadcasters that make up the ITV Network, the oldest and largest commercial terrestrial television network in the United Kingdom...
). Department S was released on DVD in Australia by Umbrella Entertainment in a box set. This version is in PAL
PAL
PAL, short for Phase Alternating Line, is an analogue television colour encoding system used in broadcast television systems in many countries. Other common analogue television systems are NTSC and SECAM. This page primarily discusses the PAL colour encoding system...
with no region code. Network released the series on DVD in the UK http://www.networkdvd.net/product_info.php?products_id=523 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
ITV4
ITV4 is a British television station which was launched on 1 November 2005. It is owned by ITV Digital Channels Ltd, a division of ITV plc, and is part of the ITV network. The channel has a male-oriented line-up, including sport, cop shows and US comedies and dramas, as well as classic ITV action...
in November 2005, alongside a large number of similar ITC productions.
Cast
- Peter WyngardePeter WyngardePeter Paul Wyngarde is an Anglo-French actor best known for playing the character Jason King, a bestselling novelist turned sleuth, in two British television series in the late 1960s and early 1970s: Department S and Jason King .-Biography:He was born Cyril Goldbert in Marseilles, France, the...
– Jason King - Joel FabianiJoel FabianiJoel Fabiani is an American film and television actor.Fabiani was born in Watsonville, California. He co-starred in the British espionage series Department S as Stewart Sullivan in 1969-1970...
– Stewart Sullivan - Rosemary NicolsRosemary NicolsRosemary Nicols is a British actress, born Rosemary Claxton in Bradford, West Yorkshire.She comes from a theatrical family and was the author of the 1967 book The Loving Adventures of Jaby....
– 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.Airdate is for ATV
Associated TeleVision
Associated Television, often referred to as ATV, was a British television company, holder of various licences to broadcast on the ITV network from 24 September 1955 until 00:34 on 1 January 1982...
Midlands. ITV
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...
regions varied date and order.
Production number here refers to ITC
ITC Entertainment
The Incorporated Television Company was a British television company largely involved in production and distribution. It was founded by Lew Grade.-History:...
synopsis guide number and the order in the Network DVD booklet.
| Episode # | Prod # | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original airdate |
|---|