Out is a British television crime drama written by Trevor Preston. It was produced by Thames Television

Thames Television

Thames Television was a licensee of the British ITV television network, covering London and parts of the surrounding counties on weekdays from 30 July 1968 until 31 December 1992....

 in 1978.

In the weeks prior to its broadcast on Monday evenings, brief clips of the programme were shown to arouse viewer interest in which a character provided only the cryptic information that 'Frank Ross is OUT'. Also, around the time of the series, a lot of graffiti

Graffiti

Graffiti is the name for images or lettering scratched, scrawled, painted or marked in any manner on property....

 saying "Frank Ross is innocent" appeared around London.

Plot summary

Frank Ross (actor Tom Bell

Tom Bell (actor)

Tom Bell was an English actor on stage, film and television. He was dark-haired, lean, and in his later years often played characters having a sinister side to their nature.-Biography:...

) returns from an eight-year prison sentence for a robbery that was thwarted because somebody 'grassed' the gang. Nobody knows who put the finger on him, but Ross is determined to find out and seeks revenge on those who betrayed him. Little by little, Ross pieces together the trail that leads to a dramatic conclusion.

Whilst inside, his wife has gone into a home and his son is going off the rails. The gang included John Junkin

John Junkin

John Francis Junkin was an English radio, television and film performer and scriptwriter.In 1960 Junkin joined Joan Littlewood's Stratford East Theatre Workshop, and played the lead in the original production of Sparrows Can't Sing...

, Frank Mills

Frank Mills

Frank Mills , is a Canadian pianist and recording artist, best known for his solo instrumental hit "Music Box Dancer"....

, Oscar James

Oscar James

Oscar James is a Trinidadian actor, who is based in the United Kingdom. He has had a long and varied career, but is best known for appearing on British television, in particular the BBC soap opera EastEnders, where he played original character, Tony Carpenter, for over two years...

 and Peter Blake

Peter Blake (actor)

Peter Blake is a British actor. He was trained at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. First professional appearance at the Edinburgh Festival in Frank Dunlop's production of The Winter's Tale in 1966...

. Other notable actors included Norman Rodway

Norman Rodway

-Early life:Rodway was born in Dublin to English parents, Frank and Lillian Rodway. He studied classics, graduating at Trinity College. He worked as an accountant, teacher, and university lecturer before acting.-Career:...

 (as Inspector Bryce - the man who put Ross away), Brian Croucher

Brian Croucher

Brian Croucher is an English actor and director perhaps best known for his role as Ted Hills, which he played from 1995 to 1997, in the soap opera EastEnders....

 (Frank's only real friend Chris), Brian Cox (as gangland rival McGrath), Derrick O'Connor

Derrick O'Connor

Derrick O'Connor is an Irish character actor, mostly known for his roles in Terry Gilliam films. He was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company....

 and Bryan Marshall

Bryan Marshall

Bryan Marshall is an English actor, with a number of major credits in film and television to his name.Marshall was born in Clapham, London...

(two of McGraths heavies).