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Secret Army (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Secret Army is a television drama series made by the BBC
and the Belgian national broadcaster BRT
(now VRT
) created by Gerard Glaister
. The series chronicled the history of a Belgian
resistance movement
during the Second World War
dedicated to returning Allied airmen, usually having been shot down by the Luftwaffe
, to their home country. The series was made in the United Kingdom
and Belgium and broadcast on BBC1
for three series from 7 September 1977 to 15 December 1979.
Their already dangerous operations are put under further strain when Sturmbannführer Ludwig Kessler (Clifford Rose) is assigned to the Belgian capital to assist Major Brandt (Michael Culver) with the evasion line problems.
Another irritation for Lifeline is the arrival of Flight Lieutenant John Curtis (Christopher Neame), a former evader who has been sent by London to help co-ordinate their activities. He is at first greeted with hostility and suspicion, with signs of a growing romantic tension between him and Lisa. At the end of series 1, Kessler and Brandt are closing in on Curtis. Their investigation into a murder leads them to the name Monsieur Maurice (Curtis's pseudonym). Brandt and Kessler pay their very first visit to the Candide to locate Curtis and due to Kessler's interest in Curtis the threat to Lifeline is too great and it is agreed that Curtis should leave as soon as possible to return to England. However, Kessler, determined to capture Curtis, begins a troop encirclement of Brussels in order to trap him. Yet Curtis escapes by posing as the bus driver for a local Hitler Youth group who are travelling out of the city on a day trip.
The first series chronicles Lifeline's constant struggle to save airmen, often no more than teenagers, while protecting their safehouses and evading the Germans. Most episodes of Series 1 deals with their failures, but as their successes grow in number, the Germans slowly become more and more aware of their existence, which of course brings them closer to smashing Lifeline.
A continuing storyline was Albert's affair with barmaid Monique Duchamps, while his wife Andrée Foiret was bed-ridden due to an accident two years before where an out of control lorry had veered into the car that Albert was driving with Andrée as passenger. At the end of the series Andrée spots Monique going into the bedroom of Albert and sees that as definite proof of their affair; attempting to speak to Albert about the affair she gets into her wheelchair for the first time, but falls down the stairs and breaks her neck, dying instantly.
Other Lifeline operatives introduced in the first series were Gaston Colbert, Lisa's uncle and bank manager. Having traced a batch of forged bank-notes back to Gaston, Kessler interrogates the man in the belief he can lead them to the people behind the evasion lines. Lisa later learns that Gaston was shot dead trying to escape the German HQ. Alain Muny, who is Lifeline's wireless operator and passes on messages from London to the Candide and supplies food from his farm, and Dr. Pascal Keldermans, who takes charge of medical matters concerning the airmen with Lisa working undercover as a nurse at his surgery as her cover.
. This venture was 60% owned and financed by London to enable the members of Lifeline to cater for the Germans and eavesdrop on their conversations. Albert takes over the running of Lifeline when Lisa is tragically killed in the first episode by an Allied bombing.
The German officers now frequent the new establishment regularly, allowing all the major characters to interact and increasing the dramatic tension. To capitalise on actress Angela Richards' singing talents, Monique performed regularly for the Candide's diners and this became a staple feature of the series. Not only did these scenes transform the character of Monique from a dowdy waitress to a sultry chanteuse, but they also served as a sophisticated contrast to the often tense events occurring in the episodes.
Other key story arcs played out during the second series included Kessler's developing romance with lonely Belgian society woman Madeleine Duclos (Hazel McBride), whom he met whilst dining alone at Le Candide, Brandt being asked to join his friends in a conspiracy to assassinate Hitler and although he declines to join them he becomes guilty by association, the discovery of which, together with the death of his family in a British air raid on Berlin
, results in his eventual suicide at the end of series 2 rather than face a court martial.
This series also introduced a new key character, pianist and forger Max Brocard, whose forgery skills were required after the loss of Gaston. Max is a Communist resistance infiltrator of Lifeline and he is responsible for the death of Francois, Natalie's boyfriend. Max's death (being shot by the civil police, which was orchestrated by Albert himself, after finding out definitively that Max was, indeed, working for the Communists and intended to take over Lifeline) would lead to further complications in the third series.
With Albert in prison for much of the series, responsibility for Lifeline falls to Monique and charts her increasing independence and the eventual collapse of her relationship with Albert owing to his failure to commit or marry her. However, after the Germans severely restrict travel to and from Brussels and the Communists blow up the main train line, the evasion lines are effectively closed down. The rescued airmen can now only be hidden while they all await the anticipated end of the War.
With Albert away, Monique and Natalie face various accusations of being German collaborators, prostitutes and 'Black Marketeers'. As news of the Allied Troops' imminent arrival reaches the streets, the Germans find it increasingly impossible to keep order and eventually decide to leave the Belgians to their own devices.
Kessler, promoted to Standartenfuhrer, finds himself in constant conflict with new arrival Major Reinhardt who has been sent to replace Brandt. Reinhardt is a war hero whose seemingly lazy approach is at odds with Kessler's own by-the-book methods, yet nevertheless begins to see greater results and near the end of the series succeeds in identifying "Le Candide" as the headquarters for Lifeline.
When the order for German withdrawal is finally given, Kessler tries to escape with his Belgian mistress, Madelaine. Realising that, should he be captured, he might risk execution, Kessler assumes the identity of a lower ranked officer shortly before he is indeed captured by British soldiers and placed into a Prisoner of War camp. Rather than evacuate Brussels, Reinhardt satisfies his own curiosity and visits The Candide to discover that this was the headquarters for Lifeline all along. However, he chooses not to execute Albert, Monique, Alain and Pascal, but hands himself over to Albert as his prisoner.
At the same time, Paul Vercours and his gang of communists arrive and take Albert, Reinhardt and Monique captive. Albert is lynched after a Communist-run kangaroo court finds him guilty of treachery for his part in the death of Max Brocard, he is cut down and saved by British troops, barely in time. Monique is placed in a cage where her 'fellow' collaborators have their heads shaved for the amusement of the crowds. Thanks to the determination of Natalie and the arrival of Captain Stephen Durnford, Monique is saved from such indignities. Monique and the Captain fall in love and, despite having once been Albert's mistress, Monique realises that she no longer loves him and decides to marry the Captain instead.
Having been arrested by the British officers who saved Albert, Reinhardt is placed into the same camp as Kessler. To protect his new identity, and with the grudging support of the senior officers, Kessler engineers a Court Martial of Reinhardt for allowing himself to be captured and disobeying the orders of a superior officer. Despite very flimsy evidence, Kessler manages to ensure Reinhardt is found guilty and is shot dead by a German firing squad.
At the same time, Kessler's mistress, Madelaine, manages to bribe a greedy allied officer to gain her lover's freedom and the couple escape to a new future together. For the members of the evasion line, however, their happiness is tinged with sadness as they all say goodbye to a tearful Monique, who says her final goodbyes to the Candide and Albert before leaving for a new life with her husband in London.
The final episode in the series, "What Did You Do in the War, Daddy?" was set in 1969, and looked at how the characters had fared after the war. It was never broadcast — the reason for this has been variously attributed to a strike (falsely suggesting that editing was never completed), the episode's anti-Communist
message, or because it was significantly different in tone from the rest of the series. The main themes of the episode were subsequently incorporated into a sequel series, Kessler, which was transmitted in 1981 and explored the fate of the former Standartenführer
.
. Glaister was a former RAF
pilot and based the series on real events. Lifeline loosely resembled Comet line
, and the character of John Curtis was influenced by the experiences of the series' technical consultant, Group Captain William Randle who was the Keeper of the Battle of Britain Museum and escaped from Occupied Europe in 1942.
The series followed the timeline of the war to show how it affected Belgium. Filming took place in Belgium itself, with the assistance of BRT, leading to authenticity. Other location filming took place in and around London
and in Norfolk
. The aircraft type that featured dramatically throughout the series was the Westland Lysander
.
The title sequence was created by Alan Jeapes whose credits include EastEnders
; the theme music was by Robert Farnon
.
The serious tone of the production led it to be parodied
in the BBC comedy series 'Allo 'Allo!
with a few cast members appearing in both series.
of his episodes entitled Secret Army Dossier and The End of the Line.
An unofficial guidebook to the series is available entitled The Complete Secret Army, featuring: reviews of all the episodes; detailed information on the real-life events that inspired the series; production and behind-the-scenes material; a location guide; and reminiscences and photos supplied by the series cast and crew. The book is written by Secret Army fan Andy Priestner, and was published by Classic TV Press in December 2008.
and pianist Ken Moule
in the series proved so popular with the audience that a BBC soundtrack album entitled "Au Café Candide" was released. Long since deleted, the songs are now available on a new CD, recorded some 25 years after the first, entitled "An Evening at Le Candide". Tracks include Richards's own compositions such as "Memories Come Gently" and "If This Is The Last Time I See You", together with popular Forties numbers such as "Lilli Marlene" and "J'attendrai".
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
and the Belgian national broadcaster BRT
BRT
BRT may refer to:* "Be right there" in Internet slang.* Baltic Rubber Trade, Ltd., owner of the BRT trademark.* Bayrak Radyo Televizyon Kurumu is the national public broadcaster of Northern Cyprus....
(now VRT
Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroep
The Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroeporganisatie , or VRT, is a publicly-funded broadcaster of radio and television in Flanders ....
) created by Gerard Glaister
Gerard Glaister
John Leslie "Gerard" Glaister DFC, was a British television producer and director best known for his work with the BBC. Amongst his most notable successes as a TV producer were Colditz, The Brothers, Secret Army and Howards' Way.After studying at RADA, Glaister made his West End debut in 1939...
. The series chronicled the history of a Belgian
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
resistance movement
Resistance movement
A resistance movement is a group or collection of individual groups, dedicated to opposing an invader in an occupied country or the government of a sovereign state. It may seek to achieve its objects through either the use of nonviolent resistance or the use of armed force...
during the Second World War
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...
dedicated to returning Allied airmen, usually having been shot down by the Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
, to their home country. The series was made in the United Kingdom
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...
and Belgium and broadcast on BBC1
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
for three series from 7 September 1977 to 15 December 1979.
Series 1
Lisa Colbert (Jan Francis) runs Lifeline, a Brussels-based resistance organisation which helps allied aircrew to evade capture and return home or to safer neutral countries such as Spain. She is aided by Albert Foiret (Bernard Hepton), proprietor of the Cafe Candide, his mistress Monique Duchamps (Angela Richards) and waitress Natalie Chantrens (Juliet Hammond-Hill).Their already dangerous operations are put under further strain when Sturmbannführer Ludwig Kessler (Clifford Rose) is assigned to the Belgian capital to assist Major Brandt (Michael Culver) with the evasion line problems.
Another irritation for Lifeline is the arrival of Flight Lieutenant John Curtis (Christopher Neame), a former evader who has been sent by London to help co-ordinate their activities. He is at first greeted with hostility and suspicion, with signs of a growing romantic tension between him and Lisa. At the end of series 1, Kessler and Brandt are closing in on Curtis. Their investigation into a murder leads them to the name Monsieur Maurice (Curtis's pseudonym). Brandt and Kessler pay their very first visit to the Candide to locate Curtis and due to Kessler's interest in Curtis the threat to Lifeline is too great and it is agreed that Curtis should leave as soon as possible to return to England. However, Kessler, determined to capture Curtis, begins a troop encirclement of Brussels in order to trap him. Yet Curtis escapes by posing as the bus driver for a local Hitler Youth group who are travelling out of the city on a day trip.
The first series chronicles Lifeline's constant struggle to save airmen, often no more than teenagers, while protecting their safehouses and evading the Germans. Most episodes of Series 1 deals with their failures, but as their successes grow in number, the Germans slowly become more and more aware of their existence, which of course brings them closer to smashing Lifeline.
A continuing storyline was Albert's affair with barmaid Monique Duchamps, while his wife Andrée Foiret was bed-ridden due to an accident two years before where an out of control lorry had veered into the car that Albert was driving with Andrée as passenger. At the end of the series Andrée spots Monique going into the bedroom of Albert and sees that as definite proof of their affair; attempting to speak to Albert about the affair she gets into her wheelchair for the first time, but falls down the stairs and breaks her neck, dying instantly.
Other Lifeline operatives introduced in the first series were Gaston Colbert, Lisa's uncle and bank manager. Having traced a batch of forged bank-notes back to Gaston, Kessler interrogates the man in the belief he can lead them to the people behind the evasion lines. Lisa later learns that Gaston was shot dead trying to escape the German HQ. Alain Muny, who is Lifeline's wireless operator and passes on messages from London to the Candide and supplies food from his farm, and Dr. Pascal Keldermans, who takes charge of medical matters concerning the airmen with Lisa working undercover as a nurse at his surgery as her cover.
Series 2
In the second series, Albert was rewarded by the British with a share in a restaurant also named Le Candide which was prominently-placed on the Grand-PlaceGrand Place
The Grand Place or Grote Markt is the central square of Brussels. It is surrounded by guildhalls, the city's Town Hall, and the Breadhouse . The square is the most important tourist destination and most memorable landmark in Brussels, along with the Atomium and Manneken Pis...
. This venture was 60% owned and financed by London to enable the members of Lifeline to cater for the Germans and eavesdrop on their conversations. Albert takes over the running of Lifeline when Lisa is tragically killed in the first episode by an Allied bombing.
The German officers now frequent the new establishment regularly, allowing all the major characters to interact and increasing the dramatic tension. To capitalise on actress Angela Richards' singing talents, Monique performed regularly for the Candide's diners and this became a staple feature of the series. Not only did these scenes transform the character of Monique from a dowdy waitress to a sultry chanteuse, but they also served as a sophisticated contrast to the often tense events occurring in the episodes.
Other key story arcs played out during the second series included Kessler's developing romance with lonely Belgian society woman Madeleine Duclos (Hazel McBride), whom he met whilst dining alone at Le Candide, Brandt being asked to join his friends in a conspiracy to assassinate Hitler and although he declines to join them he becomes guilty by association, the discovery of which, together with the death of his family in a British air raid on Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, results in his eventual suicide at the end of series 2 rather than face a court martial.
This series also introduced a new key character, pianist and forger Max Brocard, whose forgery skills were required after the loss of Gaston. Max is a Communist resistance infiltrator of Lifeline and he is responsible for the death of Francois, Natalie's boyfriend. Max's death (being shot by the civil police, which was orchestrated by Albert himself, after finding out definitively that Max was, indeed, working for the Communists and intended to take over Lifeline) would lead to further complications in the third series.
Series 3
The final series is set in the final weeks of German occupation. Paul Vercours — the leader and sole survivor of the Communist party that Max had belonged to — begins a slow conspiracy of revenge against Albert for his actions against the Communists. He lodges an accusation with the authorities that Albert murdered his wife.With Albert in prison for much of the series, responsibility for Lifeline falls to Monique and charts her increasing independence and the eventual collapse of her relationship with Albert owing to his failure to commit or marry her. However, after the Germans severely restrict travel to and from Brussels and the Communists blow up the main train line, the evasion lines are effectively closed down. The rescued airmen can now only be hidden while they all await the anticipated end of the War.
With Albert away, Monique and Natalie face various accusations of being German collaborators, prostitutes and 'Black Marketeers'. As news of the Allied Troops' imminent arrival reaches the streets, the Germans find it increasingly impossible to keep order and eventually decide to leave the Belgians to their own devices.
Kessler, promoted to Standartenfuhrer, finds himself in constant conflict with new arrival Major Reinhardt who has been sent to replace Brandt. Reinhardt is a war hero whose seemingly lazy approach is at odds with Kessler's own by-the-book methods, yet nevertheless begins to see greater results and near the end of the series succeeds in identifying "Le Candide" as the headquarters for Lifeline.
When the order for German withdrawal is finally given, Kessler tries to escape with his Belgian mistress, Madelaine. Realising that, should he be captured, he might risk execution, Kessler assumes the identity of a lower ranked officer shortly before he is indeed captured by British soldiers and placed into a Prisoner of War camp. Rather than evacuate Brussels, Reinhardt satisfies his own curiosity and visits The Candide to discover that this was the headquarters for Lifeline all along. However, he chooses not to execute Albert, Monique, Alain and Pascal, but hands himself over to Albert as his prisoner.
At the same time, Paul Vercours and his gang of communists arrive and take Albert, Reinhardt and Monique captive. Albert is lynched after a Communist-run kangaroo court finds him guilty of treachery for his part in the death of Max Brocard, he is cut down and saved by British troops, barely in time. Monique is placed in a cage where her 'fellow' collaborators have their heads shaved for the amusement of the crowds. Thanks to the determination of Natalie and the arrival of Captain Stephen Durnford, Monique is saved from such indignities. Monique and the Captain fall in love and, despite having once been Albert's mistress, Monique realises that she no longer loves him and decides to marry the Captain instead.
Having been arrested by the British officers who saved Albert, Reinhardt is placed into the same camp as Kessler. To protect his new identity, and with the grudging support of the senior officers, Kessler engineers a Court Martial of Reinhardt for allowing himself to be captured and disobeying the orders of a superior officer. Despite very flimsy evidence, Kessler manages to ensure Reinhardt is found guilty and is shot dead by a German firing squad.
At the same time, Kessler's mistress, Madelaine, manages to bribe a greedy allied officer to gain her lover's freedom and the couple escape to a new future together. For the members of the evasion line, however, their happiness is tinged with sadness as they all say goodbye to a tearful Monique, who says her final goodbyes to the Candide and Albert before leaving for a new life with her husband in London.
The final episode in the series, "What Did You Do in the War, Daddy?" was set in 1969, and looked at how the characters had fared after the war. It was never broadcast — the reason for this has been variously attributed to a strike (falsely suggesting that editing was never completed), the episode's anti-Communist
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
message, or because it was significantly different in tone from the rest of the series. The main themes of the episode were subsequently incorporated into a sequel series, Kessler, which was transmitted in 1981 and explored the fate of the former Standartenführer
Standartenführer
Standartenführer was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that was used in the so-called Nazi combat-organisations: SA, SS, NSKK and the NSFK...
.
Production
Secret Army was created by Gerard Glaister as a follow-up to his drama series ColditzColditz (TV series)
Colditz is a British television series co-produced by the BBC and Universal Studios and screened between 1972 and 1974.The series deals with Allied prisoners of war imprisoned at the supposedly escape-proof Colditz Castle when designated Oflag IV-C during World War II, and their many attempts to...
. Glaister was a former RAF
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
pilot and based the series on real events. Lifeline loosely resembled Comet line
Comet line
The Comet line was a World War II resistance group in Belgium/France which helped Allied soldiers and airmen return to Britain. The line started in Brussels, where the men were fed, clothed and given false identity papers before being hidden in attics and cellars of houses...
, and the character of John Curtis was influenced by the experiences of the series' technical consultant, Group Captain William Randle who was the Keeper of the Battle of Britain Museum and escaped from Occupied Europe in 1942.
The series followed the timeline of the war to show how it affected Belgium. Filming took place in Belgium itself, with the assistance of BRT, leading to authenticity. Other location filming took place in and around 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...
and in Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
. The aircraft type that featured dramatically throughout the series was the Westland Lysander
Westland Lysander
The Westland Lysander was a British army co-operation and liaison aircraft produced by Westland Aircraft used immediately before and during the Second World War...
.
The title sequence was created by Alan Jeapes whose credits include EastEnders
EastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
; the theme music was by Robert Farnon
Robert Farnon
Robert Joseph Farnon was a Canadian-born composer, conductor, musical arranger and trumpet player. As well as being a famous composer of original works , he was recognised as one of the finest arrangers of his generation...
.
The serious tone of the production led it to be parodied
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
in the BBC comedy series 'Allo 'Allo!
'Allo 'Allo!
'Allo 'Allo! is a British sitcom broadcast on BBC One from 1982 to 1992 comprising eighty-five episodes. It is a parody of another BBC programme, the wartime drama Secret Army, and was created by David Croft, who also wrote the theme music, and Jeremy Lloyd. Lloyd and Croft wrote the first 6...
with a few cast members appearing in both series.
Recurring cast
- Albert Foiret — Bernard HeptonBernard HeptonBernard Hepton is a British actor of stage, film and television.Hepton is known as a particularly versatile character actor. He trained at Bradford Civic Theatre school under Esme Church along with actors such as Robert Stephens...
- Lisa Colbert ("Yvette") — Jan FrancisJan FrancisJan Francis is an English actress, best known for playing Penny Warrender in the 1980s romantic comedy Just Good Friends.-Early life:Francis was born at the former Charing Cross Hospital near Trafalgar Square, London...
(series 1–2) - Flight Lieutenant John Curtis — Christopher NeameChristopher NeameChristopher Neame is an English actor.-Education:Neame was educated at The King's School, Canterbury, an independent school in Canterbury in Kent.-Life and career:...
(series 1) - Monique Duchamps — Angela RichardsAngela RichardsAngela Richards is an English actress, best known to television viewers for her leading role in the BBC drama Secret Army , set during the Second World War in which she played Monique Duchamps....
- SturmbannführerSturmbannführerSturmbannführer was a paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party equivalent to major, used both in the Sturmabteilung and the Schutzstaffel...
/ StandartenführerStandartenführerStandartenführer was a Nazi Party paramilitary rank that was used in the so-called Nazi combat-organisations: SA, SS, NSKK and the NSFK...
Ludwig Kessler — Clifford RoseClifford RoseClifford Rose is a British classical actor.He was born in Herefordshire. He was educated at the King's School, Worcester and King's College London, before appearing in rep and with the Royal Shakespeare Company.... - Major Erwin Brandt — Michael CulverMichael CulverMichael Culver is an English actor.He was born in Hampstead, London, the son of actor Roland Culver and casting director Daphne Rye...
(series 1–2) - Natalie Chantrens — Juliet Hammond-HillJuliet Hammond-HillJuliet Hammond-Hill is an English actress, best known for her role as Natalie Chantrens in all three series of the BBC drama series Secret Army and its 1981 sequel Kessler....
- Doctor Pascal Keldermans — Valentine DyallValentine DyallValentine Dyall was an English character actor, the son of veteran actor Franklin Dyall. Dyall was especially popular as a voice actor, due to his very distinctive sepulchral voice, he was known for many years as "The Man in Black", narrator of the BBC Radio horror series Appointment With Fear.In...
- Alain Muny — Ron PemberRon PemberRon Pember is a British actor, best known for his role as Alain Muny in the 1970s BBC drama series Secret Army.Pember played the part of the psychopathic taxman in the Red Dwarf episode "Better Than Life"...
- Andrée Foiret — Eileen Page (series 1)
- Corporal Veit Rennert — Robin LangfordRobin LangfordRobin Langford is a well known British actor/writer/director. Known for his acting performances at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre Company in Stratford-upon-Avon to the Moscow Arts Theatre in Russia at the age of 12, to his first film, at the age of 12 as Elizabeth Taylor’s son...
(series 1–2) - Jacques Bol — Timothy Morand (series 1)
- Gaston Colbert — James BreeJames BreeJames Bree was a British actor who played many supporting roles in both film and television.Bree was educated at Radley College and during World War II served in the RAF. He later trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama...
(series 1) - Louise Colbert — Maria CharlesMaria CharlesMaria Charles is an English actress who carved a niche for herself on television playing clingy Jewish mothers. She appeared in the memorable Play for Today entry, "Bar Mitzvah Boy", and played Maureen Lipman's character's mother in the sitcom Agony...
(series 1) - Hans van Broecken — Gunnar Möller
- Lena van Broecken — Marianne StoneMarianne StoneMarianne Stone was a British character actress. She appeared in many films from the early 1940s to the late 1980s...
(series 1–2) - Yvonne — Henrietta BaynesHetty BaynesHenrietta S.L. "Hetty" Baynes is an English actress. She began her career as a ballet dancer at the Royal Ballet School and made her professional debut at 12 in Rudolf Nureyev's The Nutcracker at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden....
(series 1–2) - Max Brocard — Stephen YardleyStephen YardleyStephen Yardley is an English actor, known for his work on British television between 1965 and 2004.Best known for his role as Ken Masters in the British TV drama Howards' Way , Yardley most recently appeared in the British TV comedy Hex .He made early appearances on TV in the 1960s, in series...
(series 2) - Insp. Paul Delon — John D. CollinsJohn D. CollinsJohn D. Collins is an English actor, perhaps best known for appearing in the BBC sitcom Allo 'Allo! in which he played Flt. Lt. Fairfax, a stranded British airman in occupied France during World War II...
(series 2–3) - Madeleine Duclos — Hazel McBride (series 2–3)
- François — Nigel Williams (series 2)
- Major Nick Bradley — Paul ShelleyPaul ShelleyPaul Shelley is an English actor.Shelley trained at RADA and has mainly worked in the theatre as a classical actor...
(series 2–3) - Wullner — Neil Daglish (series 2–3)
- Genevieve — Trisha ClarkeTrisha ClarkeTrisha Clarke is a British actress, best known for her role as barmaid Geneviève in the 1970s BBC drama series Secret Army. She also appeared as a Mutoid in the sci-fi drama Blake's 7.-External links:...
(series 2–3) - Major Hans-Dietrich Reinhardt — Terrence Hardiman (series 3)
- Paul Vercors — Michael ByrneMichael Byrne (actor)Michael Byrne is an English actor noted for his roles on film and television. He has often been cast in Nazi military roles such as Colonel Vogel in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and Obergruppenführer Odilo Globocnik in the BBC radio dramatisation of the novel Fatherland by Robert Harris...
(series 2)/Ralph BatesRalph BatesRalph Bates was an English film and television actor, known for his role in the British sitcom Dear John and for being one of Hammer Horror's best-known actors from the latter period of the company....
(series 3) - Captain Stephen Durnford — Stephan Chase (series 3)
- Hauptmann Müller — Hilary MinsterHilary MinsterRoger Michael Hilary Minster, better known as Hilary Minster, was an English character actor....
(series 3) - Paul, restaurant pianist — Ken MouleKen MouleKenneth John Moule was an English jazz pianist, best known as a composer and arranger.-Biography:Born in Barking, Essex in 1925, Kenneth was the only child of Frederick and Ethal Moule...
(uncredited; series 3)
Crew
- Producer — Gerard GlaisterGerard GlaisterJohn Leslie "Gerard" Glaister DFC, was a British television producer and director best known for his work with the BBC. Amongst his most notable successes as a TV producer were Colditz, The Brothers, Secret Army and Howards' Way.After studying at RADA, Glaister made his West End debut in 1939...
- Script editor — John BrasonJohn BrasonJohn Brason is a British script writer and script editor, best known for the series made in collaboration with television producer Gerard Glaister, Colditz and Secret Army, both set during World War II....
- Script supervisors — Frank Radcliffe, James Cadman
- Designers — Ray London, Richard Morris, Marjorie Pratt, Austin Ruddy
- Music arranger — Ken MouleKen MouleKenneth John Moule was an English jazz pianist, best known as a composer and arranger.-Biography:Born in Barking, Essex in 1925, Kenneth was the only child of Frederick and Ethal Moule...
(Series 3)
Books
John Brason wrote a prequel novel entitled Secret Army and two novelisationsNovelization
A novelization is a novel that is written based on some other media story form rather than as an original work.Novelizations of films usually add background material not found in the original work to flesh out the story, because novels are generally longer than screenplays...
of his episodes entitled Secret Army Dossier and The End of the Line.
An unofficial guidebook to the series is available entitled The Complete Secret Army, featuring: reviews of all the episodes; detailed information on the real-life events that inspired the series; production and behind-the-scenes material; a location guide; and reminiscences and photos supplied by the series cast and crew. The book is written by Secret Army fan Andy Priestner, and was published by Classic TV Press in December 2008.
DVD
The complete series of Secret Army is available on DVD (Region 2, UK) from DD Home Entertainment. All releases are accompanied by a booklet detailing the production of each successive series, while the series 3 release also features on-camera interviews with cast members Angela Richards (Monique), Clifford Rose (Kessler), Juliet Hammond-Hill (Natalie), Terrence Hardiman (Reinhardt) and Hazel McBride (Madeleine). It does not, however, include the final unscreened episode (see above).CD
The songs performed by Angela RichardsAngela Richards
Angela Richards is an English actress, best known to television viewers for her leading role in the BBC drama Secret Army , set during the Second World War in which she played Monique Duchamps....
and pianist Ken Moule
Ken Moule
Kenneth John Moule was an English jazz pianist, best known as a composer and arranger.-Biography:Born in Barking, Essex in 1925, Kenneth was the only child of Frederick and Ethal Moule...
in the series proved so popular with the audience that a BBC soundtrack album entitled "Au Café Candide" was released. Long since deleted, the songs are now available on a new CD, recorded some 25 years after the first, entitled "An Evening at Le Candide". Tracks include Richards's own compositions such as "Memories Come Gently" and "If This Is The Last Time I See You", together with popular Forties numbers such as "Lilli Marlene" and "J'attendrai".
See also
- List of Secret Army episodes
- Kessler, a spin-off series featuring the character Ludwig Kessler played by Clifford Rose
- 'Allo 'Allo!'Allo 'Allo!'Allo 'Allo! is a British sitcom broadcast on BBC One from 1982 to 1992 comprising eighty-five episodes. It is a parody of another BBC programme, the wartime drama Secret Army, and was created by David Croft, who also wrote the theme music, and Jeremy Lloyd. Lloyd and Croft wrote the first 6...
, a 1982–92 BBC sitcom, set in occupied France, which drew considerable inspiration from the restaurant setting and resistance intrigue of Secret Army