Special Branch (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Special Branch is a British
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...

 television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...

 series made 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....

 for 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...

 and shown between 1969 and 1974. A police drama series, the action was centred on members of the Special Branch
Special Branch
Special Branch is a label customarily used to identify units responsible for matters of national security in British and Commonwealth police forces, as well as in the Royal Thai Police...

 anti-espionage
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...

 and anti-terrorist
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...

 department of the London Metropolitan Police
Metropolitan Police Service
The Metropolitan Police Service is the territorial police force responsible for Greater London, excluding the "square mile" of the City of London which is the responsibility of the City of London Police...

.

The first two series were shot mainly in a studio on videotape
Videotape
A videotape is a recording of images and sounds on to magnetic tape as opposed to film stock or random access digital media. Videotapes are also used for storing scientific or medical data, such as the data produced by an electrocardiogram...

 with filmed location inserts; a standard method of the time but one which suffered from jarring differences in picture quality between interior and exterior scenes. The location scenes of some episodes were shot on outside broadcast cameras, leading to smoother transitions between location and studio work for those episodes. Series 1 and 2 starred Derren Nesbitt
Derren Nesbitt
Derren Nesbitt is an English actor. Possibly his best known role was as SS Major von Hapen in Where Eagles Dare.In 2008 he was writing a book on "biblical myths and falsehoods".-Acting career:...

 as Det Insp Jordan, working to Det Supt Eden (Wensley Pithey
Wensley Pithey
Wensley Pithey was a South African character actor who had a long stage career.Pithey was born in Cape Town, South Africa. A graduate of the University of Cape Town where he studied music and drama, he travelled to England in 1947...

) and subsequently Det Supt Inman (Fulton Mackay
Fulton Mackay
Fulton Mackay OBE was a Scottish actor and playwright, best known for his role as prison officer Mr. Mackay in the 1970s sitcom Porridge.-Early life:...

). The episodes featuring Eden (the first 9 of Series 1) were recorded in black and white, while all subsequent episodes were recorded on colour videotape.

The show was revamped in 1973 after 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....

's Euston Films Limited subsidiary took over production using film which allowed for a less studio-based series. Euston Films had pioneered the technique of shooting action and adventure series entirely on location using 16mm film, for a more gritty and realistic look. These episodes starred George Sewell
George Sewell
George Sewell was an English actor.-Early life and early career:The son of a Hoxton printer and a florist; Sewell left school at age 14 and worked briefly in the printing trade before switching to building work, specifically the repair of bomb-damaged houses...

 as Chief Inspector
Chief inspector
Chief inspector is a rank used in police forces which follow the British model. In countries outside Britain, it is sometimes referred to as chief inspector of police .-Australia:...

 Alan Craven and Roger Rowland
Roger Rowland
Roger Rowland was a British TV Actor predominantly working in the 1970's and the 1980's.His main role was as Bill North in the TV Series Special Branch but his first TV appearance was in 1958 in Quatermass and the Pit as a Journalist....

 as Bill North. The show was slow to take off so the producers introduced Patrick Mower
Patrick Mower
Patrick Mower , whose original name was Patrick Archibald Shaw, is an English actor well known for his many television and occasional film roles, often as a detective or secret agent.-Life:...

 as Detective Chief Inspector
Chief inspector
Chief inspector is a rank used in police forces which follow the British model. In countries outside Britain, it is sometimes referred to as chief inspector of police .-Australia:...

 Tom Haggerty, and by the 1974 series Bill North had been axed, having had a nervous breakdown, though he returned for one episode later in the run.

Another character was Strand, who appeared in the fourth series, the man from the ministry, played by Paul Eddington
Paul Eddington
Paul Eddington CBE was an English actor best known for his appearances in popular television sitcoms of the 1970s and 80s: The Good Life, Yes Minister and Yes, Prime Minister.-Early life:...

. Strand was a toffee-nosed civil servant who kept an unwanted eye on the detectives and their budgets. He sometimes manipulated them in order to pursue obscure matters of state, such as in "Double Exposure".

The theme music for series one was by Norman Kay
Norman Kay (composer)
Norman Forber Kay was a British composer and writer.Kay, who was born in Bolton, was educated at Bolton School, the Royal Manchester College of Music and the Royal College of Music. Kay composed the score for many episodes of Doctor Who, including the very first serial, An Unearthly Child...

. For series two, three and four it was by Robert Earley.

The 1973/4 series of this police drama is notable for being the first production by Euston Films
Euston Films
Euston Films was a British film and television production company. It was a subsidiary company of Thames Television, and operated from the 1970s to the 1990s, producing various series for Thames, which were screened nationally on the ITV network...

, later responsible for such series as The Sweeney
The Sweeney
The Sweeney is a 1970s British television police drama focusing on two members of the Flying Squad, a branch of the Metropolitan Police specialising in tackling armed robbery and violent crime in London...

and Minder
Minder (TV series)
Minder is a British comedy-drama about the London criminal underworld. Initially produced by Verity Lambert, it was made by Euston Films, a subsidiary of Thames Television and shown on ITV...

. The influence on The Sweeney is clear, although the rough and tumble nature of that show is fairly lacking in Special Branch.

Both Sewell
George Sewell
George Sewell was an English actor.-Early life and early career:The son of a Hoxton printer and a florist; Sewell left school at age 14 and worked briefly in the printing trade before switching to building work, specifically the repair of bomb-damaged houses...

 and Mower
Patrick Mower
Patrick Mower , whose original name was Patrick Archibald Shaw, is an English actor well known for his many television and occasional film roles, often as a detective or secret agent.-Life:...

 later starred as villains in The Sweeney, while Sweeney star Denis Waterman appeared in the 1974 Special Branch episode "Stand and Deliver" as a criminal. Mower later went on to star in the 1977-78 BBC police series Target.

The 1973 and 1974 series have been released onto Region two DVD by Network, and both sets include an episode from the original Thames TV series. The 1969 series was released as a 4-Disc DVD set by Network in January 2007 and the 1970 series was released as a Website Exclusive in November 2007. In 2008, all four series were released on DVD by Network in a 16-disc box-set featuring all 53 episodes.

Other actors appearing included; Garfield Morgan
Garfield Morgan
Garfield Morgan was an English actor who appeared mostly on TV and occasionally in films.Born in Birmingham, Morgan was apprenticed as a dental mechanic before going to drama school. He started his acting career with the Arena Theatre, Birmingham...

 and Rula Lenska
Rula Lenska
Rula Lenska is an English actress. Best known for her work in the United Kingdom, she is remembered in the United States for a television advert that presented her as a celebrity, even though she was not widely known in the US at the time the advert was produced.She has appeared extensively on...

 (Something About A Soldier), Jacqueline Pearce
Jacqueline Pearce
Jacqueline Pearce is a British actress.-Career:Jacqueline Pearce trained at the British stage school RADA and at Lee Strasberg's Actors Studio in Los Angeles....

 (Catherine The Great), Cyd Hayman
Cyd Hayman
Cyd Hayman is an English actress.She appeared in the following films: Percy, The Godsend and Rogue Male....

 (Rendezvous), Susan Jameson
Susan Jameson
Susan Jameson is an English actress who is best known for her television work.Jameson was born in Barnt Green, Worcestershire, England, UK. She is married to actor James Bolam with whom she has a daughter, Lucy...

 as Detective Sergeant Mary Holmes (Date of Birth, Intercept, and Downwind of Angels), John Bindon
John Bindon
John Dennis Arthur "Biffo" Bindon was a British actor and bodyguard who had close links with the London underworld. In numerous films, he played gangsters or tough police detective. Bindon has been described as "the archetypal actor-villain, and an all-round 'good geezer'". He was also notable for...

 (Intercept), Peter Bowles
Peter Bowles
-Early life:Bowles was born in London, England, the son of Sarah Jane and Herbert Reginald Bowles. His father was a chauffeur and butler at a stately home in Warwickshire; but, upon the outbreak of World War II, he was seconded to work as an engineer at Rolls-Royce and moved the family to Nottingham...

 and Janet Key
Janet Key
Janet Key was an English actress with a varied career in theatre, film and television from the late 1960s until her death.-Career:...

 (Downwind of Angels), Nicolette McKenzie (Diversion), Denis Lill
Denis Lill
Denis Lill is a New Zealand-born British actor.Some of his many film and television roles include Fall of Eagles , Edward the Seventh , Survivors , The Scarlet Pimpernel , as William Knox d-Arcy, the Australian oil pioneer in Persia, in Reilly: Ace of Spies , Rumpole of the Bailey , Mapp &...

 (Diversion) and Kenneth Colley
Kenneth Colley
Kenneth Colley is an English actor. A long-time character actor, he came to wider prominence through his role as Admiral Piett in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi....

 (Date of Birth).

Like the later The Sweeney, the on-screen offices of Special Branch were located in Hammersmith
Hammersmith
Hammersmith is an urban centre in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in west London, England, in the United Kingdom, approximately five miles west of Charing Cross on the north bank of the River Thames...

.

Cast

  • Derren Nesbitt
    Derren Nesbitt
    Derren Nesbitt is an English actor. Possibly his best known role was as SS Major von Hapen in Where Eagles Dare.In 2008 he was writing a book on "biblical myths and falsehoods".-Acting career:...

     as Detective Chief Inspector Jordan (27 episodes, 1969-1970)
  • George Sewell
    George Sewell
    George Sewell was an English actor.-Early life and early career:The son of a Hoxton printer and a florist; Sewell left school at age 14 and worked briefly in the printing trade before switching to building work, specifically the repair of bomb-damaged houses...

     as Detective Chief Inspector Alan Craven (25 episodes, 1973-1974)
  • Morris Perry
    Morris Perry
    Morris Perry is an English actor, best known for his roles on television.Perry was born in Bromley, Kent, England. Credits include: The Avengers, Z-Cars, Champion House, The Champions, The Persuaders!, Doctor Who , Special Branch, The Sweeney, Survivors, The Professionals, Secret Army,...

     as Charles Moxon (22 episodes, 1969-1970)
  • Fulton Mackay
    Fulton Mackay
    Fulton Mackay OBE was a Scottish actor and playwright, best known for his role as prison officer Mr. Mackay in the 1970s sitcom Porridge.-Early life:...

     as Detective Chief Superintendent Inman (18 episodes, 1969-1970)
  • Patrick Mower
    Patrick Mower
    Patrick Mower , whose original name was Patrick Archibald Shaw, is an English actor well known for his many television and occasional film roles, often as a detective or secret agent.-Life:...

     as Detective Chief Inspector Tom Haggerty (16 episodes, 1973-1974)
  • Roger Rowland
    Roger Rowland
    Roger Rowland was a British TV Actor predominantly working in the 1970's and the 1980's.His main role was as Bill North in the TV Series Special Branch but his first TV appearance was in 1958 in Quatermass and the Pit as a Journalist....

     as Detective Sergeant Bill North (15 episodes, 1969-1974)
  • Keith Washington as Detective Constable Morrissey (15 episodes, 1969-1970)
  • Paul Eddington
    Paul Eddington
    Paul Eddington CBE was an English actor best known for his appearances in popular television sitcoms of the 1970s and 80s: The Good Life, Yes Minister and Yes, Prime Minister.-Early life:...

     as Strand (11 episodes, 1974)
  • Frederick Jaeger
    Frederick Jaeger
    Frederick Jaeger was a German-born actor who found success working in British television.Jaeger was born in Berlin, but moved to England following Adolf Hitler's rise to power in Germany. He graduated from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 1948, and became a British citizen two years later...

     as Commander Fletcher (9 episodes, 1970-1974)
  • Wensley Pithey
    Wensley Pithey
    Wensley Pithey was a South African character actor who had a long stage career.Pithey was born in Cape Town, South Africa. A graduate of the University of Cape Town where he studied music and drama, he travelled to England in 1947...

     as Detective Superintendent Eden (9 episodes, 1969)
  • David Garth as Deputy Commander (7 episodes, 1969-1970)
  • Sheila Scott-Wilkenson as Pam Sloane (7 episodes, 1973)
  • Paul Antrim as Detective Sergeant Maguire (7 episodes, 1974)
  • Sandra Bryant
    Sandra Bryant
    Sanda Bryant is a British television actress.In 1967-1968 she released two 45rpm singles in the UK: "Girl With Money" c/w "Golden Hours" on Major Minor MM 523 and "Out To Get You" c/w "There's No Lock On My Door" on Major Minor MM 553...

     as Christine Morris (6 episodes, 1969-1970)
  • Jennifer Wilson as Detective Sergeant Helen Webb (6 episodes, 1969)
  • Richard Leech
    Richard Leech
    Richard Leech , born Richard Leeper McClelland, was an accomplished actor.Richard Leeper McClelland was born in Dublin, Ireland, son of Isabella Frances and Herbert Saunderson McClelland, a lawyer. He was educated at Haileybury and Trinity College, Dublin...

     as Chief Superintendent Knight (5 episodes, 1973-1974)
  • Anne Rutter as Detective Constable Jane Simpson (4 episodes, 1970)
  • Susan Jameson
    Susan Jameson
    Susan Jameson is an English actress who is best known for her television work.Jameson was born in Barnt Green, Worcestershire, England, UK. She is married to actor James Bolam with whom she has a daughter, Lucy...

    as Detective Sergeant Mary Holmes (4 episodes, 1974)
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