The Piglet Files
Encyclopedia
The Piglet Files is a British sitcom produced by LWT
(now part of Granada TV
).The show consisted of three series totaling twenty-one episodes that ran between 1990 and 1992.
The programme follows the life of reluctant MI5
agent Peter “Piglet” Chapman as he tries to instruct his fellow agents on the finer points of spy
gadgetry while keeping his wife Sarah in the dark about his new career.
combats the Soviet spies within the United Kingdom
while facing the ineptitude of their own agents, the ridicule of the sheer fact that the Soviet Union
is no longer a threat and not to mention the French
. But MI5 knows better, and indeed, the Soviets are intent on making trouble.
In an effort to alleviate the incompetence of their agents, MI5
convinces and hires local university teacher Peter Chapman by getting him sacked from the university and leave him no other choice. His new bosses Maurice Drummond and Andrew Maxwell assign Peter to the technology division but there’s one thing. Peter now insists on having a codename, to further his identity in the world of spying. Peter originally asks for Puma, followed by Panther, however these are already in use. And so, they pick the only remaining P name up for grabs: Piglet. "Piglet" routinely joins the other field agents on missions, but this is mainly to ensure that MI5 gets its equipment back.
And now, Peter “Piglet” Chapman must now face down Soviet assassins
and double agents while keeping his identity as an MI5 technician secret from everyone else, including his wife Sarah.
London Weekend Television
London Weekend Television was the name of the ITV network franchise holder for Greater London and the Home Counties including south Suffolk, middle and east Hampshire, Oxfordshire, south Bedfordshire, south Northamptonshire, parts of Herefordshire & Worcestershire, Warwickshire, east Dorset and...
(now part of Granada TV
Granada Television
Granada Television is the ITV contractor for North West England. Based in Manchester since its inception, it is the only surviving original ITA franchisee from 1954 and is ITV's most successful....
).The show consisted of three series totaling twenty-one episodes that ran between 1990 and 1992.
The programme follows the life of reluctant MI5
MI5
The Security Service, commonly known as MI5 , is the United Kingdom's internal counter-intelligence and security agency and is part of its core intelligence machinery alongside the Secret Intelligence Service focused on foreign threats, Government Communications Headquarters and the Defence...
agent Peter “Piglet” Chapman as he tries to instruct his fellow agents on the finer points of spy
SPY
SPY is a three-letter acronym that may refer to:* SPY , ticker symbol for Standard & Poor's Depositary Receipts* SPY , a satirical monthly, trademarked all-caps* SPY , airport code for San Pédro, Côte d'Ivoire...
gadgetry while keeping his wife Sarah in the dark about his new career.
Plot
In the early 1990s during the intervening period between the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Soviet Union, MI5MI5
The Security Service, commonly known as MI5 , is the United Kingdom's internal counter-intelligence and security agency and is part of its core intelligence machinery alongside the Secret Intelligence Service focused on foreign threats, Government Communications Headquarters and the Defence...
combats the Soviet spies within 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...
while facing the ineptitude of their own agents, the ridicule of the sheer fact that the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
is no longer a threat and not to mention the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. But MI5 knows better, and indeed, the Soviets are intent on making trouble.
In an effort to alleviate the incompetence of their agents, MI5
MI5
The Security Service, commonly known as MI5 , is the United Kingdom's internal counter-intelligence and security agency and is part of its core intelligence machinery alongside the Secret Intelligence Service focused on foreign threats, Government Communications Headquarters and the Defence...
convinces and hires local university teacher Peter Chapman by getting him sacked from the university and leave him no other choice. His new bosses Maurice Drummond and Andrew Maxwell assign Peter to the technology division but there’s one thing. Peter now insists on having a codename, to further his identity in the world of spying. Peter originally asks for Puma, followed by Panther, however these are already in use. And so, they pick the only remaining P name up for grabs: Piglet. "Piglet" routinely joins the other field agents on missions, but this is mainly to ensure that MI5 gets its equipment back.
And now, Peter “Piglet” Chapman must now face down Soviet assassins
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
and double agents while keeping his identity as an MI5 technician secret from everyone else, including his wife Sarah.
Characters
- Peter "Piglet" Chapman - Nicholas LyndhurstNicholas LyndhurstNicholas Simon Lyndhurst is an English actor. He is best known for his roles as Rodney Trotter in Only Fools and Horses, Gary Sparrow in Goodnight Sweetheart, and as Adam Parkinson in Carla Lane's series Butterflies...
- Major Maurice Drummond - Clive FrancisClive Francis-Early life:He is the son of actors Raymond Francis and Margaret Towner. He was born in Eastbourne.His father played Detective Chief Superintendent Tom Lockhart in the 1960s series No Hiding Place and his mother still acts today - most recently she played Jira, Anakin Skywalker's friend, in Star...
- Major Andrew Maxwell - John RinghamJohn RinghamJohn Henry Ringham was a British character actor of both television and stage who appeared in over a hundred screen appearances in a wide variety of roles....
- Dexter - Michael Percival
- Sarah Chapman - Serena EvansSerena EvansSerena Evans is a British actress who is best known for playing Police Sergeant Patricia Dawkins in the sitcom The Thin Blue Line which was shown on BBC 2 from 1995 to 1996....
- Flint - Louise Catt
- Lewis - Steven Law
Episodes
- First Series (1990)
- "A Question of Intelligence" (7 September)
- "Fair Exchange" (14 September)
- "A Room with a View" (21 September)
- "The Ice-Man Cometh" (28 September)
- "The Beagle Has Landed" (5 October)
- "Now You See It" (12 October)
- "A Private Member's Bill" (19 October)
- Second Series (1991)
- "The Wright Stuff" (3 May)
- "Red Spy at Night" (10 May)
- "Piglet in a Trough" (17 May)
- "The Wrong Combination" (24 May)
- "Trouble with Reception" (31 May)
- "The Hunt for Red Decoder" (7 June)
- "Undercover Activity" (14 June)
- Third Series (1992)
- "Guerillas in the Mist" (29 March)
- "Sweet and Sour Piglet" (5 April)
- "Sex, Spies and Videotape" (12 April)
- "In Which We Serve" (19 April)
- "The Plane Truth" (26 April)
- "Under New Management" (3 May)
- "With Friends Like These" (10 May)