Explore TV Series

Ghost Squad, known as G.S.5 for its third series, was a crime drama series about an elite division of Scotland Yard that ran between 1961 and 1964. Each episode the Ghost Squad would investigate cases that fell outside the scope of normal police work. Despite the show and characters being fictional, an actual division did exist within the Metropolitan Police Service at the time. Inspiration for the series was taken from a book of the same name, written by John Gosling — a retired police officer and former member of the team. Although the real-life squad only operated in London, the fictionalised team travelled internationally; however — as was typical of the time — most foreign locations were actually a combination of stock footage and sets at Independent Artists Studio at Beaconsfield and Elstree Studios. Music was by Philip Green. The show was produced by ITC Entertainment, along with Rank Organisation TV and ATV. It was the first ITC show filmed to fit the one hour time-slot — setting the trend for the majority of ITC's future output. Another common ITC trait was to feature an American, in this case Michael Quinn, in a leading role so as to increase the chances of international sales. At 6' 3", Quinn often towered over his co-workers. This was especially noticeable in the first series title sequence showing him walking through a crowd walking in the opposite direction. He frequently smoked in the show as did many others. The second series had a different title sequence and Neil Hallett sometimes replaced Quinn. Hallett looked more like a spy while Quinn looked a bit like a playboy. Quinn was replaced by Australian actor, Ray Barrett in the third series. Ray Austin played Billy Clay in and was also Stunt Director on all series bringing the action to life. Austin went on to become a renowned TV director in Hollywood and the UK.

Armchair Mystery Theatre is a 60-minute United Kingdom television anthology mystery series. Thirty-four episodes aired from 1960-65. It was hosted by Donald Pleasence and produced by Leonard White.

Die seltsamen Methoden des Franz Josef Wanninger is a German television series.

Love Story is a 60-minute British anthology television series produced by Associated Television (ATV). A total of 128 episodes aired on ITV from 1963 to 1974. Its guest stars included Vanessa Redgrave, Lynn Redgrave, Stephanie Beacham, James Bolam, Dudley Moore, Wendy Hiller, Malcolm McDowell, Patrick Macnee, John Hurt, Geoffrey Palmer, Judy Cornwell, Leo McKern, David Hemmings, Judy Parfitt, Anna Massey, Felicity Kendal, Edward Fox, Sam Wanamaker, Ian McShane, Michael Kitchen, George Maharis and Margaret Whiting.

Eleven-part mini-series featuring an ensemble cast of up-and-coming acting talent, in plays by young authors, each actor or actress taking the lead role in turn.

Jennifer Corner is a rather scatterbrained middle-class housewife. Her husband Henry is a school art teacher, and they have three children, Henry, Robin and Trudi.

Space Patrol is a science-fiction television series featuring marionettes that was produced in the United Kingdom in 1962 and broadcast beginning in 1963. It was written and produced by Roberta Leigh in association with the Associated British Corporation.

Bootsie and Snudge is a British television situation comedy series written, in the early days, by Barry Took and Marty Feldman; later writers were John Antrobus, Jack Rosenthal, ventriloquist Ray Alan and Harry Driver. The plot follows Former Sergeant Major Claude Snudge meets up with Corporal Bootsie when they both start work at an exclusive Gentlemen's Club. Of the 104 produced episodes, 100 of these survive.

An anthology of self-contained stories about acts of resistance in occupied Europe during the Second World War. Producer Gerard Glaister drew upon his own wartime experiences, having served as a pilot in the RAF.

Four episodes chronicle a mysterious phantom who appears in the Musée du Louvre in Paris at night. Neither guards nor police are able to make an arrest. But a curious young man tries to break the ice and discover what drives the creature and its activities.

Terry Collier and Bob Ferris are good friends. Terry was working class and secure in his life, whereas Bob was more aspirational, determined to work his way to a better place. Both viewed the others' worldview with disdain, but they were united by events, generally revolving around the pursuit of women. Although 20 total episodes were filmed, only 10 are currently known to survive. There is one missing from the first season, three from the second, and six from the final run.

The Power Game is an ITV drama spin-off from The Plane Makers (1963–65), created by Wilfred Greatorex. Broadcast for three 13-episode series, Patrick Wymark reprised his role as Sir John Wilder, who here ruthlessly pursues boardroom machinations and tangled relationships.

The Man in Room 17 is a British television series which ran for two seasons in the mid-1960s, produced by the Northern ITV franchise, Granada Television. Key to the series' success was the involvement of writer/producer Robin Chapman. The show was set in Room 17 of the Department of Social Research, where former wartime agent-turned-criminologist Edwin Oldenshaw solved difficult police cases through theory and discussions with his assistants. The novelty of the series was that Oldenshaw and his colleagues never needed to leave their office in order to resolve cases, preferring to spend their time playing the Japanese board game of Go. They simply provided their prognosis and left the police to do the cleaning up. Different directors were often appointed to film the Room 17 and outside-world scenes independently, to maintain a sense of distance between the two worlds.

A naive and unworldly young man finds himself entangled in a corrupt and greedy society.

Sir Kenneth Clark guides us through the ages exploring the glorious rise of civilisation in western man. Beginning with the bleakness of the dark ages to the present day, we consider civilisation's articulations and expressions in some of man's finest works of art.

Italian TV series based on the Maigret detective novels.

Königlich Bayerisches Amtsgericht is a German comedy television series. It was produced by ZDF in the years 1968 to 1972 and contains 52 episodes. It is set in the German Empire shortly before World War I and revolves around the court proceedings of the Königlich Bayrisches Amtsgericht in the fictional Bavarian small town Geisbach. Almost all actors speak with a Bavarian dialect. The series features many famous Bavarian actors like Gustl Bayrhammer, Hans Baur and Max Grieser.

R3 is a British television series produced by the BBC between 1964 and 1965. Full title was Ministry of Research Centre No.3. It was a 50-minute show, and the series starred John Robinson as Sir Michael Gerrard, Jeremy Young as Wilson, David Blake Kelly as Captain Rogers, and was set in a scientific research facility at the Ministry of Research. R3 is also notable for providing early TV exposure for a young Oliver Reed, cast as one of the scientists on the ministry staff, Dr. Richard Franklin. In "Experiment in Death", written by N J Crisp, Undersea exploration becomes an experiment in survival in a bathysphere. That show starred Edward Judd as Peters, Brigit Forsyth as a secretary, Donald Hoath as Turner and Stephen John as a meteorologist. It was produced by John Robins and directed by Paul Bernard.

A spin-off/rebranding of the previous 1965 series The Mask of Janus, The Spies is a more conventional espionage thriller than its predecessor, being explicitly concerned with the actual operations of British secret service agents stationed in the fictional European country of Amalia.

A completely lost early ITV sitcom with strong similarities to the popular radio series The Navy Lark. HMS Paradise is set at a Royal Navy station on an island off the Dorset coast where very little actual work takes place.

Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) is a British private detective television series. In the initial episode Hopkirk is murdered during an investigation, but returns as a ghost. Randall is the only main character able to see or hear him, although certain minor characters are also able to do so in various circumstances throughout the series.

In the fictional European country of Amalia, the political interests of the British, American and Communist espionage communities are explored. Eschewing the action formula of its ITV contemporaries, the series dealt more politically oriented plots such as defections to the west, awakening "sleeper" agents and the leaking of official secrets.

Sez Les was a British comedy sketch show that starred Les Dawson, produced by Yorkshire Television, airing on ITV from 1969 to 1976. Roy Barraclough also joined from series four and would go on to become Dawson's most recognisable sidekick. The two most notably appeared together in drag as characters Cissie and Ada. John Cleese, who had quit the Monty Python team's television series, was also present from 1974 in two complete seasons. Other cast members included Norman Chappell, Brian Glover, Brian Murphy and Kathy Staff. Music was provided by Syd Lawrence and his orchestra.

An anthology of half-hour standalone situation comedies starring British comedian Jimmy Edwards in various roles alongside guest stars.

Series based on the short French farces written by Georges Feydeau, Eugène Labiche, Marc Michel and Sacha Guitry. All of them include mistaken identities and impeccable timing.

The Baron is a British television series, made in 1965/66 based on the book series by John Creasey, written under the pseudonym Anthony Morton, and produced by ITC Entertainment. It was the first ITC show without marionettes to be produced entirely in colour.

The Borderers is a British television series produced by the BBC between 1968 and 1970.

A live-action six-part West German/French adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's classic adventure novel. Although not directly faithful, it is a highly liberal and stylised re-imagining that blends the pirate adventure with the popular genre of the time: the Euro-Western. In place of the novel's 18th-century setting is a distinct 19th-century 'Wild West' with cowboy style wardrobe and firearms. The central premise remains: a young man, Jim Hawkins, comes into possession of a treasure map and embarks on a voyage to a remote island.

Taxi! is a BBC television comedy-drama series transmitted in 1963 and 1964. Created by Ted Willis, who had developed Dixon of Dock Green, he was well aware of taxicab drivers inclination to provide stories, and intended twelve individual plays for what became the first series. The series stars Sid James as Cab firm owner and driver Sid Stone. Similar to his role in the near contemporary film Carry On Cabby, this was more a drama with humour, Jack Rosenthal scripted a few episodes and Bill Owen appeared as the Cab firm's co-owner Fred Cudell with Ray Brooks as driver Terry Mills.

The Newcomers was a late 1960s BBC soap opera which dealt with the subject of a London family, the Coopers, who moved to a housing estate in the fictional country town of Angleton. It was broadcast in bi-weekly half hour episodes from 5 October 1965 until 28 November 1969. It was initially produced by Verity Lambert. In the series, a fictional light industrial manufacturing company called Eden Brothers decides to relocate to the rural location. There are conflicts with the older members of the existing community, as well as some lighter moments as urbanites encounter "country characters". Many of the relocated workers have trouble living outside the city. As the series progresses, problems on the factory floor spill over into the community. Throughout this the Coopers strive to raise their daughter and two sons, who are having their own issues.

Thierry la Fronde was a French television series that aired in 1963–66 on the television station, ORTF original script by Jean-Claude Deret. Dubbed into English, it was shown internationally in the 1960s, including in Canada, where it was referred to under the original name, and also as The King's Outlaw. It was shown as well in Poland as Thierry Śmiałek. On ABC in Australia, it was called The King's Outlaw. In the Netherlands, 32 of the 52 episodes were shown in 1967 as Thierry de Slingeraar, as a Netherlands Television Service programme.

Adam Adamant Lives! is a British television series which ran from 1966 to 1967 on the BBC, starring Gerald Harper in the title role. Proposing that an adventurer born in 1867 had been revived from hibernation in 1966, the show was a comedy adventure that took a satirical look at life in the 1960s through the eyes of an Edwardian.

The Rag Trade is a British television sitcom broadcast by the BBC between 1961 and 1963 and by LWT between 1977 and 1978. The scripts were by Ronald Wolfe and Ronald Chesney, who later wrote Wild, Wild Women, Meet the Wife and On the Buses. Wild, Wild Women was a period variation of The Rag Trade. The action centred on a small clothing workshop, Fenner Fashions in London. Although run by Harold Fenner and Reg the foreman, the female workers are led by militant shop steward Paddy Fleming, ever ready to strike, with the catchphrase "Everybody out!" Other cast members included Sheila Hancock, Esma Reese Cannon, Wanda Ventham and Barbara Windsor. The Rag Trade was revived by ITV company LWT in 1977, with Jones and Karlin reprising their roles. The 1977 version ran for two series, most of the scripts being based on the BBC episodes from the 1960s, and featured Anna Karen and future EastEnders star Gillian Taylforth as factory workers. The theme tune for the LWT series was written and performed by Lynsey De Paul.

The Informer is a British crime drama series broadcast on ITV from August 1966 to December 1967. Created by John Whitney and Geoffrey Bellman, it stars Ian Hendry as former barrister Alex Lambert, disgraced and disbarred, who has to rebuild his life. He utilises his former contacts on both sides of the law to become a paid informer. Living well from the rewards paid by insurance companies, Lambert still has to hide his activities from both his wife and others behind a new persona in the guise as a business consultant. Two seasons were produced, totalling 21 episodes. Only two episodes are known to exist, the remainder presumably wiped.

L’Agence O is a famous Parisian private detective firm. Its premises are located in the Passage Choiseul. In front, Torrence leads the shop. In fact, the agency's team is complemented by Émilie le Roux, Mademoiselle Berthe and Barbet, who scrutinize clients through a one-way mirror located behind the desk. Getting hold of a man disguised as an old lady, solving the mystery of the Prisoner of Lagny or discovering who is blackmailing the painter Tigrane Alban does not worry the experts at the O Agency. Les Dossiers de l’Agence O is a French-Canadian television series in thirteen episodes of approximately 55 minutes created by Marc Simenon and broadcast first in Quebec from December 14, 1967 to March 13, 1968 on Télévision de Radio-Canada, then in France from March 11 to June 3, 1968 on the first channel of the ORTF.

Young orphan Heathcliff is adopted by the wealthy Earnshaw family and moves into their estate, Wuthering Heights. Soon, the new resident falls for his compassionate foster sister, Cathy. The two share a remarkable bond that seems unbreakable until Cathy, feeling the pressure of social convention, suppresses her feelings and marries Edgar Linton, a man of means who befits her stature. Heathcliff vows to win her back.

A court that is frequently presided over by the increasingly amused Mr Justice Swallow and Mr Haddock's long-suffering adversary Sir Joshua Hoot QC.

A young lad becomes cabin-boy on a ship bound for an island where treasure is to be found.

In Loving Memory is a British period sitcom set in an undertakers business that starred Thora Hird and Christopher Beeny. A pilot was transmitted in 1969 by Thames Television who rejected the idea before it was finally accepted by Yorkshire Television in 1979 where it further ran for five series between until 1986.

Lord Raingo is the fictional protagonist and title character of the 1926 novel Lord Raingo by English author Arnold Bennett, portraying a self-made millionaire elevated to the peerage for his contributions to Britain's World War I propaganda efforts. Sam Raingo, born to humble origins, amasses wealth as a promoter before being appointed Minister of Propaganda, where his innovative approaches to information control aid the war machine, culminating in his ennoblement despite his outsider status among the political elite

Terry is a youngish bachelor who lives with his mother (Vi Stevens). He's a bit of a dreamer who wants to get rich as quickly and as easily as possible. Terry comes up with one grand "get rich quick" scheme after another, causing endless problems for himself and his friend, Hugh.

Professor Norman Wedgwood oversees an experimental rocket group on remote Buchan Island in Scotland. His children, Geoff, Valerie and Jimmy visit to watch the latest rocket launch, along with journalist Conway Henderson. When the pilot takes ill, Jimmy finds himself taking his place on a mission to the Moon along with his pet hamster, Hamlet.

A series of documentaries that have followed the lives of fourteen British children since 1964, when they were seven years old.

Mrs Thursday is a British comedy-drama produced by Associated Television, devised by Lord Ted Willis and featured scripts by Jack Rosenthal. It stars veteran British actress Kathleen Harrison as Alice Thursday, a Cockney cleaning lady who inherits £10 million and the controlling interest in a multinational company upon the death of her employer. Hugh Manning played Richard Hunter, is Mrs Thursday's butler, business adviser and confidant.

The Secret Service is a 1969 British children's espionage television series, produced by Century 21 / ITC Entertainment for Associated Television, Granada Television, and Southern Television. Created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, and produced by David Lane and Reg Hill, it was the eighth and final Century 21 production to feature Supermarionation. Under the direction of Gerry Anderson, who wanted to compensate for the inadequacies of Supermarionation and increase the realism of the format, The Secret Service incorporates footage of live actors for long-distance shots. Father Stanley Unwin, voiced by and resembling the real-life comedian of the same name, is the parish priest of a rural English village. But Unwin is in fact a secret agent for BISHOP, a covert British Intelligence branch that battles international criminal and terrorist threats. Aided by junior operative Matthew Harding, Unwin answers to his London-based superior 'The Bishop', as he would in his public profession.

Long-running BBC variety show presented by Britain's best-loved comedy duo, Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise. Based around irreverent stand-up routines, comedy sketches and comical song and dance numbers involving a stream of beleaguered guests, the series ran for nearly a decade from 1968 to 1977 and included sketches such as 'Singin' in the Rain' and 'The Breakfast Stripper'.

This anthology drama series from Associated-Rediffusion presented stories of people who take a gamble – sometimes with their lives – in order to prove a point or better their position.