The Professionals at 40

[Smiler.]

This thread delivers.

Keep em coming.

[oobster]

Was there not some story about how Shaw wouldn't allow repeats to be show for a good few years, denying some of the other cast repeat fees?

Or was that just a load of pish?

Also - I had a bookmark to a site a while back that detailed a guy restoring one of the original Granadas, a bronze one. New sills, floor welded, new wings, rear arches welded etc etc. Included screen shots of the car from the series. Will need to see if I can find it again.

[Doofus]

oobster said:

Was there not some story about how Shaw wouldn't allow repeats to be show for a good few years, denying some of the other cast repeat fees?

Or was that just a load of pish?

He vetoed repeats on terrestrial televison. ITV4 isn't 'terrestrial', apparently, so they can show it, and Martin Shaw can't stop them.

[Bomma220]

oobster said:

Also - I had a bookmark to a site a while back that detailed a guy restoring one of the original Granadas, a bronze one. New sills, floor welded, new wings, rear arches welded etc etc. Included screen shots of the car from the series. Will need to see if I can find it again.

Could well be The Sweeney's Consul GT you're thinking of?
Apparently the original NHK295M was being restored by a chap known as 'Mr Shifter'. There was a thread about it on a site called The TV Lounge but I think it's defunct now.
The restoration had been going on for many years, one of those that was to be finished 'this time next year'. I'm not sure where it's at now, I haven't looked into it for some time.

[P5BNij]

Bomma220 said:

oobster said:

Also - I had a bookmark to a site a while back that detailed a guy restoring one of the original Granadas, a bronze one. New sills, floor welded, new wings, rear arches welded etc etc. Included screen shots of the car from the series. Will need to see if I can find it again.

Could well be The Sweeney's Consul GT you're thinking of?
Apparently the original NHK295M was being restored by a chap known as 'Mr Shifter'. There was a thread about it on a site called The TV Lounge but I think it's defunct now.
The restoration had been going on for many years, one of those that was to be finished 'this time next year'. I'm not sure where it's at now, I haven't looked into it for some time.

NHK is still with Mr.Shifter and has recently been painted, the TV lounge died because the guy who owned it fell out with the guy (a mate of mine) who put in all the hard work to keep it going. NHM's owner has had it since 1988 and is understandably reticent about showing the car having had all sorts of airmchair experts telling him it's not the real McCoy, however I'm sure when it's finished it'll see daylight on various forums etc.

[Pericoloso]

Seeing NHK mentioned ,my mate owns or owned the plate NHK298M ,the plate from the blue Cortina from The Sweeney.

no idea if he's still got it but he probably would want a ludicrous price for it.

ETA...DVLA...."vehicle details not found" .....so presumably plate on retention ,or my mate lied to me about it.

[Bomma220]

P5BNij said:

NHK is still with Mr.Shifter and has recently been painted, the TV lounge died because the guy who owned it fell out with the guy (a mate of mine) who put in all the hard work to keep it going. NHM's owner has had it since 1988 and is understandably reticent about showing the car having had all sorts of airmchair experts telling him it's not the real McCoy, however I'm sure when it's finished it'll see daylight on various forums etc.

Thanks for that chap, good to know the restoration's still alive and ongoing. Interesting too re the TV Lounge, I wondered what had gone on. Shame really as they used to have some good stuff on there.

[bongtom]

dudleybloke said:

Trigger played an international hitman in one episode.

Once you got past the hilarity he was actually pretty good..but "Trigger" kept popping into my head!

I had a blue Capri 3.0 Ghia in about 1999 (gutless) and a 1.6 Calypso (Red and Silver). Also had many Fords in the 80s so I guess I relived my youth earlier than most! (Spent time in Oz where the Mk4/5 had a straight six 4.2L IIRC, all we got was the crappy V6 Cologne 2.3 whoo!)

[oobster]

Yea, that was it, the Consul on the TV Lounge forum.

I got mixed up between The Professionals and The Sweeney. Both great shows.

[marcosgt]

oobster said:

Yea, that was it, the Consul on the TV Lounge forum.

I got mixed up between The Professionals and The Sweeney. Both great shows.

I can enjoy an episode of the Professionals, but it doesn't really stand up too well.

The Sweeney on the other hand! I struggle to think of a better UK cop show ever - Still delivers (I got the box set a few years ago and watched them all, excellence in nearly everyone - The exception might be the Eric and Ernie episode!)

M

[eharding]

The first time I walked into the Black Hangar at White Waltham airfield I had a really strong sense of deja-vu, but couldn't work out why - It wasn't until a few years later I realised it was the setting for the scene in 'Stopover' where Cowley was shot by Kodai.



It turns out there were quite a number of scenes filmed at the airfield and in the surrounding area - part of the perimeter track where some excellent tail-out Escort hooliganism was filmed was only recently built over by a new hangar.

Edited by eharding on Sunday 31st December 19:48

[dudleybloke]

It was fun watching Bodie kick the crap out of Hercule Poirot.

[silvagod]

Many years ago I used to be a Tax Officer for the Inland Revenue and I looked after the tax for all the cast and crew for The Professionals. I had quite a few CI5 compliment slips in the file (really wish I had kept them to be honest)

I obviously can't go into details, but Gordon Jackson was paid quite a lot more per episode that anyone else!!

[2172cc]

Every Professionals enthusiast should try and seek out a copy of this book although its not easy to find.


There's one on Amazon at present for £318!

[StevieBee]

highway said:

Lewis Collins should have been Bond instead of Roger Moore.

Broccoli wanted him and he auditioned but he screwed up the audition. In his own words; he was too aggressive.

[simonr100]

2172cc said:

Every Professionals enthusiast should try and seek out a copy of this book although its not easy to find.


There's one on Amazon at present for £318!

Can you tell us a bit more- I am interested but there is no way I would pay £50 let alone £318

[techguyone]

I used to have all the professionals novels in paperback, wish I'd kept them now.

[andym1603]

oobster said:

Was there not some story about how Shaw wouldn't allow repeats to be show for a good few years, denying some of the other cast repeat fees?

Or was that just a load of pish?

Think you are right about that, but when he heard that Gordon Jacksons widow was struggling for money he let the series be repeated so the royalties would help her out.

[FourWheelDrift]

I've got a Professionals Annual somewhere.

I think it's the 1983 edition on here, amongst others - https://www.google.co.uk/search?biw=1920&bih=9...

[sawman]

StevieBee said:

highway said:

Lewis Collins should have been Bond instead of Roger Moore.

Broccoli wanted him and he auditioned but he screwed up the audition. In his own words; he was too aggressive.

guess he might have been a bit like daniel craig's bond - probably not right for the time (although it might have saved us from the dreadful later roger moore outings