Yes, they're on UA-cam (I believe all 20 are there in a reasonable condition but I'm not sure) and they can also be streamed on Britbox, using their 30 day free trial period. There is a wonderful Wikipedia entry on the series, detailing the personalities, the episodes etc. A very good place to start.
This is a superb series. A lot of talking and then the action comes almost as a shock and is over very quickly (such as Berlin and the plane hijacking). Burnside is a ruthless character.
My dear mentor (and something of a father figure) Peter Casillas spent many years as an actor in his native UK, usually with small roles or extra bits from the late '60s through the mid-80s (when he moved to the U.S.). Learning of this while working for him at his video rental store, I started tracking down every lead I could to find all of his little roles, many of which he'd long forgotten. One of the ones that brought him the most joy was discovering he had a fairly prominent role in one episode of this show, as a character called Angelo (and using a pseudonym - Peter J. Cassell). Finding one of the few speaking roles of his for him was a great joy; what was funny is that he had the complete series for rent in his store and had never even realized this was one of the shows he'd been in.
A perfect summation of why this show was so brilliant, and why I love it. I still remember seeing SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP when it aired. The image of Diane Keen, in THAT SCENE, with that shocked, accusatory look on her face, stuck with me across the decades.
Dark, cynical, absolutely relentless, and utterly without deux ex machina or rescues that come out of nowhere because the producers demanded it...this series does not fuck around. It's as cold and brutal as a bullet in the back of your head.
Thank you for this! I first watched the show back in the mid/late 80s on our local PBS station, I'm glad to see there's still people who love this show around.
I think Andor tried to do something similar, it just never had the guts to portray Cassian and co being as cynical and remorseless as these guys (or as Cassian was in the opening of Rogue One), so it just never goes anywhere.
The TV series rocks. I saw it when it first came out and was addicted. I still have the VHS tapes that I used to pull the 20 episodes off of PBS. I have rewatched it multiple times including within the last year and even within the last month. Via BritBox and UA-cam, as I no longer have a player for the tapes. What may have been lost because of time and technological change is more than made up by the stories, the dialogue and the acting.
Thanks, never heard of this show, but sounds indeed intriguing. Especially with how realistic it is that they keep killing the main cast all the time! UFO did that too, not many recurring characters in that one. Ian Mackintosh might have been a spy himself, surely his "death" when he disappeared on a plane with his son right outside US and Soviet radar range is more than suspicious.
Bold claim. If "best" means "most realistic" it's got the top slot. But if there are other criteria, I'd give that to Danger Man, although Sandbaggers is still very high on the list. Some of that preference may be simply because without Danger Man, there would be no Prisoner. Danger Man is less realistic than Sandbaggers, but only marginally less pragmatically brutal and cynical about intelligence work, and critically it relies less on shock value, leaving it much more rewatchable in the long run. The episodes you've singled out here are stunners the first time you see them cold. After that, a lot of the impact is lost.
If you haven't done so already, I would recommend NOT watching the last 2/3 of this video as it's full of spoilers about the series. Many of the secrets of the series are revealed which will likely destroy some of the impact of the episodes.
I haven’t seen that show but I do know it’s nothing like Bergerac bureau des etrangers :) The sandbaggers has hit to be the pinnacle of Cold War tv series without a doubt in my eyes.
I was already nauseated by the narrator's appalling and unplaceable accent , which made listening to this piece difficult, when he said Burnside was unpatriotic. That's nonsense: in the final episode he lays out the precise nature of his patriotism specifically, but he as done it before. His attachment to the CIA is, as he mentions time and again in all three series, that the CIA gives SIS roughly 10 times what they give the CIA, that SIS would not be able to function without the CIA, and that their help is invaluable. Burnside is absolutely committed to the security of the west, at the time threatened (or perceived to be) by the KGB. And, for the greater part of the series, Burnside and Ross are friends.
The idea of the video is OK. The presentation is garbage. NEVER stretch a 4/3 ratio video, ever. It shows your lack of artistry and ignorance of response to image. Just for presenting 4/3 stretched to wide screen then shrunk in size to give better definition you get a thumbs down. If wide screen had been available when these programs were originally made they would have been filmed and imaged differently. They were made in 4/3 and the way they are presented was made by experts in using the 4/3 format to the best advantage. The old story of TV directors and cinematographers being different to their movie cousins mainly was very true, the images were shot differently because of the format difference and visual visibility intent. Not so much now with wide screen TV. But still requires different skills for some modern movies. Changing the format changes the viewer intent and focus differently to the intent the director wanted. Then on top is the fact that actors in the 1960s-80s were mostly lean and starving because they did not get many jobs that paid for food. Making them short and fat via stretched video is totally incorrect. Often the ones in successful TV shows seemed to get fatter in their second season of their own accord, as they had a food income, without any help from stretching. And No. Actors generally did not go for workouts the way many do today, thus changing their shape.
I don't suppose you'd know where I could find the episodes, Mistress?
There's a DVD release and it sometimes turns up on UA-cam (is there right now). I imagine britbox might have it too.
There on UA-cam
Bloody auto correct; they are on UA-cam
UA-cam Geek Defense Initiative. Just binged all 3 seasons -- should have gone on for 10 seasons. Excellent. In withdrawal -- any suggestions.
Yes, they're on UA-cam (I believe all 20 are there in a reasonable condition but I'm not sure) and they can also be streamed on Britbox, using their 30 day free trial period. There is a wonderful Wikipedia entry on the series, detailing the personalities, the episodes etc. A very good place to start.
This is a superb series. A lot of talking and then the action comes almost as a shock and is over very quickly (such as Berlin and the plane hijacking). Burnside is a ruthless character.
Thanks for bringing attention to this criminally underrated - and largely forgotten - series.
My dear mentor (and something of a father figure) Peter Casillas spent many years as an actor in his native UK, usually with small roles or extra bits from the late '60s through the mid-80s (when he moved to the U.S.). Learning of this while working for him at his video rental store, I started tracking down every lead I could to find all of his little roles, many of which he'd long forgotten. One of the ones that brought him the most joy was discovering he had a fairly prominent role in one episode of this show, as a character called Angelo (and using a pseudonym - Peter J. Cassell). Finding one of the few speaking roles of his for him was a great joy; what was funny is that he had the complete series for rent in his store and had never even realized this was one of the shows he'd been in.
A perfect summation of why this show was so brilliant, and why I love it. I still remember seeing SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP when it aired. The image of Diane Keen, in THAT SCENE, with that shocked, accusatory look on her face, stuck with me across the decades.
'Did you check behind the fridge? If you loose something, it's nearly always behind the fridge.'
Dark, cynical, absolutely relentless, and utterly without deux ex machina or rescues that come out of nowhere because the producers demanded it...this series does not fuck around. It's as cold and brutal as a bullet in the back of your head.
You can watch them all on UA-cam. Great first time round - even better revisited. Diane Keen in the early episodes - wow!
underrated GOAT
There's something about the 70's style/aesthetic, production & backdrop that makes the show even darker and colder to watch today.
Managed to get the whole series from my local charity shop quite a while ago!
Thank you for this! I first watched the show back in the mid/late 80s on our local PBS station, I'm glad to see there's still people who love this show around.
Paul Chato did an excellent review of First Principals.
The best spy show ever made for TV and made on a budget that would make you laugh.
there's also the comic book series Queen and Country which is heavily inspired by the sandbaggers just set in modern day
I think Andor tried to do something similar, it just never had the guts to portray Cassian and co being as cynical and remorseless as these guys (or as Cassian was in the opening of Rogue One), so it just never goes anywhere.
The TV series rocks. I saw it when it first came out and was addicted. I still have the VHS tapes that I used to pull the 20 episodes off of PBS. I have rewatched it multiple times including within the last year and even within the last month. Via BritBox and UA-cam, as I no longer have a player for the tapes. What may have been lost because of time and technological change is more than made up by the stories, the dialogue and the acting.
It's an excellent series.
Thanks, never heard of this show, but sounds indeed intriguing. Especially with how realistic it is that they keep killing the main cast all the time! UFO did that too, not many recurring characters in that one. Ian Mackintosh might have been a spy himself, surely his "death" when he disappeared on a plane with his son right outside US and Soviet radar range is more than suspicious.
Bold claim. If "best" means "most realistic" it's got the top slot. But if there are other criteria, I'd give that to Danger Man, although Sandbaggers is still very high on the list. Some of that preference may be simply because without Danger Man, there would be no Prisoner. Danger Man is less realistic than Sandbaggers, but only marginally less pragmatically brutal and cynical about intelligence work, and critically it relies less on shock value, leaving it much more rewatchable in the long run. The episodes you've singled out here are stunners the first time you see them cold. After that, a lot of the impact is lost.
Not entirely true. Sandbaggers has a lot of replay value
COLM MEANY???
Damn this might be worth tracking down if i can
Colm Meany?
@@DiamandaHagan I think they mean the Warship character tricked into being a double agent. There’s a resemblance
I know Roy Marsden as dagleish. The superior one than the recent dagleish
Holy FUCK. This sounds incredible.
Oh hell just got in this show. Saw your name and went "no way"
'kay.
If you haven't done so already, I would recommend NOT watching the last 2/3 of this video as it's full of spoilers about the series. Many of the secrets of the series are revealed which will likely destroy some of the impact of the episodes.
Ah yes, the Blake's 7 of spy shows.
oh no doubt. simply numero uno. shame about mackintosh. a real mystery there.
I wonder if the French show called ''Le Bureau Des Légendes" is as acurate as The Sandbaggers
I haven’t seen that show but I do know it’s nothing like Bergerac bureau des etrangers :)
The sandbaggers has hit to be the pinnacle of Cold War tv series without a doubt in my eyes.
Similarly bleak: 'Callan,' though do yourself a favor and skip to the last series.
running time 13:37 xD
Callan?
I was already nauseated by the narrator's appalling and unplaceable accent , which made listening to this piece difficult, when he said Burnside was unpatriotic.
That's nonsense: in the final episode he lays out the precise nature of his patriotism specifically, but he as done it before. His attachment to the CIA is, as he mentions time and again in all three series, that the CIA gives SIS roughly 10 times what they give the CIA, that SIS would not be able to function without the CIA, and that their help is invaluable. Burnside is absolutely committed to the security of the west, at the time threatened (or perceived to be) by the KGB. And, for the greater part of the series, Burnside and Ross are friends.
The idea of the video is OK. The presentation is garbage. NEVER stretch a 4/3 ratio video, ever. It shows your lack of artistry and ignorance of response to image. Just for presenting 4/3 stretched to wide screen then shrunk in size to give better definition you get a thumbs down.
If wide screen had been available when these programs were originally made they would have been filmed and imaged differently. They were made in 4/3 and the way they are presented was made by experts in using the 4/3 format to the best advantage.
The old story of TV directors and cinematographers being different to their movie cousins mainly was very true, the images were shot differently because of the format difference and visual visibility intent. Not so much now with wide screen TV. But still requires different skills for some modern movies.
Changing the format changes the viewer intent and focus differently to the intent the director wanted.
Then on top is the fact that actors in the 1960s-80s were mostly lean and starving because they did not get many jobs that paid for food. Making them short and fat via stretched video is totally incorrect. Often the ones in successful TV shows seemed to get fatter in their second season of their own accord, as they had a food income, without any help from stretching. And No. Actors generally did not go for workouts the way many do today, thus changing their shape.
The converter I used stretched the footage a bunch, I thought I'd fixed it in editing, clearly not.