Very well written BBC co-production. The casting was tastefully balanced and also some creative studio camera work and lighting. Just a shame the BBC never properly remastered picture quality on the dvd set. This drama series deserved better. Many youngsters today, and even adults, wouldn't want to watch a drama series like this, due to length. I do miss these drama series alot. Very sad to think that British TV is no longer capable of producing the calibre of TV writing like this.
I would have fleshed out Major Mohn’s relationship to Anna a bit more to both help highlight his personal background as well as foreshadow his fall in “Chameleon”. There are clues about both, but they are often too subtle to notice. I do love how all of the characters act within the confines of their established traits. There are archetypes, but not cartoonish stereotypes, as you said. The viewer isn’t slapped in the face with themes or developments, nor are they left to try and bridge a chasm between out-of-character actions or developments( the closest being Mohn’s fall, but as noted, there are hints).
Just finished watching the entire series. As I'm rewatching, it seems like only yesterday that I watched it all. Oops, been binge watching. It *was* yesterday.
Michael Goughs hair and ears deserved a special mention, the way they shift with his facial expressions @31.46 seems sadly overlooked lol Karl and Ulmans handshake never fails to move me, the Colditz series was a masterclass in under-statement
Totally agree about the handshake. The commandant’s approval & gratitude; Ullman’s satisfaction at his boss’ recognition of a job well done. They both realize the proposal’s swiftness & excellence stymied the SS. All that without a word spoken. Incredible performances.
Stayed the night in Colditz last year .Did the full tour .Great .Was amazing g to walk around the actual place. Now reading Eggers book .He was so cool headed and fair .A true credit to Germany .
God that must have been amazing......I would give anything to see that place but seeing that I am on the otherside of the world (Africa) I do not see that happening in this life time, this was such a great series, what those men went through.......
@@michelleduplooymalherbe2837 Yip it was incredible to walk around the place and match up the old pictures .We went up the spiral stone stairs to the loft where a replica of the glider is .In the morning we were having breakfast and the chef pointed to a big pot that they mixed the glue in when they built the replica glider .Nice guy to talk to.Last year we went to Berchesgarten and stood in the exact spot where the nasty little man with the moustache lived .The concrete retaining wall is still there .I was amazed at how close the house is to the main town .400 yards down from the train station .Turn right and snake up the very steep hill .Take a left and it's on the right 50 yards before the hotel Turken .
Always found Hauptmann Ulmann’s character to be diligent & fair, a great adversary to those that wished to liberate themselves from Colditz & the sort of chap I’d willingly buy insurance off during peace time. That German map in The Kommandant’s office looked interesting, seen similar ones many years ago, but showing far more than a few German aircraft crossing The Channel etc. displayed upon them. Another good EP of this series, should be shown again on Australian Pay or Terrestrial TV.
im biased but im watching the whole series again,its like modern music now this era just produced gold without budgets and computers.... thanx a lot Wayne G
I really like the comandant...he is attractive. well-spoken and well-educated...one of the German aristocracy. He is also a fair man and doesn't tolerate cruelty....a true Gentlemen. 👍
I used to love this as a 7-8 year old when it was first broadcast...lol It looks so aged now, well it is over 40 years old... Thanks for putting these on here.
Another superb episode. Hauptmann Ulmann (Hans Meyer) 'steals the show' for me. He does not require much dialogue - the 'stare in his eyes' conveys his thoughts. Thanks for uploading this great series
Yes, he always has that intense stare. But when he is in the conference and watches the SS-officer next to him, I can see much worry in that (almost) same stare. What an actor!
As a Yank who has never heard of this series but has read two books by chaps that were there I must thank you immensely for posting these! Quite a testament that while the USA puts out "Hogan's Heroes" (which I also love!) the Brits create "Colditz". Arguably as far fetched but still a ripping good 1-hour show and in a completely different theme.
+Scott Clinton You might not know it, but for the first season Colditz was co-produced by the BBC with the US company Universal. Apparently there were going to air Colditz on prime time tv in the US, that is why we have Robert Wagner and David McCallum in the show, but it never happened and it was only originally aired in the UK.
Pat Grant was meant to be the real life Pat Reid who wrote the books. Apparently Reid did receive some criticism from contemporaries due to seeing out the war in Switzerland (neutral) after escaping from Colditz!
@@roddyteague6246 This is something most people don't understand. A large percentile of the escaping POWs that reached the Swiss border were interned their for. the. duration! They weren't given a choice, and were basically under house arrest.... More freedom than a POW camp, but after you check in, "you can never leave". (No Passports, and other things needed to get on an airplane!!!)
31:00 - The sense of suicide in the air comes from this scene from his 2nd in command. It is never mentioned but it is implied that he intends to kill himself. The kommondant refuses to ever consider it a possibility that his 2nd in command will kill himself. But you get the feeling he did after this episode ended.
To everyone commenting on seeing "Lord Melbury" from Fawlty Towers in this episode, the actor's name is Michael Gwynn. He died in 1976, four years after his appearance here in Colditz.
“Tell Ullman. Keep it casual. Don’t panic him.” Hahahahahahahahahaha…*breathes*…hahahahaha! His was a great character: pragmatic, even-tempered, and dispassionate. He took his job seriously, taking every precaution to keep the prisoners from escaping, but held no contempt towards them. He even warmly greeted Carrington after he was captured the second time. All of his actions were taken from the view of risk: his dislike for poor Willie was sourced from his emotional recklessness, and hie never took the bait from Mohn’s (Edit:spelling correction) taunting, later on( something Carter could have done well to emulate, but then he wouldn’t have been Carter).
3:10 - The POWs receive an awful substitute coffee called "Ersatz" coffee, often made from acorns. Terrible taste but it was provided by the Wehrmacht as a basic food and drink ration to POWs for their breakfast. A few seconds later we see the Major pouring himself real coffee. You can see it by the colour. The army officers lived on very good diets during the early years of the war. By 1943 however, the Germans frequently stole from the prisoner's Red Cross parcels.
26:55 - This scene represents a reality that the Wehrmacht mostly despised the SS, and the Wehrmacht officers in charge of P.O.W.s knew that the SS would take over the running of P.O.W. camps within a day if they found any fault with the Wehrmacht running the system. With the SS in charge, life would be hell for the prisoners. So, they ensured their running of the camps was the best they could do, and thankfully they remained in charge, for everyone's sake.
John King It was a turf war between the SS and the Wehrmacht. It was fought over many areas of conflicting interest; availability of manpower, resources and influence over the mechanisms of government. In effect Himmler tried to build a state within a state. The SS even had its own economics branch. It controlled the industrial complex within labour and concentration camps. Controlling allied POWs was a natural progression. The Wehrmacht opposed their control over POW camps just because the SS wanted it, not because they believed the SS would be nasty.
One should always remember that not all POW were treated like those from the UK, USA, France and the western allies by the Wehrmacht/Luftwaffe/Kriegsmarine in their camps. While not as bad as the SS, the treatment of the Poles and especially the Soviet POW was beneath the standards of the Geneva Convention and often criminal/shameful/abhorent. It's in the human nature that decent men/women can do terrible things.
At the begining, look at David McCallum have a cloud of Cigarette smoke blown into his face. You would never see that written into a modern day drama. And he didn't even bat an eyelid.
I won't mention the 'Allo Allo' thing but using the same logic for its main character, the cafe owner. The Colditz Kommandant was serving in Colditz through the war till its end. The Belgian cafe owner did the same. So they're defintely not the same person! They are... twin brothers seperated at birth!
superb series! I almost watched them all in a row when I bought the DVDs for only 20euros on amaz.n :) This is such a great show! the feeling it gives me is wonderful! When I read the book its like I feel home. I love this castle :D ...I have to visit it sometime! :) thanks for uploading! my DVDPlayer is broke so I am out of videos for a week :)
Sorry, year later: There are many all-region dvd players for even very decent prices. Door opens to British, European and especially Scandinavian series and movies.
Did anyone notice the skid marks the guy left before entering the manhole at 18:00? That was a dead give away if the German guard was observant enough.
Colditz the TV show was based on events that happened in the castle for real. However a large amount of dramatic license was taken. Stories presented here are purely fictional, but had a little bit of truth to them.
That's another new facet to this war, that events in Germany drove professional military men to alcohol and even to suicide. I understand it, but I had not thought of or read of this before; resignation or retirement, yes, but not this.
One thing. Douglas Bader. He was held in Colditz till liberation but never mentioned in any of this series. He certainly would have been on the escape committee.
Haha. The British have a secret Map of the Castle hidden behind a picture on the wall where the Germans would never look for it. Meanwhile the Germans have a Secret Map of the Castle hidden behind a picture on the wall...
Spoilt by two Germans speaking in English at 3:26, those studio sets did the series no justice at all, if only they done some location filming to match the exteriors.
@@flitsertheo. Not just located in East Germany. But, was the headquarters of the Stasi in that local area of the GDR. Pretty sure they wouldn't have got permission.
@@robertmcqueen289It would have been the ultimate deception though, the East Germans just pretending this was one of their nationalised holiday venues with Stasi officers as "tourists" and "staff".
Great episode but slight continuity error? In this story, Pat cant speak German but in gone away pt 2 he CAN?? and speaks each time as they escape towards the Swiss border. So maybe fluent in a year maybe as anyone that learns German will tell you the grammar is hard enough and all the extras too makes it challenging to learn and with correct pronunciation..
@@johnking5174 haha Yes, the magic of films!! But to be fair , they did learn German and have courses as part of escape skills. This series shows how with little money, the English make a great show and "the Professionals" really little money it seemed but great gritty drama with Gordon Jackson and Blakes 7 with very little for special effects but the stories were engaging. I found Colditz and very glad i did as seen it all a number of times.
I have to say... both Hans Meyer and Bernard Hepton do a magnificent job in this series.
I agree, Bernard Hepton is also brilliant in Secret Army.
RIP Hans - deepest sympathy to your family and friends.
Very well written BBC co-production. The casting was tastefully balanced and also some creative studio camera work and lighting. Just a shame the BBC never properly remastered picture quality on the dvd set. This drama series deserved better. Many youngsters today, and even adults, wouldn't want to watch a drama series like this, due to length. I do miss these drama series alot. Very sad to think that British TV is no longer capable of producing the calibre of TV writing like this.
Lovely acting by the sbo you can almost feel the cold whilst he is talking with Carrington
First rate acting. Always been a fan of Michael Gough. He is a unique talent and a first rate character actor. Always a pleasure to watch.
Hans Meyer … Great actor , perfect for roles such as this, one of the few actors who could convey so much just with a look … RIP Hans ...
Love the way as a good German he measures the minute.
He was very good in two episodes of minder.
Great writing and great dialogue with no two dimensional characters or cheesy stereotypes.
I don't know how you could improve this historical drama!
I would have fleshed out Major Mohn’s relationship to Anna a bit more to both help highlight his personal background as well as foreshadow his fall in “Chameleon”. There are clues about both, but they are often too subtle to notice.
I do love how all of the characters act within the confines of their established traits. There are archetypes, but not cartoonish stereotypes, as you said. The viewer isn’t slapped in the face with themes or developments, nor are they left to try and bridge a chasm between out-of-character actions or developments( the closest being Mohn’s fall, but as noted, there are hints).
His fall was simply a desperate last minute attempt to win favour with the POWs, was it not?
I think Ulmann might be my favorite character in the show, i really respect his sheer professionalism.
Donald Simmons XI agree - a fantastic character
Indeed, however in s later episode he did give a captured escapee a quick dig in the ribs so he's no angel. Traitors episode.
Just finished watching the entire series.
As I'm rewatching, it seems like only yesterday that I watched it all.
Oops, been binge watching.
It *was* yesterday.
Michael Goughs hair and ears deserved a special mention, the way they shift with his facial expressions @31.46 seems sadly overlooked lol
Karl and Ulmans handshake never fails to move me, the Colditz series was a masterclass in under-statement
Totally agree about the handshake. The commandant’s approval & gratitude; Ullman’s satisfaction at his boss’ recognition of a job well done. They both realize the proposal’s swiftness & excellence stymied the SS. All that without a word spoken. Incredible performances.
Used to love watching this back in the day brilliant series with brilliant actors
‘Tell Ullmann, keep it casual, don’t panic him!’ I doubt that very much would panic Ullmann.
Absolutely however, he did panic a bit when they bombed the bridge in the final episode, though he soon found his composure.
Stayed the night in Colditz last year .Did the full tour .Great .Was amazing g to walk around the actual place. Now reading Eggers book .He was so cool headed and fair .A true credit to Germany .
Not according to some British accounts
God that must have been amazing......I would give anything to see that place but seeing that I am on the otherside of the world (Africa) I do not see that happening in this life time, this was such a great series, what those men went through.......
@@michelleduplooymalherbe2837 Yip it was incredible to walk around the place and match up the old pictures .We went up the spiral stone stairs to the loft where a replica of the glider is .In the morning we were having breakfast and the chef pointed to a big pot that they mixed the glue in when they built the replica glider .Nice guy to talk to.Last year we went to Berchesgarten and stood in the exact spot where the nasty little man with the moustache lived .The concrete retaining wall is still there .I was amazed at how close the house is to the main town .400 yards down from the train station .Turn right and snake up the very steep hill .Take a left and it's on the right 50 yards before the hotel Turken .
Always found Hauptmann Ulmann’s character to be diligent & fair, a great adversary to those that wished to liberate themselves from Colditz & the sort of chap I’d willingly buy insurance off during peace time. That German map in The Kommandant’s office looked interesting, seen similar ones many years ago, but showing far more than a few German aircraft crossing The Channel etc. displayed upon them. Another good EP of this series, should be shown again on Australian Pay or Terrestrial TV.
im biased but im watching the whole series again,its like modern music now this era just produced gold without budgets and computers.... thanx a lot Wayne G
I really like the comandant...he is attractive. well-spoken and well-educated...one of the German aristocracy. He is also a fair man and doesn't tolerate cruelty....a true Gentlemen. 👍
He belonged to the Wehrmacht which was a very different part of the Nazi defence forces than the SS or SD.
Leila L : Both he and his Captain Ulmann were both staunch Wehrmacht and had little time for SS Officers who never saw action in War !
Ya, true, this Krout was a gent, but the other one Hitler, seemed to be a real jerk!!!
@@robstack3712 lol🤣🤣🤣
@@robstack3712 Hitler was Austrian!
Along with Secret Army these are my favorite dramas ever. Superb. Great cast in both. Bernard Hepton superb in both.
Both made by the BBC, who back then put in the effort, time and money into making great television drama.
I used to love this as a 7-8 year old when it was first broadcast...lol
It looks so aged now, well it is over 40 years old...
Thanks for putting these on here.
R. I. P. Hans Meyer, 3 April 2020.
Born in South Africa
He was fluent in English, German, French and Zulu.
That is very sad. Another great actor gone. He truly incarnated the role of Uhlmann.
Great actor , perfect for roles such as this, one of the few actors who could convey so much just with a look … RIP Hans ...
R.I.P. Hans you will be remembered
Rip Hans great performance
I guess Meyer spoke a little bit of Afrikaans too, didn't he?
Another superb episode. Hauptmann Ulmann (Hans Meyer) 'steals the show' for me. He does not require much dialogue - the 'stare in his eyes' conveys his thoughts. Thanks for uploading this great series
My favorite German character too.
Yes, he always has that intense stare. But when he is in the conference and watches the SS-officer next to him, I can see much worry in that (almost) same stare. What an actor!
Yes he never says much throughout the series and is quietly spoken but has a real intensity of presence.
As a Yank who has never heard of this series but has read two books by chaps that were there I must thank you immensely for posting these! Quite a testament that while the USA puts out "Hogan's Heroes" (which I also love!) the Brits create "Colditz". Arguably as far fetched but still a ripping good 1-hour show and in a completely different theme.
+Scott Clinton You might not know it, but for the first season Colditz was co-produced by the BBC with the US company Universal. Apparently there were going to air Colditz on prime time tv in the US, that is why we have Robert Wagner and David McCallum in the show, but it never happened and it was only originally aired in the UK.
It was actually pretty accurate from what I have read and seen over the years from the men who were there.
Pat Grant was meant to be the real life Pat Reid who wrote the books. Apparently Reid did receive some criticism from contemporaries due to seeing out the war in Switzerland (neutral) after escaping from Colditz!
I know nathing i know nathing😀👍🇨🇦
@@roddyteague6246 This is something most people don't understand. A large percentile of the escaping POWs that reached the Swiss border were interned their for. the. duration! They weren't given a choice, and were basically under house arrest....
More freedom than a POW camp, but after you check in, "you can never leave". (No Passports, and other things needed to get on an airplane!!!)
The best series ever. Thank you
31:00 - The sense of suicide in the air comes from this scene from his 2nd in command. It is never mentioned but it is implied that he intends to kill himself. The kommondant refuses to ever consider it a possibility that his 2nd in command will kill himself. But you get the feeling he did after this episode ended.
Fantastic series. Even in 2024.
To everyone commenting on seeing "Lord Melbury" from Fawlty Towers in this episode, the actor's name is Michael Gwynn. He died in 1976, four years after his appearance here in Colditz.
Ullman was a hero actually, he kept the SS out. God help them if they had obtained control.
You only have to look at how the SS treated prisoners in their camps in Poland. Need we say anymore?
@@johnking5174 Or all of those who were shot "trying to escape" after their recapture during The Great Escape!!!
“Tell Ullman. Keep it casual. Don’t panic him.”
Hahahahahahahahahaha…*breathes*…hahahahaha!
His was a great character: pragmatic, even-tempered, and dispassionate. He took his job seriously, taking every precaution to keep the prisoners from escaping, but held no contempt towards them. He even warmly greeted Carrington after he was captured the second time. All of his actions were taken from the view of risk: his dislike for poor Willie was sourced from his emotional recklessness, and hie never took the bait from Mohn’s (Edit:spelling correction) taunting, later on( something Carter could have done well to emulate, but then he wouldn’t have been Carter).
If you know your history you know how lucky those poles are to be in that prison camp
3:10 - The POWs receive an awful substitute coffee called "Ersatz" coffee, often made from acorns. Terrible taste but it was provided by the Wehrmacht as a basic food and drink ration to POWs for their breakfast. A few seconds later we see the Major pouring himself real coffee. You can see it by the colour. The army officers lived on very good diets during the early years of the war. By 1943 however, the Germans frequently stole from the prisoner's Red Cross parcels.
26:55 - This scene represents a reality that the Wehrmacht mostly despised the SS, and the Wehrmacht officers in charge of P.O.W.s knew that the SS would take over the running of P.O.W. camps within a day if they found any fault with the Wehrmacht running the system. With the SS in charge, life would be hell for the prisoners. So, they ensured their running of the camps was the best they could do, and thankfully they remained in charge, for everyone's sake.
@ John King You shouldn’t imagine that this was done out of altruism.
@@tomhanna8508 Please explain further
John King It was a turf war between the SS and the Wehrmacht. It was fought over many areas of conflicting interest; availability of manpower, resources and influence over the mechanisms of government. In effect Himmler tried to build a state within a state. The SS even had its own economics branch. It controlled the industrial complex within labour and concentration camps. Controlling allied POWs was a natural progression. The Wehrmacht opposed their control over POW camps just because the SS wanted it, not because they believed the SS would be nasty.
One should always remember that not all POW were treated like those from the UK, USA, France and the western allies by the Wehrmacht/Luftwaffe/Kriegsmarine in their camps. While not as bad as the SS, the treatment of the Poles and especially the Soviet POW was beneath the standards of the Geneva Convention and often criminal/shameful/abhorent. It's in the human nature that decent men/women can do terrible things.
@@chrishieke1261 The Soviets did not assign to the Geneva Convention, and so the SS and Nazi used this to ensure poorer treatment.
At the begining, look at David McCallum have a cloud of Cigarette smoke blown into his face. You would never see that written into a modern day drama. And he didn't even bat an eyelid.
“Never trust an alcoholic. They lie like stormtroopers.” Indeed.
Amazing how the Commandant of Colditz went on to become a Belgian cafe owner in Brussels and part of the resistance. :D
I notice Bernard in a lot of tv stuff old and new, he's a quality actor.
yes another excellent series
Prinz Nezz how do you know that ?
I won't mention the 'Allo Allo' thing but using the same logic for its main character, the cafe owner.
The Colditz Kommandant was serving in Colditz through the war till its end.
The Belgian cafe owner did the same.
So they're defintely not the same person!
They are...
twin brothers seperated at birth!
Good old Dr Watson! (Edward Hardwicke, the best Watson to the best Holmes, ever!)
Bollocks..Rathbone and Bruce.
@@bazbarrett8103 Both fine actors, but given scripts and direction that made the characters, particularly Watson, a laughing stock.
Fair point Christopher.
superb series! I almost watched them all in a row when I bought the DVDs for only 20euros on amaz.n :) This is such a great show! the feeling it gives me is wonderful! When I read the book its like I feel home. I love this castle :D ...I have to visit it sometime! :) thanks for uploading! my DVDPlayer is broke so I am out of videos for a week :)
besides. the last episode, the last 20minutes, of the last DVD is broke :´( I am so happy it is on youtube :) this time I will see it :D
I enjoyed hearing just a little of die meister singer.
There was a book produced years ago called "Camera in Colditz" well worth getting a copy.
Some actors have a face and persona that always steals the show. Hans Meyer was that man in this show. Pity he didn't have a more "commercial" career.
Agreed. The only other thing off the top of my head he was in The New Statesman. He was actually a South African who died in April 2020 aged 94.
No one outshines Hepton in terms of acting though! I love them both in this.
Class!
TV today is too gimicky.
I agree as it's all lefty rubbish with statutory black people in it by law !
Loved this series when I was a kid and still do, bust a gut to get the DVD's when released
Hi, the DVD collection is available from here - www.amazon.co.uk/Colditz-Complete-Collection-Limited-Collectors/dp/B0042JSSG8
best ww2 drama ever
44.00 'We can ignore the specialist view'. Now where have I heard that before?
Thanks Wayne, DVD set is only available for region 2 and wouldn't have been able to watch the series if you hadn't posted it.
Sorry, year later: There are many all-region dvd players for even very decent prices. Door opens to British, European and especially Scandinavian series and movies.
Did anyone notice the skid marks the guy left before entering the manhole at 18:00? That was a dead give away if the German guard was observant enough.
That's Lord Melbury sitting at the conference table, do you think he has a brick in his briefcase? He's talking about safes so he probably has!
Let's hope he manages to cash a small cheque, 100 pounds should suffice!
Yes I noticed Lord Melbury too lol
Hey, are these episodes available in order & is this based on a true story?
Colditz the TV show was based on events that happened in the castle for real. However a large amount of dramatic license was taken. Stories presented here are purely fictional, but had a little bit of truth to them.
Very interesting drama...3 cheers to the patriotic heroes.
All the others were really jealous of that leather coat.
One guy looks like robert wagner
Guys i could look st the cradets
This is good tv .👍🇨🇦
Eh it is Robert wagner
That's another new facet to this war, that events in Germany drove professional military men to alcohol and even to suicide. I understand it, but I had not thought of or read of this before; resignation or retirement, yes, but not this.
45:01 - for 1973 filming techniques, getting this shot would have been very difficult and it looks really nice here.
What happened to the second in command? Have I missed something? Thanks
The MP40 is very smart.It's just a shame he has the wrong pouches...
It's also an unusual weapon for an ordinary soldier, he should be carrying a rifle. Submachineguns were usually reserved for underofficers.
One thing. Douglas Bader. He was held in Colditz till liberation but never mentioned in any of this series. He certainly would have been on the escape committee.
None of the characters are real people - all the names are fictional. They are based on men who were there.
I thought all the manholes had been bricked up ?
They were, did you not see them smashing out the bricks with the iron bar?
The German soldier at 23:35 has an MP-40 but ammunition pouches for a Kar-98k rifle.
What the heck is an evidenz-zimmer ? says so on one of the signs over the doors in the yard, next to the kitchen...
Cockburn Glad you like it,good series
Whose bright idea was it to let Wagner volunteer for the RAF? I didn't know that the Brits were ever that desperate.
Superb
2:30 - "Kuche" is German for Kitchen. In case anyone wondered.
Danozo clocked Ducky !
@37:50 Lord Melbury? Fawlty Towers' first episode 'A Touch of Class'.
Michael Gwynn is the actor's name. He sadly died in 1976, four years after his appearance here in Colditz.
Quite a coup to get Wagner, big star in the day.
For me its Herr Kommandant
why wasn't Holsten Pils mentioned?
Haha.
The British have a secret Map of the Castle hidden behind a picture on the wall where the Germans would never look for it. Meanwhile the Germans have a Secret Map of the Castle hidden behind a picture on the wall...
I missed Pat in series 2
Man, this show is choke full of Doctor Who actors.
Patrick Troughton. Who's the others?
@@Lovelylove4everyone Actors appearing in Who over the years - Peter Miles, Michael Gough, Christopher Neame in this one
@36:38 The only time in the War that Il Ducce ever heard that.
Is that Michael Palin at 43.42?
no, Peter Miles is there though
Spoilt by two Germans speaking in English at 3:26, those studio sets did the series no justice at all, if only they done some location filming to match the exteriors.
Exterior scenes were filmed at Stirling Castle in Scotland. Interior scenes were filmed at Ealing Studios which the BBC owned and operated back then.
@@johnking5174 Thanks. Never knew that. Thank you for your contribution.
Filming "on location" in Colditz would have been impossible in 1972 since back then the castle was located in the GDR.
@@flitsertheo. Not just located in East Germany. But, was the headquarters of the Stasi in that local area of the GDR. Pretty sure they wouldn't have got permission.
@@robertmcqueen289It would have been the ultimate deception though, the East Germans just pretending this was one of their nationalised holiday venues with Stasi officers as "tourists" and "staff".
Great episode but slight continuity error? In this story, Pat cant speak German but in gone away pt 2 he CAN?? and speaks each time as they escape towards the Swiss border. So maybe fluent in a year maybe as anyone that learns German will tell you the grammar is hard enough and all the extras too makes it challenging to learn and with correct pronunciation..
Remember the passage of time. This is episode 5, and the part 2 of the first series was placed possibly one or two years later.
@@johnking5174 haha Yes, the magic of films!! But to be fair , they did learn German and have courses as part of escape skills. This series shows how with little money, the English make a great show and "the Professionals" really little money it seemed but great gritty drama with Gordon Jackson and Blakes 7 with very little for special effects but the stories were engaging. I found Colditz and very glad i did as seen it all a number of times.
I thought that ALL the manholes had been bricked up ?
That's what the guard said, all were bricked up a year ago. Evidently no German has checked them since prisoners arrived . . .
Michael Wisher, Gwynn and Gough........
The alcoholic seems to me very sane.
His drinking was brought on by his realisation of the horrors his own country's army were doing, and so he drank to escape reality.
These Blokes were a feisty lot, a real bunch of scamps
Tristan and Isolde.
For any fans interested facebook.com/Colditztvseries
Gandalf😅
Robert Wagner - again!!