The un-Professionals - Britmovie

Miss Guided · 19-03-2008, 10:44 PM

Is it me - or was the Professionals utter rubbish. Just watched a episode about a corrupt cop trying to exact zero tollerance on a town. He is trapped wheb a gay rights ofice sets up in town. It was so bad. Nothing happened and Lewis Collins shirt collar stayed put.

It was perms and pants and pricks. I am writing to my MP.

faginsgirl · 19-03-2008, 10:58 PM

. I see you live in the North east and fave film is the whicker man (thats one of mine too). We have quite a bit in common except I thought Lewis Collins was the sexiest man alive back then! But if he did have a curly perm I dont think I would have

Fagins girl xx

DB7 · 19-03-2008, 11:01 PM

Far-fetched (unless you were a member of the West Mids Serious Crime Squad) but weren't most episodes? My own favourite piece of nonsense was the episode with the super snipers rifle (which Doyle took home to evaluate!) that's main threat seemed to be that it had a laser sight.

I always felt the over-vigilant cops episode borrowed a bit from Magnum Force... if it was set in Essex.

Amethyst_Isle · 20-03-2008, 12:00 AM

The Professionals set out as escapist entertainment and that along with The Sweeney and the like,it was not meant to be true to life,The Professionals is about as true to life as any episodes of Eastenders is to the east end.

batman · 20-03-2008, 07:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amethyst_Isle

The Professionals set out as escapist entertainment and that along with The Sweeney and the like,it was not meant to be true to life,The Professionals is about as true to life as any episodes of Eastenders is to the east end.

Exactly. The Profis (as the Germans called it) is top quality TV entertainment, the sort of thing we seem incapable of making these days (with the odd exception). It and the likes of The Sweeney also kept a lot of film makers (Roy Baker etc) in work during a very fallow period for British films.

Harleybloke · 20-03-2008, 08:28 AM

The Professionals, The Sweeney, Minder, Randall & Hopkirk, I just sit back and let the nostalgia wash all over me. Who cares if the stories look tired now, at the time it was all we'd talk about at school the next day!

julian_craster · 20-03-2008, 08:59 AM

I always notice how technically poor the lighting and photography on THE PROFESSIONALS is.

The colour quality is below par, and many interior scenes are badly lit by the DOP.
Like THE SWEENEY it was shot on 16mm film , but the latter is much better visually
even though it is an older series.

I also find Gordon Jackson's performance extremely irritating, as it never varies from shouting and hollering.....

Lord Brett · 20-03-2008, 12:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by julian_craster

I always notice how technically poor the lighting and photography on THE PROFESSIONALS is.

The colour quality is below par, and many interior scenes are badly lit by the DOP.
Like THE SWEENEY it was shot on 16mm film , but the latter is much better visually
even though it is an older series.

I also find Gordon Jackson's performance extremely irritating, as it never varies from shouting and hollering.....

The original negatives of The Professionals have been misplaced. ITV3's copies aren't great, but the ones released by Contender in DVD box sets (the dark coloured ones, not the ones which are meant to look like wooden boxes) have had as much restoration done on them as is possible working only from prints.

I bet if/when the negs turn up they could be made to look lovely. The Protectors always looked horrible until Carlton cleaned them up for the DVD realease.

The episode with the fascist coppers which started this thread off always makes me laugh. Stephen Rea's character, who has set up a gay help centre, is a very great pains to make it clear he isn't gay himself. Why on earth did the writers feel that necessary?

GRAEME · 20-03-2008, 04:18 PM

It was tosh. The opening credits were the only thing going for it. Da-Da-Da... Then switch over.

I don't know how some of you can mention it in the same breath as The Sweeney. It's like the Sweeney's lobotomised younger brother nobody likes to talk about.

But... It was better than Target.

batman · 20-03-2008, 04:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GRAEME

It was tosh. The opening credits were the only thing going for it. Da-Da-Da... Then switch over.

I don't know how some of you can mention it in the same breath as The Sweeney. It's like the Sweeney's lobotomised younger brother nobody likes to talk about.

But... It was better than Target.

I think The Professionals is great and is diffferent enough from The Sweeney to make the comparison redundant. I enjoy both of them.

I liked Target. Not as good as The Sweeney but still more entertaining than most of the crap dished out these days.

Shadwell · 20-03-2008, 04:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GRAEME

It was tosh. The opening credits were the only thing going for it. Da-Da-Da... Then switch over.

I don't know how some of you can mention it in the same breath as The Sweeney. It's like the Sweeney's lobotomised younger brother nobody likes to talk about.

But... It was better than Target.

Ye Gods Target with Patrick Mower. Yep I remember that, quite violent too. The Professionals is obviously dated now but what the hell, I still enjoy the re-runs on ITV4 although I'm sure they've probably been cut or trimmed. As for the Sweeney, it is still the best and top trumps ALL of them. Now, Shut it!

batman · 20-03-2008, 04:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shadwell

Now, Shut it!

Charming!

samkydd · 20-03-2008, 06:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Miss Guided

Is it me - or was the Professionals utter rubbish. Just watched a episode about a corrupt cop trying to exact zero tollerance on a town. He is trapped wheb a gay rights ofice sets up in town. It was so bad. Nothing happened and Lewis Collins shirt collar stayed put.

It was perms and pants and pricks. I am writing to my MP.

I watched this one, and the only problem I had with it was that I'm that sort of age now where I had trouble understanding what was wrong with the police chief adopting a policy of zero tolerance? Perhaps they could teach it to modern police forces today!

knobbykins · 21-03-2008, 12:45 PM

I have the theme tune as my ring tone and will never EVER change it!!!

oxfam1uk · 21-03-2008, 04:25 PM

The episodes of The Professionals vary tremendously: one week you get a really exciting action-adventure; the next week it's a snore-fest (like the "zero-tolerance" story that you mentioned).

My favourite Pros episode is "Wild Justice". I think this series would be better regarded now if someone collected together the GOOD episodes (about 50 percent of them) and just repeated those on ITV4 !

By the way, I thought Target had the same variability problem - but much worse ! Here's the first sequence ever broadcast:

YouTube - Target: "Shipment"

19-03-2008, 10:44 PM	#1
Miss Guided Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: jesmond Posts: 64 Country: iTrader: (0)	The un-Professionals Is it me - or was the Professionals utter rubbish. Just watched a episode about a corrupt cop trying to exact zero tollerance on a town. He is trapped wheb a gay rights ofice sets up in town. It was so bad. Nothing happened and Lewis Collins shirt collar stayed put. It was perms and pants and pricks. I am writing to my MP. __________________ Miss Guided Friend to the stars of stage, screen and gutter.

19-03-2008, 10:58 PM	#2
faginsgirl Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: england Posts: 396 My Mood: Country: iTrader: (0)	. I see you live in the North east and fave film is the whicker man (thats one of mine too). We have quite a bit in common except I thought Lewis Collins was the sexiest man alive back then! But if he did have a curly perm I dont think I would have Fagins girl xx __________________ We`re changin` lodggggggggings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

20-03-2008, 08:28 AM	#6
Harleybloke Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Hertfordshire Posts: 1,038 My Mood: Country: iTrader: (0)	The Professionals, The Sweeney, Minder, Randall & Hopkirk, I just sit back and let the nostalgia wash all over me. Who cares if the stories look tired now, at the time it was all we'd talk about at school the next day! __________________ ...anti fat-bastard cream is there none!

21-03-2008, 12:45 PM	#14
knobbykins Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: CLOUD CUCKOO LAND Posts: 256 Country: iTrader: (0)	I have the theme tune as my ring tone and will never EVER change it!!! __________________ Fakir...OFF!

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19-03-2008, 11:01 PM	#3
DB7 Administrator Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Shrops Posts: 5,711 My Mood: Country: iTrader: (10)	Far-fetched (unless you were a member of the West Mids Serious Crime Squad) but weren't most episodes? My own favourite piece of nonsense was the episode with the super snipers rifle (which Doyle took home to evaluate!) that's main threat seemed to be that it had a laser sight. I always felt the over-vigilant cops episode borrowed a bit from Magnum Force... if it was set in Essex.

20-03-2008, 12:00 AM	#4
Amethyst_Isle Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: London Posts: 363 My Mood: Country: iTrader: (1)	The Professionals set out as escapist entertainment and that along with The Sweeney and the like,it was not meant to be true to life,The Professionals is about as true to life as any episodes of Eastenders is to the east end.

20-03-2008, 08:59 AM	#7
julian_craster Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Isle of Foula, UK Posts: 1,407 Country: iTrader: (0)	I always notice how technically poor the lighting and photography on THE PROFESSIONALS is. The colour quality is below par, and many interior scenes are badly lit by the DOP. Like THE SWEENEY it was shot on 16mm film , but the latter is much better visually even though it is an older series. I also find Gordon Jackson's performance extremely irritating, as it never varies from shouting and hollering.....

20-03-2008, 04:18 PM	#9
GRAEME Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Coventry Posts: 626 Country: iTrader: (0)	It was tosh. The opening credits were the only thing going for it. Da-Da-Da... Then switch over. I don't know how some of you can mention it in the same breath as The Sweeney. It's like the Sweeney's lobotomised younger brother nobody likes to talk about. But... It was better than Target.

21-03-2008, 04:25 PM	#15
oxfam1uk Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Saffron Walden Posts: 159 Country: iTrader: (0)	The episodes of The Professionals vary tremendously: one week you get a really exciting action-adventure; the next week it's a snore-fest (like the "zero-tolerance" story that you mentioned). My favourite Pros episode is "Wild Justice". I think this series would be better regarded now if someone collected together the GOOD episodes (about 50 percent of them) and just repeated those on ITV4 ! By the way, I thought Target had the same variability problem - but much worse ! Here's the first sequence ever broadcast: YouTube - Target: "Shipment"