The Champions

[samkydd]

I watched The Champions last night on ITV4, the episode where Peter Wyngarde steals gold and exports it to Switzerland in the guise of two huge printing presses. A Dutch customs official was almost definitely a young (and smart looking) Freddie Jones (or he must have a twin) but he wasn't shown as Freddie Jones in the credits.

I looked at IMDB and he's not listed as being in The Champions, so if it was him, why not? Any Freddie Jones fans out there who could confirm this? It was "The Invisible Man" episode

UPDATE

No my mind has been put at rest, I thought it may have been Clive Swift (Mr Bucket in Keeping Up Appearances) but it was in fact Aubrey Morris who looks remarkably like Freddie Jones and Clive Swift.
The episode also featured Dave Prowse at the start playing a body builder.

The Champions was pretty glitzy stuff with some great locations and cars. William "No Place Like Home" Gaunt was driving a beautiful white Alfa, while the baddies' car was the usual fintail Merc. In the UK, baddies nearly always drove Mk 2 Jags or Daimler V8s, while on the continent it was fintail Mercs or the Citroen DS!

I haven't seen The Champions before properly, although I remember the music. I have vague recollections of people jumping over high fences and running fast but this could have been my addled brain confusing it with The Six Million Dollar Man! I will make a point of watching it now because it's pretty good stuff.

[Aenima]

The Champions is probably my favourite Berman production. I have the Carlton box set which is now deleted. Hopefully Network will pick it up and re-release it. It's a shame that the cast didn't get involved and do some interviews for the special features. Apparently, because of the contracts they signed way back when, they don't make anything from the DVD releases, so I can see why they may not have want to be involved.

The last time the series was repeated was in the early/mid 90s I think, on BBC2. I don't know if was ever shown on Bravo since then.

Cheers,
A

[arty-dave]

I had to pay quite a bit for the DVD box set on ebay, only to find days afterwards that they were repeating it on ITV4....

(Aenima @ Nov 16 2005, 10:16 AM) Quoted post</div><div class='quotemain'>shown on Bravo since then. [/b]

Is this the same Bravo that caters for the yob culture with all its trashy programmes? [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thumbdown.gif[/img]

[samkydd]

(arty-dave @ Nov 16 2005, 10:41 AM) Quoted post</div><div class='quotemain'> I had to pay quite a bit for the DVD box set on ebay, only to find days afterwards that they were repeating it on ITV4.... Is this the same Bravo that caters for the yob culture with all its trashy programmes? [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thumbdown.gif[/img] [/b]

Call me Mr Cynical but I've a feeling that a lot of boxed sets for the more obscure TV programmes of old are on sale now in time for Christmas in the knowledge that some of them are on the near future programme schedules of these Freeview channels.

I've got the Thriller boxed set at great expense and I am now just waiting to discover that they'll all be repeated on ITV4 or somewhere! However, some series you enjoy watching over and over so an expensive boxed set is something worth having to keep, but others that you're not so struck on it would be wiser to wait for the re-runs and just record them (on tape in my case).

The Christmas market has always been quite cold and calculating, that's why bands and comedians always seem to do an autumn tour leading up to Christmas so they can push their new CD or DVD.

[arty-dave]

'twas ever thus, samkydd........

[Aenima]

Looks like Network have picked up The Champions for release in March 2006.

http://www.networkdvd.co.uk/new_releases.htm

Cheers,
A

[arty-dave]

Does anyone know why it was pulled from sale recently - I had it on order from Play.com and they said they were not stocking it again, and they were not able to fufill outstanding orders (including mine)