jc-osms I don't know what was the more "out-there" ITC fantasy series from the late 60's, this or the equally wonderful "Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)". I think I'll call it a draw and a high-scoring one at that. As a child of 8, I slavishly watched this series on first release so my warm memories of it are very strong and long-lasting, completely over-powering my critical faculties screaming how improbable and incredulous the concept and plot-lines were. The three actors in the lead roles gelled together so well, Stuart Damon, the handsome, smooth-talking athletic American, Richard Gaunt the more grounded, thoughtful Britisher second wheel while Alexandra Bastedo provided the glamour and feminine wiles, triggering a major crush in my boyhood self. The trio's special powers weren't so all-powerful as to make them immune from danger (unlike say Steve Austin's in the next decade) and they invariably relied on teamwork to get the job done, usually to the consternation of their permanently flummoxed boss Anthony Nicholls.Looking back, I just feel so pleased that I started watching TV as a boy when adventure series like this were airing, including "The Avengers","Mission Impossible", "Department S" and others too numerous to mention. How lucky for us nostalgia-freaks that they are almost all readily available again on DVD or streaming channels.

cooperhmc I wasn't born until 4 years after this wonderful show first aired but luckily I managed to catch the reruns of the mid 90's and the rest is history......I was hooked. The premise was pretty simple; two hardened Nemesis agents, Richard Barrett and Craig Stirling ( William Gaunt and Stuart Damon) are partnered up with an expert (if not young) Doctor and Biologist (Sharron Macready) to head behind the bamboo curtain to retrieve a dangerous biological agent from being used by red china. Whilst making their escape, their plane is hit by machine gun fire and they crash in the heart of the Himalayas where their lives are saved by a mysterious and previously undiscovered civilisation who heal and enhance the senses of the trio, thus setting the scene for many exciting adventures to come...The series lasted for 30 hour long episodes and I guess it was its relatively short lived, one season run that has set it up for cult status.Monty Berman, the producer, was notorious for making things as cheaply as possible and sometimes the show suffered for this with incredibly tacky sets - particularly in Episodes such as "Happening" ( a studio deputising for the Australian outback) and the 'snow' sets of "Operation Deep Freeze" and "The Beginning" but if you can get past this, and focus on the characters and the story lines, the show was really a lot of fun. It had a great mix of adventure, and plenty of deadpan humour (mainly from some terrific one liners from William Gaunt).The chemistry from the three leads was fantastic - you get the sense that they were really having a lot of fun making the show and this is borne out in the 2005 reunion documentary where the three reunite after over 35 years to reminisce about the show (and laugh about Anthony Nicholls awful wig!!). They all shared equal screen time and all had their moments to shine. I have to say, I was always a Richard Barrett fan - I loved his sardonic humour along with that dangerous edge - he was certainly a man you didn't cross, and those eyes........the bluest eyes you would probably see on TV. I have also followed Bill Gaunts career with interest since. However, Craig Stirling certainly would have had his legion of female fans and I am sure Alexandra Bastedo had a whole queue of male fans swooning over her too.The show also had a plethora of guest stars to entice with, including Donald Sutherland, Jeremy Brett, Peter Wyngarde, Burt Kwouk, Anton Rodgers, Kate O'Mara, Jenny Linden, Paul Eddington and Colin Blakely.Notable episodes for me were : "Auto Kill", "The Interrogation", "The Fanatics", "The Mission" and "The Gilded Cage" but I am sure every one has their personal favourites.If you do get a chance to watch this show for the first time, or to re watch it after many years, remember to watch it in the context of the time it was made and just sit back and enjoy - the characters and the chemistry from the three leads is what made this wonderful show for me and I don't think I will ever tire of it.Enjoy!

ShadeGrenade As a result of the popularity of 'The Saint' starring Roger Moore, I.T.C. made a number of shows in similar vein. Monty Berman and Dennis Spooner followed up 'The Baron' ( starring Steve Forrest and loosely based on John Creasey's books ) with this - a fondly remembered fantasy series about superhuman spies that preempted by a few years 'The Six Million Dollar Man'. Craig Stirling ( Stuart Damon ), Richard Barrett ( William Gaunt ), and Sharron Macready ( Alexandra Bastedo ) are agents of NEMESIS, an espionage organisation whose headquarters is in Geneva ( the opening titles were played over shots of the Lac Leman fountain ). At the start of 'The Beginning', they break into Red China to steal the latest development in bacteriological warfare. Completing the job, they escape by plane. Red Chinese troops shoot it down. It crashes in the Himalayas. A strange elderly man ( Felix Aylmer ) in robes approaches the wreckage. When the agents awaken, they find that their bodies have been mended and that they now possess superhuman abilities, including lighting-fast reflexes and telepathy. After deciding not to tell Tremayne ( Anthony Nicholls ), their boss, they use their powers for good. Being superhuman certainly helped them survive such ordeals as being thrown out of a plane, tortured in an underground garage, shut in a freezer, and made to fight other agents with identical powers ( 'The Experiment' ). Damon and Gaunt had an unmistakable on-screen chemistry as 'Craig' and 'Richard', while the luscious Bastedo pouted her way through her role as 'Sharron'. Nicholls made a wonderfully gruff Tremayne, and had an office that put Mr.Waverly's ( of 'The Man From U.N.C.L.E.' ) to shame. Pressing a button on the desk could cause a wall ( on which a map of the world was prominently featured ) to reverse and display a screen on which films could be projected. Most of the plots adhered to the standard spy/crime format beloved of I.T.C. shows, but a few had a touch of the fantastical to them, such as those written by the late Tony Williamson. 'Project Zero' is my personal favourite, although 'Shadow Of The Panther' gets involved with voodoo and zombies. Terry Nation and Brian Clemens also wrote some corkers, while Spooner's 'The Interrogation' compared favourably with 'The Prisoner'. Craig is imprisoned in a strange room from which there is no escape. He faces relentless questioning from a man played by Colin Blakely. The twist is that Tremayne ordered the interrogation after becoming suspicious of Craig's successful record as a spy. The final episode - 'Autokill' - had a brainwashed Barrett facing off against his friends. The excellent theme tune was by Tony Hatch. Robert Farnon, Albert Elms, and Edwin Astley contributed incidental music. Guest stars included Kate O'Mara, Peter Wyngarde, Rupert Davies, Michael Gough, Paul Eddington, William Franklyn, and Donald Sutherland. John Garforth penned a novelisation entitled 'The Sixth Sense Is Death' for Panther, and the short-lived comic 'Joe 90 - Top Secret' ran a two-page strip ( whose stories were often more ambitious than the show's! ).Though a hit in Britain, any chance it had of success in America was sabotaged by the network screening it - it chose to kick off with 'To Trap A Rat' instead of 'The Beginning'. Viewers watching must have been pretty confused. I regret that there was never a second series; the concept had so much life left in it. Would Craig and Richard have been competitors for Sharron's affections? What if Tremayne had learnt of the Champions' powers? Did the Champions have any other abilities other than those we saw? We never found out, alas. Perhaps the mooted movie version will answer some of these questions.

Big Movie Fan Oh, the 60's were a great era for all genres from action to sci-fi to comedy. Will we ever reclaim those days?The Champions was an outstanding fantasy show about three agents who worked for Nemesis, an international agency. In the pilot episode they were given powers by a mysterious monk. They had powers of telepathy, super strength and other powers.As for the adventures themselves, the Champions battled villains who were threatening no less than the world itself. The Champions were a bit too powerful at times but it was still fun seeing them beat the bad guys. And for a male like myself, it was fun to see the beautiful Alexandra Bastedo kicking butt.The Champions was one of many great 60's shows.