2.17 Quiller

Andy & Martin almost meet their match in the 1975 series
Quiller. But once they get past the first 10 dreadful minutes of
its opening episode they find much to enjoy in this
Bond-on-a-budget BBC spy series starring Michael Jayston in the
title role. However, it would be lazy to say Quiller simply knocks
off Bond, because Elleston Trevor's Quiller is quite different to
007. He doesn't like guns or gadgets and doesn't let women distract
him from the job in hand. It's not a cheap series either. As well
as some inevitable stock footage there's heaps of exotic location
filming in Germany, Malta and beyond. Jayston plays Quiller with a
cool and appealing detachment. He is joined by Angus Kinloch (Moray
Watson) as the Controller of the mysterious Bureau, and Rosalind
(Sinead Cusack) who has more agency than most women on TV in 1975.
At one point she even threatens to pinch Quiller's bottom! The
series boasts many familiar writers and directors of the time such
as Brian Clemens, Peter Graham Scott, Anthony Read, and Viktors
Ritelis. Guest stars are aplenty: Patrica Hodge, Shane Rimmer,
Celia Gregory, Ed Bishop, and Lalla Ward to name just a few. Andy
& Martin select 5 of the 13 episodes to review in depth and
find much to enjoy in this largely forgotten series that they
believe deserves to be much better known. Next Time: Rockliffe's
Babies