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The Sandbaggers

The Sandbaggers
★ 8.2/10•1978•51m•PG•Drama•War & Politics
Similars

The best spy series in television history.

The Sandbaggers is a British television drama series about men and women on the front lines of the Cold War. Set contemporaneously with its original broadcast on ITV in 1978 and 1980, The Sandbaggers examines the effect of the espionage game on the personal and professional lives of British and American intelligence specialists.

StatusEnded
Runtime51m
LanguageEN
First Air DateSep 18, 1978

Episodes

Episode 1 - First PrinciplesE160m

First Principles

In Westminster there stands a drab building, peopled by ambitious men wielding great power in total secrecy, Among its staff are Neil Burnside and Willis Caine, for whom the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) is not just a way of life, but life itself. Neil Burnside, the Director of Operations SIS, objects to sending his best agents, the Sandbaggers, on a mission into Russia for Norway's Secret Service.

Sep 18, 1978

Episode 2 - A Proper Function of GovernmentE260m

A Proper Function of Government

When Sir Donald Hopkins, a top government advisor, is unexpectedly seen in Vienna, it is suspected that he intends to defect. The Sandbaggers are sent to Vienna to keep tabs on him. Meanwhile, an East African dictator has been executing British citizens, and SIS has put together a proposal for his assassination.

Sep 25, 1978

Episode 3 - Is Your Journey Really Necessary?E360m

Is Your Journey Really Necessary?

Alan Denson threatens to quit the Sandbaggers after a rough, unauthorized assassination mission near the Soviet border, so Burnside applies pressure to Denson's fiancee.

Oct 2, 1978

Episode 4 - The Most Suitable PersonE460m

The Most Suitable Person

There has never been a woman in SIS's Special Operations Section, but with only one Sandbagger left to him, Burnside faces a crisis. The Training School can offer no one... except the enigmatic Laura Dickens. Sandbagger One Willie Caine goes to Gibraltar to investigate the murder of an SIS agent, and the new potential Sandbagger Laura Dickens goes to Morocco to get more clues in the case.

Oct 9, 1978

Episode 5 - Always Glad to HelpE560m

Always Glad to Help

Laura Dickens is assigned to find out where an Arab sheik's sympathies lie, while Burnside clashes with Deputy Chief Matthew Peele and the Ministry of Defence over a covert scuba-diving operation.

Oct 16, 1978

Episode 6 - A Feasible SolutionE660m

A Feasible Solution

Caine and an agent fresh out of field school, go to Cyprus on the trail of some missing rocket scientists, while Neil lets his romantic guard down at home.

Oct 23, 1978

Episode 7 - Special RelationshipE760m

Special Relationship

Laura Dickens is the most qualified agent for a risky mission in East Berlin and Burnside has to double-deal to make sure her presence there won't pose other security risks as well.

Oct 30, 1978

Actors

Roy Marsden

Roy Marsden

Neil Burnside

Ray Lonnen

Ray Lonnen

Willie Caine

Michael Cashman

Michael Cashman

Mike Wallace

Dennis Burgess

C

Sue Holderness

Sue Holderness

Marianne Straker

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Mission: Impossible
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