My List of British Television Shows: 1950s - 1990s.
A variety of programmes from different decades, featuring one of the leading actors and writers.
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- StarsDonald PleasenceIan HendryThomas HeathcoteArmchair Mystery Theatre is a 60-minute United Kingdom television anthology mystery series. Thirty-four episodes aired from 1960-65. It was hosted by Donald Pleasence and produced by Leonard White.
- StarsRichard CaldicotGeorge WoodbridgeRobert BrownSeries of television plays performed live.
- StarsReginald TateIsabel DeanHugh KellyFollows the first manned space flight from Australia. In its return to Earth, from the crew of 3, only Victor Carroon, is still aboard. Examinations reveal that something attacked the crew as they were on course back to Earth.
- StarsJohn RobinsonMonica GreyHugh GriffithProfessor Quatermass is trying to perfect a dangerously unstable nuclear-powered rocket engine. After a disastrous test firing in Australia, his soon-to-be son-in-law, Captain John Dillon, draws the Professor's attention to a strange hollow meteorite which interrupted an Army Training exercise. Quatermass and Dillon investigate, and discover a vast government production plant which has some connection with the meteorites. After coming in contact with the noxious gas contained inside the meteorites, Dillon is taken away by the plant's security guards. When Quatermass presses this issue with an old civil service acquaintance, he learns that the plant is supposedly making synthetic food. Both men learn that this is untrue, and that the true products of the plant will threaten the world itself.
- StarsAndré MorellCec LinderAnthony BushellA team of scientists search for the origin and purpose of a mysterious capsule found on a building site.
- StarsGeoffrey MatthewsBrian VaughanEwan MacDuffEach episode is based on a true-crime case with the names changed.Actually, this programme was first broadcast in 1953.
- StarsJill BrowneCharles 'Bud' TingwellFrederick BartmanSet in Oxbridge General Hospital, this soap opera focused equally on the lives and loves of its medical staff and the pressure of their work.
- StarsJohn PaulJohn ScottJessica SpencerAn early hit for ATV, this absorbing, rigorously researched and very human drama series centres on the work of a team of probation officers based in London, and the lives of the men and women of all ages and backgrounds who come under their care. Drawing on the documentary skills of creator Julian Bond and produced by Emergency - Ward 10s Antony Kearey, Probation Officer was broadcast at a time when the service was increasingly coming into focus as progressive response to rising crime.
- CreatorFriedrich SchillerStarsConrad PhillipsWilloughby GoddardJennifer JayneDepicts the legend of William Tell, who, as the stories say, shot an apple off of his son's head and lead the rebellion to free Switzerland.
- StarsRichard GreeneVictor WoolfArchie DuncanRobin of Loxley, otherwise known as Robin Hood, and his band of Merry Men protect England from the evil machinations of Prince John while King Richard the Lionheart is away fighting in the Crusades.
- StarsTim TurnerLisa DanielyDeborah WatlingWhile working on an invisibility formula, British scientist Dr. Peter Brady (Tim Turner) suffers a tragic accident which turns him invisible. Unfortunately, there is no antidote, so while working on a method to regain his visibility, he undertakes missions for his government stopping bad guys.
- StarsRobert ShawPaul HansardBrian RawlinsonThe Crown takes Tempest's stronghold. The ex-pirate wins a pardon and becomes a privateer. He and Deputy Gov. Beamish fight Spanish raiders despite their unease. They defend the Caribbean.
- StarsMarius GoringStanley Van BeersPatrick TroughtonSir Percy Blakeney, Baronet, is a notorious fop and hedonistic member of the Prince Regent's court, but he is secretly "the Scarlet Pimpernel", a mysterious figure who rescues innocents from the Reign of Terror taking place in France and transports them to safety in England.
- StarsWilliam RussellCyril SmithRonald Leigh-HuntIn all of Arthurian legend, the most famous of the Knights of the Round Table is undoubtedly Sir Lancelot. This series, painstakingly researched by the History and Literature Departments of Oxford University, re-creates some of the notable exploits of the famous knight, as well as the deeds of the other members of King Arthur's court.
- StarsDiana FairfaxColin JeavonsAndrew CruickshankA suspenseful tale about the injustices of the 19th Century English legal system.
- StarsCharles KorvinEdwin RichfieldRoland BartropFollows inspector Paul Duval as he tracks his targets and risks his life in a global race against time.
- StarsEsmond KnightPatricia KnealePeter HallidayIn 1970, a team of scientists decrypts a mysterious signal from space with instructions to create a supercomputer. This in turn contains instructions to create a living organism.
- StarsPeter HallidaySusan HampshireMary MorrisFleming and Andromeda are recaptured by the British government but then kidnapped along with Professor Dawnay by the forces of Intel, headed by Kaufman and the evil Gamboule, and are taken to the Middle East country Azaran, whose leaders hope to make use of Fleming and Dawnay's skills and Andromeda's other worldly abilities.
- StarsJohn WoodBarbara HicksNewton BlickMurder mystery interwoven with the historical events of England's Gordon riots of 1780, based on the novel by Charles Dickens.
- StarsJohn CarsonKara WilsonChristopher SandfordThe dream of Paul Dombey, the wealthy owner of the shipping company, is to have a son to continue his business. Tragically, Dombey's wife dies shortly after giving birth to their son.
- StarsJohn GabrielCharles 'Bud' TingwellErik ChittyA classic anthology science fiction series which features adaptations of stories by famous authors including Isaac Asimov, J.G. Ballard, Frederik Pohl and John Wyndham.
- StarsJeremy WilkinRosemary NicolsDenis QuilleyPersonnel Officer Drew Heriot returns to England after working in Australia to discover his brother behaving oddly, to the distress of his sister-in-law Anne. Investigating together they discover that a disembodied alien force is using high frequency signals to brainwash people - including Drew's brother - into committing subversive acts, as a prelude to a full-scale invasion. Together, Drew and Anne battle to stop the acts of sabotage while trying to alert the authorities to the danger...
- StarsJack WatlingPatrick WymarkNorma RonaldThe day-to-day story of a multi-million pound aerospace company, its new jet plane, its test-pilot, its workers and its ruthless and hard-nosed managing director John Wilder, the embodiment of modern, unflinching capitalism.
- StarsArthur LoweBetty DriverJoy StewartSitcom spin-off from Coronation Street following Leonard Swindley (Arthur Lowe) and his misadventures as a department store deputy manager.
- StarsDerek FrancisAlfred BurkeArthur HewlettAn anthology series from the U.K., from 1955 to 1974, producing about five hundred ninety-minute episodes from Granada Television.
- StarsJames EllisJohn SlaterDouglas FieldingA gritty drama which follows the work of the police force in the fictional town of Newtown in the North of England.
- StarsFrank WindsorNorman BowlerDavid Lloyd Meredith1970s BBC police drama with experienced cops DCS Charlie Barlow and DS John Watt who lead a task force charged with tackling the toughest cases Thamesford has to offer.
- CreatorSydney NewmanStarsEdwin BrownNeville SmithTony SelbySeries of one-off plays made by BBC television, which gave breaks to a wide range of writers and directors in the late 1960s, such as Dennis Potter, Ken Loach, David Mercer, and John Hopkins. Famous plays include "Up the Junction", "Cathy Come Home" , "Stand Up Nigel Barton", "Vote, Vote, Vote For Nigel Barton", "On the Eve of Publication", and "Son of Man". The series often addressed controversial issues, such as homelessness and abortion.
- CreatorJames MitchellStarsEdward WoodwardRussell HunterLisa LangdonDavid Callan is the top agent/assassin for the Security Service (British counterintelligence), but he is an embittered man who performs his duties "for Queen and country" under duress. This bleak, "Spy who Came in from the Cold"-style espionage drama concentrates on the seamy underside of covert operations: assassinations, blackmail and dirty dealing.
- CreatorAnthony MarriottRoger MarshallStarsAlfred BurkeRay SmithPauline DelaneyCynical, dour and world-weary, private eye Frank Marker is frequently the unwitting stooge in bigger criminal wheels in his attempts to make a tenuous living on the outskirts of London.
- StarsHarry H. CorbettPaul Whitsun-JonesBillie WhitelawThis show was a British television drama anthology series of single plays that ran on the ITV network from 1956 to 1974. It was originally produced by Associated British Corporation, and from mid-1968 by Thames Television.
- Anthology series, hosted by Noël Coward and consisting of four productions of his plays: Blithe Spirit, Design for Living, The Vortex, and Present Laughter.
- CreatorSydney NewmanStarsPatrick MacneeDiana RiggHonor BlackmanA quirky spy show of the adventures of eccentrically suave British Agent John Steed and his predominantly female partners.
- CreatorDonald WilsonSydney NewmanStarsWilliam HartnellPatrick TroughtonJon PertweeThe adventures in time and space of the Doctor, a Time Lord who changes appearance and personality by regenerating when near death, and is joined by companions in battles against aliens and other megalomaniacs.
- StarsNigel StockPeter CushingDouglas WilmerA series of Sherlock Holmes adaptations, based on the stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
- StarsRupert DaviesRalph MichaelBarbara CouperAnthology series featuring adaptations of detective stories.
- StarsDerren NesbittGeorge SewellMorris PerryGroundbreaking British police drama series following the exploits of the Special Branch of the Metropolitan Police: an elite group of officers tasked with protecting London from spies, terrorists, and subversives.The early episodes are more enjoyable.
- CreatorJohn BattEdmund WardStarsJohn StrideMargaret AshcroftJohn WentworthMaverick lawyer David Main commutes between his twin bases in London and Leeds. His seemingly devil-may-care attitude is contrasted with the steady and cautious approach of his crusty Leeds partner Henry Castleton.
- StarsJohn ThawKeith BarronJames GroutThe cases & adventures of tough Sergeant John Mann, officer of Her Majesty's Royal Military Police Special Investigation Branch.Before he was Regan, John Thaw was Sgt. Mann.
- CreatorRobert BarrStarsJon LaurimoreGillian WrayMichael BlackhamLondon millionaire playboy James Hadleigh returns to his Yorkshire birthplace and buys a local newspaper his father founded, intending to turn it into a relevant force for change against the wishes of its plodding editor, Frank Walters.Excellent series, there should have been more episodes.
- CreatorRobert BarrStarsGerald HarperPeter DennisAmbrosine PhillpottsJames Hadleigh is the squire of the village in this series created by Robert Barr.
- CreatorRichard HarrisDonald CottonStarsGerald HarperJuliet HarmerJack MayIn 1902, Edwardian adventurer Adam Adamant is frozen alive in a block of ice by his archnemesis, the Face. In 1966, workmen discover him and he is revived, perfectly preserved but completely bewildered by his new environment, "swinging '60s" London, until he meets beautiful Georgina Jones, who helps him adapt. Before long, he is back to adventuring, solving crime, and fighting evil wherever it lurks.Quirky and entertaining.
- CreatorA.J. CroninStarsBill SimpsonAndrew CruickshankBarbara MullenDr. Finlay is a member of a medical practice in the Scottish town of Tannochbrae during the late 1920s.
- StarsRoger MooreIvor DeanLeslie CrawfordSimon "The Saint" Templar, a wealthy adventurer and 20th-century Robin Hood, travels the world in his white Volvo P1800S, solving unsolvable problems and righting wrongs.Still the number 1 "ITC" show.
- StarsPatrick McGoohanPeter MaddenFrank MaherJohn Drake is a special operative for M9, specializing in security assignments against any subversive element that threatens world peace.
- StarsPatrick McGoohanRichard WattisLionel MurtonJohn Drake is a special operative for NATO, specializing in security assignments against any subversive element which threatened world peace.
- CreatorDennis SpoonerStarsMike PrattKenneth CopeAnnette AndreWhen Hopkirk gets killed, he reappears as a ghost - pretty handy to have around in this line of work.
- CreatorRichard HarrisDennis SpoonerStarsRichard BradfordRicardo MontezWarren StanhopeMcGill (known as "Mac") is a former U.S. intelligence agent based in London. After being thrown out of the agency for something he did not do, he finds his infamous reputation has preceded him everywhere he goes. To make ends meet he takes odd and intriguing "private eye" jobs throughout Europe, all the while trying to clear his name.Tough and brutal.
- CreatorGerry AndersonSylvia AndersonStarsEd BishopDonald GrayFrancis MatthewsIn 2068, the indestructible Captain Scarlet leads the agents of Spectrum in a war of nerves against the Mysterons from Mars.
- CreatorGerry AndersonSylvia AndersonStarsDavid GrahamSylvia AndersonPaul MaxwellThe interplanetary adventures of the crew of the World Space Patrol (W.S.P.) spacecraft Fireball XL5, patrolling Sector 25 of the galaxy in the year 2062.
- CreatorMonty BermanDennis SpoonerStarsStuart DamonAlexandra BastedoWilliam GauntAfter a plane carrying three UN Agents crashes in the Himalayas, they are rescued by an advanced civilisation secretly living in Tibet who grant them enhanced versions of the ordinary five senses, and intellectual and physical abilities.
- StarsAnthony MarloweClaire NielsonMichael QuinnThe adventures of the agents of Scotland Yard's secret undercover crime unit, dubbed "The Ghost Squad".
- StarsTerence MorganJean KentMichael CrawfordThe adventures of Sir Francis Drake during the 1500's. Sir Francis is probably one of the most famous explorers of the high seas. The twenty six episodes of the series are about his explorations of many far off lands.
- CreatorMonty BermanDennis SpoonerStarsPeter WyngardeJoel FabianiRosemary NicolsAn elite department within Interpol, Department S inherits those cases which the other member groups have failed to solve.Far more intriguing than the spin-off.
- StarsDavid BuckMark MossFreddie Jones"Mystery and Imagination" was a UK hosted horror anthology series running from 1966 until 1970 with host David Buck as "Richard Beckett". who was a romantic young Victorian adventurer always had a tale to tell.
- StarsSteve ForrestSue LloydPaul FerrisStories of an antique dealer who is really an undercover agent.
- StarsAnthony QuayleKaz GarasAnneke WillsRetired Scotland Yard commissioner Adam Strange investigates bizarre mysteries in "Swinging Sixties" London.
- StarsEdgar LustgartenMichael HordernKenneth BendaSeries of courtroom dramas introduced by criminologist Edgar Lustgarten.
- StarsBruce ProchnikMax AdrianPeter VaughanAn orphan named Oliver Twist meets a pickpocket on the streets of London. From there, he joins a household of boys who are trained to steal for their master.A faithful adaptation of the novel, brilliantly cast.
- StarsWilliam MervynKeith BarronJune TobinChief Inspector Rose (William Mervyn), previously seen in 'The Odd Man' and later to have his own series, investigates off-beat cases assisted by Detective Sergeant Swift (Keith Barron).
- CreatorPhilip MackieStarsWilliam MervynDonald WebsterGillian LewisChief Inspector Rose, previously seen in 'The Odd Man' and 'It's Dark Outside', has retired from the police and intends to write his memoirs - but is constantly distracted by intriguing mysteries.
- StarsPeter VaughanArtro MorrisRichard LeechTough cop Detective Chief Superintendent Cradock is assigned to track down and bring to justice the criminals behind the daring theft of five and half million pounds worth of gold bullion from an airfield in the South of England.
- StarsHerbert LomMichael JohnsonSally SmithDr. Roger Corder, a gifted and compassionate psychologist, treats the mental disorders of his patients through a mix of Freudian and Laingian techniques.
- StarsGerald HarperDavid BurkeJune BarryThe once famous athlete Bob Kerry dies mysteriously on a golf course. His son Jack, a detective, suspects murder and decides to investigate the case. He gets caught up in a web of intrigue set in the Soho red-light district in London, with its pimps and prostitutes.
- StarsSylvia SymsJohn ThawDudley FosterMurdered by his wife and her lover, the dead husband's voice haunts his killers through sinister phone calls.
- CreatorJohn CreaseyStarsJohn GregsonAlexander DavionDaphne AndersonFollows Commander George Gideon of Scotland Yard and his family life.
- StarsPeter EganAlan BrowningDonald BurtonThe rise of a vicious young thief, Hog, to the top of the London criminal fraternity
- StarsEric PorterMargaret TyzackNyree Dawn PorterSpanning decades, the saga contrasts obsessive Soames, clinging to wife Irene, and Jolyon, leaving for his kids' governess. Their diverging paths intertwine, bringing highs and lows to the upper-class Forsyte clan.
- DirectorRudolph CartierStarsSean ConneryMargaretta ScottWilliam RussellThe story of Alexander the Great.
- DirectorAlvin RakoffStarsKenneth MoreRalph RichardsonAngela BaddeleyA television interviewer is determined to get a coup on a dodgy cabinet minister.
- StarsRay McAnallyRichard HurndallRachel HerbertGangland drama Follows the fortunes of South London crime boss Alan Spindoe "Ray McAnally" After serving for seven years for receiving and there should have been other charges. Now he's out after receiving full remission and he expects a the royal treatment from his gang. Unfortunately his empire has been usurped by Eddie Edwards "Anthony Bate", the caretaker he left in charge. He has also taken his wife.
- StarsJohn Murray ScottFrank WindsorDavid AndrewsA linking together of Shakespeare's history plays chronicling the rise and fall of monarchs over the eighty-six years between Richard II and Richard III.
- CreatorIvor JayStarsPatrick O'ConnellJoanna Van GyseghemRalph NossekA well-remembered police procedural drama from the late 1960s, this show showcases the exploits of Detective Inspector Gamble (Patrick O'Connell) and his aide, Detective Sergeant Vicky Hicks (Joanna Van Gyseghem), Metropolitan officers on the trail of the con-men and fraudsters who operate at all levels of society, from boardroom to bingo hall. This show is notable for being one of the earliest British television dramas to feature a female detective in a leading role. Several storylines focus on Gamble's tangled personal life, which occasionally threatens his efforts to hunt down the sharks (and sometimes the minnows) inhabiting the murky world of international fraud. The first series features guest appearances by Michael Gambon, Paul Eddington, Martin Shaw, Andrew Sachs, Derek Fowlds and Colin Welland, amongst many others.
- CreatorSydney NewmanStarsIan HendryJohn WarwickHoward Daley
- CreatorTed WillisStarsJohn BarrieWilliam GauntCharles MorganVictorian-era whodunnit with venerable Sergeant Cork battling entrenched views in a bid to use a more scientific approach to solving cases. Trusty sidekick Bob does not always understand his methods but faithfully co-operates..
- StarsHugh BurdenWilloughby GoddardMona BruceMr J.G. Reeder is an employee of The Department of Public Prosecutions, unassuming in appearance but blessed with a razor-sharp mind. He solves mysteries under the watchful eye of his larger-than-life boss, Sir Jason Toovey.
- StarsDavid GrahamGraydon GouldSylvia AndersonThe adventures of the crew of Supercar, an amazing land, sea, and air vehicle, based at a secret laboratory in the Nevada Desert in 1961.
- CreatorGerry AndersonArthur ProvisStarsKenneth ConnorNicholas ParsonsDenise BryerSheriff Tex Tucker makes sure all is well in Four Feather Falls with the help of his dog Dusty and Rocky the horse. Done with puppets, even the animals talk and sing along with the humans as problems are quickly wrapped up.
- CreatorGerry AndersonSylvia AndersonStarsSylvia AndersonPeter DyneleyDavid GrahamIn the year 2065, the Tracy family run International Rescue - a top-secret organization whose ongoing mission is to rescue people trapped in extraordinarily dangerous situations using their advanced Thunderbirds machines.
- CreatorGerry AndersonSylvia AndersonStarsKeith AlexanderSylvia AndersonRupert DaviesThe adventures of nine-year-old Joe McClaine, who can have the expert skills, knowledge, and experiences of top experts downloaded into his brain by his scientist father, enabling him to become a secret agent code-named "Joe 90".
- CreatorGerry AndersonSylvia AndersonStarsStanley UnwinGary FilesJeremy WilkinThe adventures of an elderly vicar and his gardener, secret agents for B.I.S.H.O.P, who combat criminals and terrorists from overseas in the year 1969.
- StarsGary BondFrancesca AnnisPeter VaughanA humble orphan suddenly becomes a gentleman with the help of an unknown benefactor.
- StarsCraig StevensTracy ReedPaul MaxwellMichael Strait is a high-flying photo-journalist and a real Man of the World. His business takes him to every corner of the world and every corner of society and with his eye for trouble it proves to be an irresistible combination.
- StarsBurt KwoukClemence BettanyCarlos ThompsonArgentinian shipping agent Carlos Varela (Carlos Thompson) finds that the people using his services often need a lot more of his help than purely shipping goods.
- CreatorPatrick McGoohanStarsPatrick McGoohanAngelo MuscatPeter SwanwickAfter he resigns, a secret agent is abducted and taken to what looks like an idyllic village, but is actually a bizarre prison. He refuses to give his warders information while attempting to escape.Highly original but quality wildly uneven.
- StarsVictor PlattMartin LyderMaxwell ShawAn anthology series telling different and unrelated stories of espionage set in many countries and historical periods.
- StarsRichard ConteJack HawkinsDan DaileyFour men: a British politician, an American journalist in Paris, a lawyer in the U.S., and a Roman hotelier, band together to fight injustice wherever they find it.
- StarsBruce ForsythTommy TrinderNorman VaughanA revival of the British variety show Tonight at the London Palladium, it ran from 28 October 1973 to 28 October 1974.
- StarsTony CurtisRoger MooreLaurence NaismithTwo worlds collide when Lord Brett Sinclair, a titled British man, and Danny Wilde, a Bronx-raised, self-made American, reluctantly join forces to right wrongs and protect the innocent.
- CreatorMonty BermanDennis SpoonerStarsPeter WyngardeAnne SharpRonald LaceyA playboy novelist, who has had a spell of work with an intelligence agency as a sideline, leaves, but finds himself performing new missions around the world.
- CreatorGerry AndersonSylvia AndersonStarsEd BishopDolores MantezMichael BillingtonThe missions of the Supreme Headquarters Alien Defence Organization (SHADO), which defends Earth from extra-terrestrial threats.
- StarsMartin LandauBarbara BainNick TateThe crew of Moonbase Alpha must struggle to survive when a massive explosion throws the Moon from Earths orbit and into deep space.
- CreatorBrian ClemensAnthony SkeneMichael ZagorStarsDonna MillsGary CollinsDerek Francis"Thriller" was an anthology series of self-contained episodes, with genres ranging from murder mystery to suspense to psychological and supernatural horror.
- StarsIan HolmTom BellRudolph WalkerThe Frighteners was a British psychological suspense anthology series that ran for 1 series consisting of 13 self contained episodes.
- StarsRobert VaughnNyree Dawn PorterTony AnholtChallenges abound for worldwide crime-fighting team The Protectors. Organised into a global secret society, their mission is to protect the innocent and apprehend the guilty. Starring Emmy winner Robert Vaughn "The Man From U.N.C.L.E.".
- StarsRay SmithMichael CraigIan BannenAnthology series in which characters find themselves in weird and scary situations. Not evoked by the supernatural but by other people.
- StarsPeter VaughanPeter BarkworthDouglas WilmerAdaptations of mystery stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's contemporary rivals in the genre.
- CreatorTony WarrenStarsWilliam RoacheHelen WorthBarbara KnoxThe world's longest-running television soap, Coronation Street focuses on the everyday lives of working-class people in Manchester, England.
- CreatorFrancis DurbridgeStarsFrancis MatthewsRos DrinkwaterJune EllisCrime-novelist Paul Temple solves mysteries with the help of his wife Steve.