The Sandbaggers

The Sandbaggers was one of the greatest tv series of the 1970s. It had a typically understated title sequence with fantastic music by Roy 'Get Carter' Budd. The show was created and largely written by ex-intelligence operative Ian Mackintosh.

The 'truth is stranger than fiction' bit? Some 30 years ago Mackintosh disappeared without trace and has never been seen since. In 2000, his brother Lawrie wrote:

Quote :

In 1978 Ian created the television series The Sandbaggers. It is this series he was working on when he disappeared flying in Alaska in July 1979. While he was undoubtedly involved in Naval Intelligence, and in intelligence work outside the navy itself, that part of his life is steeped in as much mystery as his disappearance itself. Even after he left the service, he had to report to the authorities each time he wanted to travel overseas, and his home was full of electronic security devices.

The plane in which he was flying when he disappeared was piloted by Graham Barber, an experienced British Airways captain, and Ian's closest friend. Yet Graham failed to file a flight plan before they left, and flew a very different route from that which he told people at the airfield. He also made a brief unscheduled stop at a remote and disused World War II airfield, before flying on towards Kodiak Island, and sending out a mayday signal at the only point where an aircraft briefly disappears from the radar coverage on Kodiak Island itself.

Despite boats and other aircraft converging in the area within minutes, there was no sign of wreckage or survivors. Inquiries by friends and family were simply stonewalled by the authorities in both Alaska and the UK.

Did he die in Alaska or simply disappear? And why? Nobody knows, and those who might will not talk, but equally no one who knew him would be very surprised if tomorrow he reappeared, sitting at his desk typing, as if the past 21 years had never happened.

Some generous individual has posted the entire first episode on youtube so people can see how a spy series should really be done.

I have never seen this programme, but heard a lot about it. A show that I have on DVD called Saracen has shades of The Sandbaggers about it in terms of plots related to international politics and espionage with a bit of James Bond and The Professionals thrown into the mix. :)

I used to enjoy it, but I recall wishing it had a bit more action and more scenes filmed outside
I guess it was meant to promote a "claustrophobic" atmosphere, but to me it always felt a bit stagey
may have been a budgetary constraint...

Never seen it, but I'll try and watch it before it's gone.

Pointless trivia: where I grew up as a boy in Hackney, Roy Marsden lived a few roads down. Bad incident happened once between me and my mates and his BMW Z8. We didn't get off lightly.

Seve wrote:

I used to enjoy it, but I recall wishing it had a bit more action and more scenes filmed outside
I guess it was meant to promote a "claustrophobic" atmosphere, but to me it always felt a bit stagey
may have been a budgetary constraint...

It was partly deliberate and partly budgetary. The show might be considered anti-Bond and was as much about inter-department politics as espionage. That said, one could hardly say the final episode of series one lacked action; it was one of the nastiest pieces of television of the day,