The Sandbaggers: The Complete Series [DVD]

I saw this series originally years ago on TV. Loved it. I have an all region DVD player, so it was not a problem playing this DVD. The only thing I wish it had, was closed captions. Sometimes British speech is hard on American ears when they speak quickly. Other then that, it's a great series to watch.

This I think was produced as a counter to CALLAN. The writer was a serviceman of reasonable rank who had some idea of the workings of the secret service. He disappeared in unusual circumstances and the last series was written by others. It is interesting to note that one episode has never been produced because of the threat of prosecution under the Official Secrets Act.

This is a fascinating series. I purchased the complete series thinking I cold change my DVD players settings to read the format. Turns out, that wasn't possible. But, as luck would have it, I'm a Mac user and the application DVD player allows you to set the region format, so I can play the disks. It's a British show, so the accents sometimes make me wish there were a way to enable sub-titles. Apparently, these disks don't support that. If they did, or if I could figure out how to enable them, I'd give this show 5 stars instead of 4.Also, the seller shipped in a very timely fashion, the disks arrived well ahead of the forecast time.If you have a player that supports the format, buy the complete series. You will not regret doing so!!!

I was very happy to find the complete run of Sandbaggers in one package since I watched it when first aired and have been a Roy Marsden fan for some time.Unfortunately, the sound track on disc one is poor. There are frequent "silent spots" where ones lip-reading abilities are tested. This is mostly annoying but one can miss dialogue which is important.I wrote to the seller and (no surprise) got no response. I've not been through the entire series yet--just finished disc one. I'll update this later with a report on the sound quality of the other 5 discs.UPDATE 11-7-2012: I have been through all 6 discs without further problems. Moreover, I am no longer convinced that the disc itself is the problem; it might be the software I use to play Region 2 dvds. And, the seller did finally respond to my inquiry about the condition.....so two mea culpas from me.Regardless of the mildly irritating sound problem, this set is a real bargain compared to alternatives. The greatest negative is the premature death of Ian Macintosh, the writer, and the resultant abrupt end to this captivating series.

Loved this series when it was first shown and thrilled to find the complete set. It's as enjoyable now as when it first aired (can it really be 30 plus years???). Order arrived promptly and so far no problems with any of the discs - fortunately I have a portable DVD player which plays all PAL formats (this set is PAL 2). I'm trying to rate myself so have only watched the first six episodes so far. If you've never seen 'The Sandbaggers' but enjoy first rate believable political chicanery, give it a try - Roy Marsden is brilliant as D.Ops with an outstanding supporting cast. If you did see it back in the 80's and want to see it again, I highly recommend this complete set. It even comes with a booklet listing all the characters and their job descriptions, which I found particularly helpful.

Everything a Cold War espionage show should be. Tooooo bloody bad the only writer/producer died in a plane crash into the Gulf of Alaska. Lesson, have back ups in spades.

The height of second phase of the Cold War around 1980 spawned some wonderful television on spooks and how they operated, quite different to the fluff of James Bond (which is quite separately excellent classic melodrama in the old Victorian tradition). Three stood out. Edge of Darkness, Le Carre's Smiley (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and Smiley's people) and the Sandbaggers. The first two were miniseries lavishly funded by the BBC and were justly renowned. But prior to them there was this third classic, the Sandbaggers which also purported to be about how English spooks really operated back then. It was much less celebrated but for a late night viewers in Australia it became an addictive classic - and then it was gone never to be seen again until now.And about time it returned. My wife had never seen it but got through the whole series in 3 days flat its addictive.The series purports to be about how the SIS (MI6) operated at the time. Its feel is closer to the original TTSS. The spook facilities are poorly funded, the spooks have to deal with continuous interference from oversight bureaucracy of varying intelligence. When people die its ugly.There is no Alec Guinness/Obe Wan Kenobi as the hero. Instead each week you get a dose of the very nasty anti-hero Neil Burnside as he machinates his way through 'direct action', the ugliness of the cloak and dagger world and the near psychopathy of the bureaucratic machine within with spies operate. I say near psychopaths because these people aren't Hannibal Lecter but they are every bit as homicidal when the situation demands it due to the nature and logic of the world they have chosen to live and work in - rather that a problematic childhood. Most of the 'action' is in fact office based (Burnside, his bosses and operations) with the one or two field agents as disposable pawns on a chess board. If you like chess and conspiracies this is for you.The difference between this and modern conspiracies is that primary characters really come across as evil and ambiguous unlike their modern equivalents who are largely recycled cardboard cut outs from midday soap operas.If you are expecting Bond like special effects or even the swish offices of the recent 'Spooks' forget it. Its 1980 quality video in 4:3 format. And the characters do get a bit two dimensional at times. But if you can forgive these minor imperfections which probably reflect a very constrained TV series budget, and like yarns with twists and conspiracy on a grand scale or have a nostalgia for this different time then its great.About the time this series came out I went to see Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca which was about as far in the past then as this is now. It was black and white and didn't have amazing special effects but it was wonderful. Same situation applies here.A final comment - is it real? There is no way to know. Le Carre's Smiley feels real and so do many of the characters in EOD - but the emotional strings they twang are very different and contrasting with the Sandbaggers.Separately in none of the above is there any evidence of the much bigger spook operations - the signals agencies like NSA and GCHQ who had far bigger budgets even back then and who we know are part of this murky world too. Especially now with recent revelations and witch-hunts.In conclusion - fabulous spook dark melodrama - a kind of nasty office politics meets James Bond - but don't think this is anymore the total reality than a Bond girl.

only problem had to play it on my computer because of pal forment, watched it on my computer and loved every minute!

One reason given for my five star review might seem strange, but all six discs were very clearly labeled with the correct sequence. Sometimes I cannot see which disc should come first as the print is so small.Considering its age, the series has worn well, apart from the large noisy telephones and lack of other modern technology. One reviewer mentioned that the standard went downhill, but I did not notice a deterioration. It might not have been as brilliant as Tinker, Tailor, with the gravitas of Sir Alec Guinness, but the themes were similar. Totally opposite to the fast and furious world of James Bond, but far more realistic. In one episode a Sandbagger is shot, and I have never seen anyone play at being severely injured so convincingly.Credit must be given to the star of the series, Roy Marsden, but ably supported by Alan Macnaughton, and the two very different bosses. The storylines were very varied, all set in different countries, and not all ended happily. Sympathetic but overworked secretaries, and the experienced but frustrated Willie Caine all added layers of interest.Do not be put off by the age of this series, because they are authentic and with themes that always hinge on overstretched resources, political intrigue and notorious foreign agents.So, nothing new there, then.I enjoyed trying to identify all the older planes, and all the old cars, when cars had character.I would love to watch "Game, Set And Match", too.

The Sandbaggers is a British television drama series about men and women on the front lines of the Cold War. It scrutinises the consequences of the undercover undertakings on the private and professional lives of British and American intelligence professionals.A series that is still as stressed as a coiled spring as the day it was first broadcasted. This is cold war dirty tricks department, but still carries the trappings of a Civil Service Department - dabbling in sabotage, defector-lifting, anti-communist coup d'état's, and the occasional political motivated killing. The Sandbaggers do the dubious paraphernalia that democratic governments can't own up to. Accordingly, its boss Neil Burnside (played by Roy Marsden) is in a 'constant fender-bender with his political masters, chiefly his inept, upper-class, public school twit of a boss.Sandbaggers is a hidden classic in my opinion while it hasn't got the "mythos" built up around it in the same way as Tinker Tailor, it can live on its own, and stand out as one of those great ITV shows from an era when ITV was a group of companies acting together, rather than the bland media conglomerate that it is now. A series that is much more cynical, more involved in realpolitik and highly revealing of the casual sexism of the period it was made. It has its problems, but for an episodic series it always kept you guessing and long before Spooks etc. came along, it was shocking viewers with its bleak treatment of its main characters. Whenever the Sandbaggers do go into `the field', there's an eruption of ensuing violence, with operatives dropping like flies across the entire series: just as you're starting to get invested into a character, he or she is killed off during some dreadful blunder. To quote Burnsides' character, as he says: "There are no charmed lives in this business." There is also a nod to the `Special Relationship' between SIS and the CIA in the series, at times they are strained as one CIA operative says Burnside is that a coke you're drinking or just vinegar?' Add into the mix Roy Budd's rather catchy theme - and this becomes a much more atmospheric series.The New York Times called The Sandbaggers "the best spy series in television history". Need I say more?

An interesting series about the British Secret Service, MI6 is what it is based on.Roy Marsden plays the lead role of Neil Burnside and is ably supported by Ray Lonnen as Willy. As usual,a few faces from the then acting scene turn upon the episodes.Some very good production and writing here from the golden age of television. I would recommend this series which delve into the world of 'fixing' problems abroad and also at home although this is really out of their remit.Good television.

Compelling. Gripping. An expose of political and a State Department wrangling/trade-offs and the compulsion for deliberate assassination, at times in conjunction with another countries needs. This 6 DVD set stars Roy Marsden and Alan Macnaughtan, brilliantly written by Ian Mackintosh, who inexplicably performed a 'Reggie Perrin'. Discussion by actors revealed the direction I. M. wanted to take the series. His 'suicide' was revealed to be fake. Cause? Government pressure? Series left in air! But what there is, is compulsive viewing. BUY!!!!

Having just gone through my annual ritual of Tinker Tailor and Smileys People (which I regard as two of the best tv mini series I have ever seen) I was left wanting more in terms of cerebral cold war intrigue. I was around 13 when this was first broadcast so I didn't remember it but discovered it through other Amazon reviews and referrals via Tinker Tailor. What a superb surprise! I have gone though all 3 seasons now and was really impressed with the overall standard of writing, the insight into Whitehall politics and international affairs and the generally high standard of acting (Roy Marsden is captivating throughout). The production values are a little below the Tinker Tailor level so many of the outside broadcast clips look like archive footage, the interior sets are a little studio bound and some of the action scenes (these are limited as the emphasis is on dialogue and character) are amateurish by modern standards. None of this matters because Neil Burnside and his sandbaggers and the situations they are thrust into are brilliantly believable.