Callan (1967-72)

[firestorm717]

Seasons 1-4 + Pilot

Language: English
Runtime: 60 minutes
Network: ITV1 (UK)
Cast: Edward Woodward (David Callan), Russell Hunter (Lonely), Lisa Langdon (Elizabeth March), Anthony Valentine (Toby Meres), William Squire (Hunter), Patrick Mower (James Cross), Geoffrey Chater (Mr. Bishop), Clifford Rose (Dr. Snell)
Links: (IMDB) (TVDB) (Wiki)
Synopsis: David Callan is only good at two things - killing people and collecting model soldiers. He works for a secret intelligence agency called the Section, which specializes in disposing of people through blackmail, frame-ups, and very often death. Callan becomes a liability to his superiors because he cares too much, but while the Section tries to get rid of him, it also needs his expertise and ruthlessness in the field.
Download: mega [dot] nz [slash] #F!neJh3KRI
Decryption Key: EtoshJkVlXvbQg4qNzZydg
Encoding Info: MediaInfo
Note: I ripped and encoded all the episodes released on commercial DVD. Seasons 1-2 come from Callan: The Monochrome Years, except for the pilot and S01E01, which are the new transfers in Callan: This Man Alone. Seasons 3-4 come from the North American releases, Callan: Set 1 and Callan: Set 2, respectively. Edward Woodward's commentary in S04E05 and S04E11 are included as separate audio tracks. The rest of the episodes unfortunately have been lost to time, i.e., they do not exist in the BBC archives. However, the scripts are provided on the documentary DVD, and I have uploaded them here along with other goodies. (Fans should check out the Red File pdf for Callan's backstory).

Edit: Ugh, so apparently, my North American DVDs have some glitches in them. Not sure if it's a problem with my disc or the original transfer. To be safe, I've ordered Callan: The Color Years and will re-rip seasons 3-4. Hold off on downloading them for now.

Comments

[missanthropicprinciple]

Ugh, about what percentage of Callan is lost?

[firestorm717]

The BBC lost 4 out of 6 episodes in season 1, and 6 out of 15 in season 2 :/ That TVDB link has a full list. I'm most upset by the season 2 losses, since IMO it was the best season, featuring taut storylines and very slashy Callan/Meres. Anthony Valentine doesn't appear in season 3 - he was out filming Codename (another series that's completely lost *cry*) - and his replacement, Patrick Mower, just isn't up to snuff.

Anyway, I still hold out a slim hope that more episodes will be discovered. As recently as last December, censor clips from season 1 surfaced. See this forum for information.

[missanthropicprinciple]

Thanks for all the info! All of this is a shame, isn't it. And I didn't know ALL of Codename was lost. :( But yes, we can still hold out hope. Back in my Classic Who days I remember there was a rumor going around (or maybe I actually ready about it somewhere) that somehow the original signal of the broadcast can be found in space so the missing episodes still exist? *sigh* Dare to dream.

[firestorm717]

Yeah, only the pilot of Codename survived, but the cast is different so Anthony Valentine isn't in it :/

I mean, I guess technically, all broadcasts exist as radio waves somewhere in the stratosphere... but I don't think we can recover them. You may still have a shot at Classic Who, since that series is very popular. Codename was a commercial dud - hence why it ran for only one season, after which Anthony returned to Callan - so I doubt anybody kept the tapes.

[missanthropicprinciple]

Hmmmm....*shakes fist at BBC*

[potentiality_26]

Oooh, lovely! I wonder if the commentary is interesting.

[firestorm717]

I've only skimmed the commentary in S04E05, and it's mostly Edward reminiscing about the production, not much plot or character analysis. These are the few interesting tidbits I gleaned:

- Snell's word was usually final. If he said an agent was unfit for duty, that agent was out. The situation with Cross was a rare exception.

- During the filming of Heir Apparent, the production staff didn't tell the actors where some of the "mine explosions" would be, so at the end, Edward and Anthony had the run like hell XD. How's that for realism?

- Anthony Valentine grew frustrated with his character not having much to do in scenes, so Edward pushed the writers to give Meres a larger role. (I suspected as much, as it explains why Anthony left to star in Codename).

[potentiality_26]

The last one doesn't surprise me, not just because he left for a season but also because it doesn't always seem like they sure what to do with Meres- it would make sense if there hadn't actually been much planned for him in the beginning.

[firestorm717]

It's a real loss for the character. I realize Callan is about, well, David Callan, but they could have given Meres a character arc of some sort. There's so much about his history we don't know - who did he kill in the Guard and why? How did he get involved with the Section? Why doesn't his family give a damn that he's out getting shot at when, according to Richmond, he's heir to his father's position in the House of Lords? There's so many stories you could tell about him, but by the final season, the writers are just recycling previous plots. It's a damn waste of Anthony's talent :( Even Liz got an episode devoted to her backstory. /rant

[potentiality_26]

Yes, true. From a fan fiction perspective it's kind of fun that they played so coy with Meres' background (insert "it's free real estate" meme here), but looking at just the show it's a bit frustrating.

And they were recycling a bit by the end, which is why I also think it's a shame the Hunter!Callan part of the series was so short-lived. From a narrative standpoint I assume they felt it would be boring to have the main character further from the action, and maybe eventually it would have been, but there was a lot to be explored psychologically there. We could have had more of Callan having to give the kind of orders he used to get and the toll it took on him, and more from Meres at the same time. I would have loved to have a family member of his or someone he knew from the service show up inconveniently.

[firestorm717]

Oh, I agree, Hunter!Callan should have stayed on longer. There were tons of unexplored possibilities involving angst and double-dealing, not to mention horsetrading of agents. Imagine if Hunter!Callan had to send Meres on a suicide mission... the guilt if his lover was injured/killed due to a mistake on his part! *sniff* And even before Callan took over as Hunter, there were many opportunities to bring in Meres's family - like in the lost episode "But He's a Lord, Mr. Callan", which takes place at a Lord's super fancy upper-class mansion. I also imagine the security service has a tenuous relationship with the military. They may be called in to deal with a case involving the Guards, which would be a perfect chance to trot out Meres's backstory.

In the end, I think the reason Callan didn't stay on as Hunter for long is because Edward Woodward was unhappy in the deskbound role. He said as much in the commentary of "If He Can, So Could I". But the rule about Hunter never leaving the office is inconsistent with earlier episodes like "Let's Kill Everybody". Perhaps the rule was instated after one too many unfortunate deaths in the field?

[mab_browne]

Hi, just a comment to say thanks for the links. I own all this but I'm also technologically incompetent, and I appreciate the scripts as well.