The following is a complete episode list for the BBC television series Secret Army, which began airing on 7 September 1977 and ran for three years.
This series follows the lives of a Belgian resistance cell dedicated to returning British airmen, usually having been shot down by the Luftwaffe, back to their home country. The series followed the timeline of the war with its impact on the people in Belgium.
In total 43 episodes of Secret Army were produced, however the final episode "What Did You Do In The War, Daddy?" was never aired in the UK.
Contents |
| Series | Episodes | Originally aired | Region 2 DVD releases | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Release Date | Discs | ||||
| Series 1 | 16 | 1977 | 3 November 2003[1] | 4 | |
| Series 2 | 13 | 1978 | 5 April 2004[2] | 3 | |
| Series 3 | 13 (plus 1 unaired) | 1979 | 4 October 2004[3] | 3 | |
A boxed set of all three series was released on 8 November 2004.[4]
Series one was transmitted in 1977 and opened the series and featured sixteen episodes. Set around 1941 when the Café Candide owner Albert Foiret and his mistress Monique Duchamps help Lisa Colbert (codenamed "Yvette") hide airmen and control the various members of the 'Lifeline' organisation. The principal opponents in this series were Sturmbannführer Ludwig Kessler and Luftwaffe Major Erwin Brandt. A British agent, Flight Lieutenant John Curtis is Lifeline's official liaison with London.
| # | Episode Name | Writer | Director | Guest Cast | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | "Lisa - Code Name Yvette" | Willis Hall | Kenneth Ives | Anthony Ainley (as Johnson), Mark Burns (as Gundell), Ian Liston (as Bartle), Eileen Page (as Andree Foiret), Tim Barlow (as Sgt. Major), Michael Napier Brown (as Husband) | 7 September 1977 |
| Lifeline, a secret organisation based in Brussels used for the safe return of RAF airman to Britain, is threatened when Luftwaffe Major Erwin Brandt succeeds in identifying a safehouse, and nearly captures Natalie. Lisa Colbert and her colleague, Café Candide proprietor Albert Foiret, are suspicious when London sends Flight Lieutenant John Curtis, a former evader they assisted, to help with their activities. Some of the people who worked with Curtis have vanished, been killed, or sent to a labour camp. Brandt now has to deal with Gestapo Sturnbannfuhrer Ludwig Kessler, freshly transferred from Berlin, to strengthen the means of detecting agents involved in returning fliers. | |||||
| 02 | "Sergeant on the Run" | John Brason | Viktors Ritelis | Martin Burrows (as Sgt. Walker), Neville Barber (as Dr. Bogaerde) | 14 September 1977 |
| While Albert and Lisa continue to fear Curtis is a plant, Lifeline's resources are tested attempting to help a couple of evaders. The Germans capture one of them, Sergeant Walker, who has previous experience of Lifeline’s activities. He makes a desperate bid for freedom to avoid talking and throws himself down a staircase at Gestapo headquarters. As Walker recovers in hospital, in the company of an undercover German officer, Lifeline deliberates over whether he can be rescued or if he must be silenced to preserve their, and others', security. | |||||
| 03 | "Radishes With Butter" | John Brason | Paul Annett | Michael Burrell (as Schliemann) | 21 September 1977 |
| Jews from Brussels are being transported according to colour-coded identification documents. Curtis befriends a Jewish family living in concealment and privation, and tries to persuade Lisa to become involved, but she fears the line, intended for RAF airman, would be compromised if Lifeline were involved in another area of resistance activity. Albert continues to distrust Curtis, who brought over forged Belgian banknotes from London. Kessler obtains some of the notes, and realises that they are too accurate to be real and have been made by the Belgian treasury plates, which were evacuated to London before the German invasion. While he thinks this will assist in breaking the enemy serviceman's means of escape, bank manager Gaston Colbert, Lisa’s uncle, floods Belgium with the forgeries to disguise their original source. The Jewish family are presumed to have been captured after the colour of the identification cards intended for deportees has been changed. | |||||
| 04 | "Child's Play" | Arden Winch | Paul Annett | Ian McCulloch (as Malaud), Mary Barclay (as Sophie Chantal), Ruth Gower (as Madeleine Chantal), John Bowe (as Maurice), Ken Stott (as Baroja), Jeffrey Wickham (as Stoph) | 28 September 1977 |
| A suppressed magazine article by a American airman who was helped by the evasion lines has been found by German agents working in the States and has reached Brandt. Analysing the piece, he thinks it probably contains useful intelligence and visits the Pyrenees. With the help of Malaud, a French gendarme, they identify potential escape routes. Meanwhile, Lisa is also in the area, and comes close to be being detected. | |||||
| 05 | "Second Chance" | James Andrew Hall | Paul Annett | Paul Copley (as Eric Finch) | 5 October 1977 |
| Lifeline is placed in jeopardy when Albert concludes that a customer at the Candide is a Gestapo spy, while Lisa continues to dislike Curtis’ involvement and his controlling nature. Finch, a downed airman, is hidden by Hans Van Broecken, a Dutch bargee, and his wife Lena. Finch intends to desert and spend the remainder of the war in Switzerland and discovers that Hans, in reality German, went AWOL in the Great War. While he wishes to help Finch with his plans, Lifeline becomes aware of this when Lena is reunited with Natalie, her niece. The customer at the Candide is found to be employed at Gestapo headquarters. Finch's plans are in conflict with Lifeline’s philosophy, and Finch is betrayed by Albert in order to end the surveillance. | |||||
| 06 | "Growing Up" | Willis Hall | Kenneth Ives | Norman Eshley (as Clifford Howson), Max Harris (as Jean-Paul Dornes), Susan Tracy (as Anna Dornes), Brian Glover (as Cpl. Emil Schnorr), Vivien Merchant (as Mlle. Gunet), Stanley Lebor (as Shopkeeper), David McAlister (as Navigator), Alec Wallis (as Guide) | 12 October 1977 |
| A wounded airman was stranded by unwilling colleague, and hides in a barn. Because the area has many Germans searching for the airman, Lisa and Albert are not in a position to help him. Sergeant Howson, the concealed man, forms an acquaintance with a boy, Jean-Paul Dornes, but requires the attention of a doctor and Jean-Paul needs the help of the underground. Anna, the boy's mother, has been a lone parent following the death of her husband in active service. German Corporal Emil Schnorr is now close to her, and Anna is unopposed to the Belgian occupiers. Unfortunately, Howson has given the boy a small gift, an action which has tragic consequences as the woman is killed in a road accident as a security measure. | |||||
| 07 | "Lost Sheep" | N. J. Crisp | Paul Annett | Peter Barkworth (as Hugh Neville), Joanna Van Gyseghem (as Dorothy Neville), Christopher Guard (as Flight Lt. Peter Romsey), Bruce Montague (as Insp. Dubois), Ivor Roberts (as Victor), Dominic Letts (as Jones) | 19 October 1977 |
| Flight Lieutenant Peter Romsey is a RAF navigator whose involvement with the development of the Oboe navigation system means London urgently requires his safe return. Romsey is accompanied by Natalie while going down the line with other serviceman, but he is parted from them, and catches another train by mistake. Lost in rural France, Lifeline tries to track him down, but Romsey finds the house of Hugh and Dorothy Neville, an expatriate English couple. A well-known author who has developed pessimistic attitudes about military actions, he is close to the local police inspector, who organises a search of the novelist's home. Romsey is concealed in a motorcycle sidecar by Victor, the Neville's handyman and the local Lifeline contact, but they are betrayed. Victor is killed and Romsey captured. | |||||
| 08 | "Guilt" | N. J. Crisp | Paul Annett | Peter Barkworth (as Hugh Neville), Joanna Van Gyseghem (as Dorothy Neville), Christopher Guard (as Flight Lt. Peter Romsey), Bruce Montague (as Insp. Dubois), Ivor Roberts (as Victor), Pauline Letts (as Patronne), Roy Pattison (as German Officer) | 26 October 1977 |
| In the aftermath of the events in France, a German newspaper reveals British operational secrets. Curtis concludes that the traitor must be located. He travels to France and reconstructs Romsey’s travels. Meanwhile, Albert remains distrustful of their apparent British contact. Monique tails him to France in order to ascertain whether Curtis is genuine. Curtis’ comes to believe Hugh Neville is responsible for Victor's death and Romsey's capture. Posing as a downed airman, he visits the Neville's home and fatally stabs Hugh Neville. | |||||
| 09 | "Too Near Home" | Robert Barr | Viktors Ritelis | James Bree (as Gaston Colbert), Maria Charles (as Louise Colbert), Gerald James (as Inspector Landre), Mary Barclay (as Sophie Chantal), Shaun Curry (as Julius), Damien Thomas (as Jan), Helen Gill (as Denise), Souad Faress (as Maria), Jeffrey Holland (as Michel) | 2 November 1977 |
| A contact near Paris is killed just after Lisa has visited him. She is arrested, claiming she was attempting to hire a bicycle from the man. Her uncle is held and questioned by Kessler, and Lifeline's survival is now in doubt. In custody, other prisoners suspect Lisa's true identity, but she decides to trust them in order to be able to escape before her false claims are discovered. This is achieved, but tragically Gaston, her uncle, is not so fortunate when he attempts to escape. | |||||
| 10 | "Identity in Doubt" | Simon Masters | Viktors Ritelis | Christopher Douglas (as Noel Uys), Barry Jackson (as Lock-Keeper), Edmund Pegge (as Teddy Marsh), John Cannon (as Mob Leader) | 9 November 1977 |
| Lifeline is under pressure. Jacques and Natalie are required to evaluate South African airman Noel Uys, and realise he must be silenced after finding fault with his responses. Uys life is in peril, he threatens Natalie with a shotgun and she becomes his prisoner in a windmill. Meanwhile, the rest of his aircrew manage to persuade Lifeline that he is genuine, Uys provided false information when he enlisted, but the new information may have come too late. | |||||
| 11 | "A Question of Loyalty" | Willis Hall | Kenneth Ives | Clive Arrindell (as Ernst Stoller), William Simons (as Lebrun), Jon Laurimore (as Staff Officer), Richard Wren (as Oberleutnant), Hugh Martin (as Peasant) | 16 November 1977 |
| The entire crew of a British Wellington bomber are believed killed near Brussels. An ideal chance for Kessler to penetrate airman's means of return to Britain. Officer Ernst Stoller, born and raised in England, is chosen to assume a new personality. At the same time, Monique is frustrated by the situation with Albert and his wife, and is romantically drawn to Stoller. With the help of London, Stoller's story is found faulty, and Monique is forced to assist Albert in silencing the man before he can report to superiors. | |||||
| 12 | "Hymn to Freedom" | Michael Chapman | Kenneth Ives | John Carson (as Hans Van Reijn), Frank Barrie (as Becker), Paul Jerricho (as Horst Schmidt) | 23 November 1977 |
| A Lifeline safehouse is discovered. Van Reijn, a government minister in the collaborationist Belgian regime, wants to change sides and settle in England and communicates with Curtis. Curtis thinks it will be a propaganda coup if Van Reijn is sent down the line, though Lisa is initially unconvinced. Lifeline though, has again been penetrated by a German agent, who is discovered and shot. Owing to this distraction, Van Reijn is not saved and is placed under constant surveillance. | |||||
| 13 | "Bait" | James Andrew Hall | Viktors Ritelis | Barbara Cochran (as Madame Bidout), Malcolm Bullivant (as Pasco), Sylva Langova (as Madame Gerome), Kathleen Byron (as Madame Lekeu) | 30 November 1977 |
| Brussels' population are compelled to commemorate the Fuhrer's forthcoming birthday. The Café is believed to be run by people on the side of the Germans when they are obliged to hang a Nazi flag outside the Candide. An RAF airman finds refuge in the home of Catherine Bidout, an English woman of advanced years whom the Germans have deliberately left alone. Gossip concerning her situation is passed onto the Candide and Albert investigates. Madame Bidout is frightened and reaches a friend of her late son – Brandt – for assistance. However, the hidden man is really German, intended by Kessler to catch Lifeline members. Brandt is forced to persuade the woman to seek help from the resistance, and a photograph of Brandt with her son now puts him in danger of exposure for helping the enemy. | |||||
| 14 | "Good Friday" | John Brason | Paul Annett | Maurice Denham (as Father Girard), Brewster Mason (as Father Pierre), Richard Gale (as Brother Anselm), Kathleen Byron (as Madame Lekeu), Bartlett Mullins (as Brother Saul), Peter Grayer (as Brother Hugues) | 7 December 1977 |
| Just before Easter, a Dominican Friar, Father Girard, is hearing Andree’s confession at the Candide. Already known to Lifeline, he inadvertently catches part of a discussion about a hidden RAF airman. Girard suggests the man can be concealed at the Priory during the holiday. The Prior (Father Pierre) is prepared to assist, but Brother Anselm thinks the Friars should stay out of the war. He misguidedly contacts Kessler, and several members of the order, including Girard, are killed by the Germans. | |||||
| 15 | "Suspicions" | N. J. Crisp | Kenneth Ives | Albert Welling (as Donald Simpson), John Scott Martin (as Concierge) | 14 December 1977 |
| Determined to break the organisations for evaders, Kessler and Brandt look into the Neville murder case in France. Curtis, working undercover as a representative of a fertiliser company, is now a target of their investigation. Considering Curtis to be involved in subversive activity, Brandt and Kessler question him at the Candide and take him away for further interrogation. The situation for Lifeline looks desperate to Albert and Lisa. | |||||
| 16 | "Be the First Kid in Your Block to Rule the World" | John Brason | Viktors Ritelis | Michael Wynne (as Reinecke), Adam Richens (as Jean-Jacques Hatt), Mark Jones (as Belgian Police Sergeant), Robert MacLeod (as Belgian Doctor) | 21 December 1977 |
| Curtis is finally exposed and Kessler is aware of his support for the resistance. To maintain the safety of his Belgian contacts, Curtis hides in Brussels. An escape route appearing to be in the possess of being destroyed, Kessler commands that movement out of Brussels is stopped and each house in the city is ordered searched. In desperation, Curtis goes to the Candide to ask for help, and Monique comes up with a highly audacious, but successful, escape plan with Curtis posing as a bus driver on a Nazi Youth daytrip. Meanwhile, Andree, Albert's wife, has a fatal accident during the house search. | |||||
Series two was broadcast in 1978 and featured a number of changes in the involved characters, including the death of Lisa and the inclusion of pianist Max Brocard (Stephen Yardley). With financial support from London, Albert opened the larger Restaurant Candide, which was centrally located on the Grand Place.
| # | Episode Name | Writer | Director | Guest Cast | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | "The Hostage" | N. J. Crisp | Terence Dudley | James Greene (as Brigadier Markham), Alexander Davion (as Duvivier), Crawford Logan (as Hauptmann Schmidt), Richard Hampton (as Rescue Worker), Michael Hawkins (as Paymaster) | 27 September 1978 |
| The staff are preparing for the opening of the Restaurant Candide, funded by the British, and located on the Grand Place in Brussels. A new forger, Max Brocard, is found for Lifeline. London requires a safe passage for a Brigadier General possessing knowledge of a forthcoming push in North Africa (given here as Operation Torch) whose plane was downed travelling to a high level conference. The Brigadier has been located by Natalie and she is in the process of taking him down an escape route. has already discovered and prepares to take him down the line. A German soldier has been murdered, and Kessler follows standard Nazi practice in holding twenty people threatening that they will be shot if the killer does not surrender. One of these people is the Brigadier. | |||||
| 18 | "Russian Roulette" | John Brason | Paul Annett | Guy Rolfe (as Oberst von Elmendorff), Constantin de Goguel (as Ivan), Kazik Michalski (as Alexei), Jean Rimmer (as Estelle Muny), Richard Marner (as Marais), Geoffrey Bateman (as Claude Pettelain) | 4 October 1978 |
| Dr. Keldermans reveals to his colleagues at the Candide that Lisa Colbert has been killed in an allied air raid. Albert becomes the new head of Lifeline. Natalie has the responsibility for guiding two Russian evaders who do not speak any of her languages. At the Candide, Brandt converses with a senior Berlin contact, Oberst von Elmendorff, who attempts to interest him in a conspiracy to eliminate Hitler. Meanwhile, Albert accepts an invitation from Kessler to a garden fete. | |||||
| 19 | "Lucky Piece" | Robert Barr | Viktors Ritelis | Peter Wight (as Kennedy), Paul Seed (as Dominique), Eric Francis (as Railway Worker) | 11 October 1978 |
| During extreme weather, several British bombers returning from Berlin crash. Lifeline's new London contact is Major Nicholas Bradley (a British officer later revealed to be in the SOE) who manages to tail Natalie back to the Candide without her realising. Bradley’s fears about lax security are well grounded, a Gestapo agent is watching her, and provides accurate, but vague, intelligence to his superiors. Natalie assists Bradley in silencing him. | |||||
| 20 | "Trapped" | N. J. Crisp | Terrence Dudley | John Stone (as Hauptman Neumann), Peggy Sinclair (as Mother Superior), John Rees (as Coubet), Edward Arthur (as Police Inspector) | 18 October 1978 |
| Kessler, while at the Candide, becomes aware of Madeleine Duclos, a withdrawn former lover of a Baron. Monique, accompanying several evaders, is injured by gunfire at a railway station when the authorities discover an attempt to illegally transport diamonds. Temporarily a patient in a convent hospital, Monique is found innocent of any involvement, but the French gendarmes discover her papers are false. Kessler travels from Brussels to question her, but she is rescued just in time by Natalie, Alain and Max posing as a nurse and ambulance men. | |||||
| 21 | "Not According to Plan" | David Crane | Viktors Ritelis | Emma Williams (as Danielle), Michael Byrne (as Paul Vercors), Jonathan Newth (as Jean Barsacq), Leon Eagles (as Oberst Bruch), Frank Jarvis (as Bluebeard) | 25 October 1978 |
| Francois, Natalie's new boyfriend, wishes to become active in Lifeline, though Albert is difficult to persuade. Paul Vercors is a leader of a clandestine Brussels Communist group, who is keen on turning Lifeline into their adjunct, but their plant in Lifeline – Max - is at this time more cautious. The Communists attempt to destroy the occupiers supply lines via train derailment achieved with explosives. On the train are Natalie and Francois and returning airman. | |||||
| 22 | "Scorpion" | James Andrew Hall | Roger Jenkins | Brigitte Kahn (as Erika Brandt) | 1 November 1978 |
| Brandt's wife Erika spends some time with her husband in Brussels. She is frightened of the British air attacks on Berlin, and the dangers she and their children are faced with while remaining there. Brandt informs her that his placement in Brussels should soon become superfluous, as Lifeline has been penetrated by an agent. Unfortunately their cleaner overhears this and she is in contact with the Candide, and Albert ponders eliminating all hidden airmen as a security measure. Max and Dr. Keldermans propose Natalie’s uncle, Hans Van Broecken, in reality German, might be able to identify the man. He loathes Albert, but is persuaded to assist. Unfortunately, trying to catch the man by attempting to expose his facility in the German language does not work, and forcing him to use his fighting skills is the only way. | |||||
| 23 | "Weekend" | Paul Annett | Paul Annett | Vincent Marzello (as McGee), Paul Wagar (as Harris), Christian Roberts (as Oberleutnant Horst) | 8 November 1978 |
| Faced by liquidity problems, and hoping Lifeline might achieve a degree of autonomy from their British overseers, Albert and Monique devise a solution through the sale of three Rubens masterpieces, and substituting them with fakes. The German occupiers wish to acquire them for the fatherland. Kessler travels to the convent close to Antwerp which owns them. Two American airmen, frustrated by Lifeline’s methods, take matters into their own hands and stop Kessler's car. Unconscious of the seniority of their captive, they force themselves onto Hans and Lena Van Broecken, and wish to travel to Switzerland via their unwilling hosts barge. No harm comes to Kessler, but the Van Broecken's are taken in for questioning and Lena is accidentally killed. | |||||
| 24 | "The Big One" | N. J. Crisp | Michael E. Briant | Mark Jones (as Oberst Neidlinger), Daniel Hill (as Flight Sgt. Bert Lewis), Daniel Abineri (as Flight Sgt. Mick Murray), Roy Evans (as Belgian Farmer), Royston Tickner (as Air Raid Warden), Richard Seager (as Nobby - Navigator), Nigel Lambert (as Wing Commander) | 15 November 1978 |
| Kessler and Madeleine are becoming closer, though he fears his emotional attachment may be hindering his effectiveness. Again, Brandt has the option of becoming involved in a conspiracy to eliminate Hitler. A huge British bombing raid leaves suburban areas devastated by mistake, including the district where Brandt's family lived; his daughter survives, but his wife and son are killed. An attempt by Monique and Alain to assist a bomber's crewmember return to England fails. Brandt holds the man, and realising he was part of the recent British operations, completely looses his composure. | |||||
| 25 | "Little Old Lady" | David Crane | Terence Dudley | Andrew Robertson (as Wing Commander Kelso), Mary Barclay (as Sophie Chantal), Ruth Gower (as Madeleine Chantal), Jenny Laird (as Else Lambrichts), John Herrington (as Felicien), Richard Hampton (as U-Boat Commander), Michael Mundell (as Dutch Saboteur) | 22 November 1978 |
| A British Wing Commander suffers severe facial burns when his plane suffers successful anti-aircraft fire in Belgium. His return is imperative for the British, but the condition of his face would be found suspicious by the authorities. While women's makeup is enough for him to be able to reach Paris accompanied by Natalie, though Monique believes he must pose as a woman if he is not to be discovered during the remainder of their travels. Back in Brussels, Madeleine faces further isolation owing to her affair with Kessler, though she finds Monique a surprisingly good listener. The Candide is threatened by terrorists for supposed collaboration, and the Gestapo take Albert into custody. | |||||
| 26 | "Guests at God's Table" | John Brason | Terence Dudley | Keith Jayne (as Wim), John Line (as Maurice Tourtellat) | 29 November 1978 |
| Near Christmas, Lifeline is in receipt of a list of demands obviously from a group of orphaned children who have hidden a Group Captain. The man is evidently drifting in and out of consciousness. While Albert is worried it is a German attempt to entrap them, the man is rescued concealed in a pram. Meanwhile, Brandt's contacts with personnel involved in a plot against Hitler leads to Kessler confronting him, and concealing his knowledge of Brandt's indirect involvement. | |||||
| 27 | "A Matter of Life and Death" | Robert Barr | Roger Jenkins | Duncan Lamont (as Hervé), Michael Graham Cox (as Philippe), Michael Goldie (as Rene) | 6 December 1978 |
| A downed airman kills a German guard rather than be captured. An evader duo wrongly thought responsible are helped after they stumble into the bakery of a Lifeline sympathiser, while another two plan to work with the Communist cell. Faced with doubts from the others, Francois urgently desires to prove his capabilities as a Lifeline operative, and chooses to organise the journey down the escape route for each man, contacting the Communists for them to assist the airmen without Albert’s consent. While in the Communist base, Francois is surprised to see Max, whose other activities must be concealed from Albert if their plans are to come to fruition. Max tips off Kessler, and Francois is shot while the attempt to rescue the airman is in progress. | |||||
| 28 | "Prisoner of War" | Gerard Glaister | Michael E. Briant | John Abineri (as Bertrand Lecau), Sebastian Abineri (as Flight Lt. Jones), Jean Rimmer (as Estelle Muny), John Baker (as Jacques Lamboit) | 13 December 1978 |
| Brandt tries to face his demons by consuming alcohol without restraint, to the concern of Kessler, and develops a crush on Monique, proposing to help her set up independently. While Alain has to hide two airman, a neighbouring farmer finds an injured German fighter pilot on his land. The pilot one of the German's leading airman and his aircraft is unknown to the allies. Max is dispatched to sketch it, and the British wish to hold him as a POW. Max plots to take over Lifeline, but Albert now knows he was responsible for Francois, and feels no remorse in tipping off the authorities on communist activities leading to the destruction of a 20 member cell from which only Paul Vercors survives. | |||||
| 29 | "Day of Wrath" | John Brason | [no director credited, but Gerard Glaister] | John Alkin (as Andre de Beers), David Neilson (as Jelinek), John Rolfe (as Weikmann) | 20 December 1978 |
| Belgian fighter pilot Andre De Beers becomes a Gestapo captive made to watch his brother being tortured and killed. De Beers manages to flee from the Gestapo, and holds out with acquaintance Alain. Seeking revenge, De Beers mass murders German soldiers. Following Kessler's instruction to hold and shoot twenty innocent Belgians, Alain is told to eliminate De Beers to prevent further deaths. Monique and Natalie though follow through with a different plan. Albert tells Monique that he will shoot her if she disobeys him again. Meanwhile, as Kessler looks into a new means of surveillance for Brussels, an (unauthorised) air attack on Brussels Gestapo headquarters is launched with many deaths. Making his way back to his destroyed office, Kessler finally opens an urgent communiqué from Berlin announcing that Brandt has been implicated in a plot to assassinate Hitler. Sudden German radio silence indicates that a significant turn in the war is about to occur. The date is 6 June 1944. | |||||
| # | Episode Name | Writer | Director | Guest Cast | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | "The Last Run" | N. J. Crisp | Michael E. Briant | Richard Beale (as Inspector Benet), Peter Dahlsen (as Flight Sgt. Bond), Stewart Bevan (as Flight Sgt. Sharp), Christopher Good (as Flight Sgt. Tucker), Anthony Gardner (as Kupper), Alec Wallis (as Farmer), Norman Atkyns (as Station Official) | 22 September 1979 |
| An instant mutual antipathy develops between Kessler and Luftwaffe Major Hans Dietrich Reinhardt, Brandt's replacement. The Allies push against German lines, though Lifeline's activities continue, but a mission of Monique and Natalie is now faced with difficulties because of the problems connected with resistance damage to the rail system. | |||||
| 31 | "Invasions" | Lloyd Humphreys | Viktors Ritelis | Mary Barclay (as Sophie Chantal), Ruth Gower (as Madeleine Chantal), Helen Blatch (as Simone Borel) | 29 September 1979 |
| Lifeline initial purpose has now concluded because the allies progress has severed the escape routes and it is now possible to keep airman in hiding until the end of the war. Though Reinhardt and Kessler continue to clash, the Luftwaffe man smashes a Lifeline safehouse. Two fresh captives take their own lives rather than risk helping the enemy, but the third remains silent. Reinhardt tortures him. Based in Senlis, the elderly Chantal sisters occupy another Lifeline safe house now potentially under threat, but are rescued just in time. | |||||
| 32 | "Revenge" | N. J. Crisp | Roger Chevely | Roger Booth (as Reichskommissar Glaub), Richard Beale (as Inspector Benet), Peter Davidson (as Customer in Candide), Iain Rattray (as Gestapo Man) | 6 October 1979 |
| Another attempt on the life of the Führer has occurred, and Kessler believes Reinhardt is implicated in the conspiracy because of his extensive contacts with the people involved. In assembling evidence, he believes he can demonstrate his opponent's collusion. The Communists information, extracted by threatening a former comrade with exposure, is that Albert was responsible for the destruction of their cell. Fearing assassination in the Candide, Albert is assisted by an undercover policeman who in reality is at the restaurant to arrest him after the Candide closes for the night. | |||||
| 33 | "A Safe Place" | Allan Prior | Tristan DeVere Cole | Struan Rodger (as “Mad” Mike Miller), Anthony Head (as Hanslick), Roger Booth (as Reichskommissar Glaub), Duncan Preston (as Gavain), Robert Gillespie (as Zander), Guy Siner (as German Monitoring Personnel), Peter Richards (as German Monitoring Personnel), Jon Croft (as Guide) | 13 October 1979 |
| Inspired by the Communist's desire to retaliate against him, Albert is in custody on a charge that he murdered his wife. Monique is now responsible for leading Lifeline and running the Candide. Alain uncovers a false line of escape established by Reinhardt to expose the subversives. A group of airman, including “Mad” Mike Miller, assisted earlier by Lifeline is being secretly monitored by the Germans. The evaders realise the falseness of their helpers and escape, but Monique decides to silence “Mad” Mike for their own security. While the serviceman decide they have no option but to trust Reinhardt, it is assumed to be a German trick when “Mad” Mike is shot. | |||||
| 34 | "Ring of Rosies" | John Brason | Michael E. Briant | Rob Edwards (as Girton), Morris Perry (as Guissard), Robert Gillespie (as Zander), Duncan Preston (as Gavain), Gareth Milne (as McQuaig), Alan Butler (as German Officer) | 20 October 1979 |
| Out of action in continued custody, Albert learns from his solicitor that his Communist foe Paul Vercors was responsible for the false charges against him. At the same time, Dr. Keldermans makes an astonishing diagnosis after examining a North African airman in hiding – he is suffering from bubonic plague. Keldermans isolates the group, including Monique, and threatens them with being shot if they try to escape. They all face the disturbing possibility of being killed by the disease. After being discovered by Alain and Natalie, a man escapes, is shot, and his corpse set alight | |||||
| 35 | "Prisoner" | Robert Barr | Tristan DeVere Cole | Eric Deacon (as Klein), Prentis Hancock (as Jacot) | 27 October 1979 |
| Major Nick Bradley is now involved in resistance activities in Brussels ahead of the Allies' lines. After Alain is held by the Gestapo, it is decided he must be rescued because of his skills in radio communication. Bradley decides to make a deal with a German officer and comes into conflict with Monique over the use of Lifeline funds. Managing to raise the one million francs demanded by the German guard is achieved with the help of a Belgian businessman, but Bradley is faced with a rise in demands when the guard demands a cut for his colleague. An attempt to substitute another man for Alain is made, but finally fails, and Alain regains his freedom. | |||||
| 36 | "Ambush" | N. J. Crisp | Michael E. Briant | David Yelland (as Flight Lt. Cox), Morris Perry (as Guissard), Richard Seager (as Flight Sgt. Burton) | 3 November 1979 |
| In the Ardennes, Bradley is assembling his own army of former airmen to pursue sabotage missions. Aware of the problem that V2 rockets are usually fired from temporary launching sites, Bradley intends to destroy a convoy of military vehicles to inhibit the use of the V2 rocket. Bradley needs a man with knowledge of a French machine gun and a hesitant concealed former flyer Flight Lt. Cox is persuaded to help. The gun is unreliable, and Cox is killed for no good reason because the military convoy is empty of any hardware. | |||||
| 37 | "Just Light the Blue Touch-Paper" | John Brason | Michael E. Briant | Morris Perry (as Guissard), Nigel Lambert (as Tony Newman), Derrick Slater (as Willi de Hooch), Max Faulkner (as German Officer) | 10 November 1979 |
| A permanent V2 site is discovered on the Dutch border, and a raid is planned by Bradley and Natalie using the concealed army. Bradley introduces himself to Kessler (posing as a German colleague), and dining with him at the Candide, gains valuable information about the schedule from the unsuspecting Gestapo man. Reinhardt though is making progress in his aim of cracking Lifeline, and Natalie is suspected. | |||||
| 38 | "Sound of Thunder" | Eric Paice | Tristan DeVere Cole | Davyd Harries (as Jean Lamotte), Morris Perry (as Guissard), Graham Weston (as Jacques), Paul Seed (as Van Hoyt), Maureen Morris (as Marie) | 17 November 1979 |
| The Allies line reaches Belgium, and contingency plans are devised by the Germans to leave Brussels. Although Albert's solicitor is involved with the resistance, a request for an old file about the death of Albert's wife draws the German's attention to its existence. Meanwhile, Bradley establishes contact with other members of the resistance. Actual (as well as presumed) collaborators are not safe, and Madeleine has been attacked, but only has Kessler to turn to. Reinhardt tries to trap Natalie, now involved romantically with Bradley, with the help of a plant in the resistance. Natalie realises the danger in time, and the supposed Communist is exposed as a spy when the man fails to recognise Stalin's real name, but after the man has been dealt with, Bradley is killed during curfew while returning to the Candide. Reinhardt is now certain of the Candide's centrality to Lifeline. | |||||
| 39 | "Collaborator" | Gerard Glaister | Michael E. Briant | Ralph Arliss (as Flight Lt. Dean), Jack McKenzie (as Major Neil Turner), Duncan Preston (as Gavain), Michael Osbourne (as Squadron Leader Bain), Hugh Futcher (as Jean), Kevin Flood (as Marc), Julian Fox (as Hauptmann), Frank Jarvis (as Pierre), Derek Crewe (as German Soldier), Eileen Way (as Woman Patient), Margaret John (as Candide Customer), Shelagh Wilcox (as Candide Customer), Esmond Webb (as Candide Customer), Arnold Peters (as Candide Customer), Reg Woods (as Gestapo Tail) | 24 November 1979 |
| No longer in prison, Albert returns to the Candide finding 'Collaborator' has been painted on the side of the building. Everyone within fears their fellow Belgians, but Albert is unwilling to leave to the consternation of Monique (who refused Alain's offer to relocate in the previous episode). Natalie and Alain take arms against the retreating occupiers. As the other Germans vacate the Gestapo building, Reinhardt is keen to confront the Lifeline members, but turns himself over to Albert rather than take any action against them. Paul Vercors, on the other hand, arrives to take Albert, Monique and Reinhardt prisoner. | |||||
| 40 | "Days of Judgement" | Eric Paice | Viktors Ritelis | Jack McKenzie (as Major Neil Turner), Roy Boyd (as Spaatz), Frank Jarvis (as Belgian Resistance Worker) | 1 December 1979 |
| Vercors holds his three prisoners at an unknown location, and intends to execute Albert, on charges he knows to be false. Natalie, with the assistance of the newly arrived Allies, save him, but he is seriously affected by his ordeal. No one knows where Monique has been taken. Kessler is with a less agile Madeleine walking through the countryside intending to reach Germany. Kessler swaps his identity with a dead German of lower military rank, and violently obliterates the face of the deceased to conceal the deception. He is discovered by the British and claims his partner was holding him prisoner. | |||||
| 41 | "Bridgehead" | Michael J. Bird | Andrew Morgan | Peter Arne (as Colonel von Schalk), Doug Sheldon (as Major Scheer) | 8 December 1979 |
| Monique is being held in a cage containing women about to have their heads shaved for alleged collaboration. Natalie is alone is resisting a crowd which has gathered eagerly watching the punishment. A British officer, Captain Stephen Durnford, investigates. Monique is rescued by Durnford, who disperses the crowd by threatening them with the resources of his tank. Now leading a life separate from Albert, Monique lives now with Natalie, Durnford has fallen in love with Monique. Albert almost visits Monique, but sees the Captain arrive with food and returns to the Candide. Two German deserters stowaway on the barge of Hans Van Broecken. A British officer is unable to help, and suggests Van Brocken kills the two men, a proposal he rejects. A retreating German unit recognises the three men as deserters and all three are shot dead. The Captain asks Monique to marry him and she accepts. | |||||
| 42 | "The Execution" | John Brason | Roger Chevely | Peter Arne (as Colonel von Schalk), Shane Rimmer (as Canadian Commandant), John Ratzenberger (as Staff Sgt. Dexter), Ian Barritt (as Von Wolzogen), David Quilter (as Prosecuting Officer), Doug Sheldon (as Defending Officer) | 15 December 1979 |
| Held in the same Canadian facility, Kessler becomes aware Reinhardt turned himself over to Albert. Though Colonel von Schalk knows Kessler's true identity (and has contempt for Gestapo officers) he is concerned to preserve the reputation of the Wehrmacht. Reinhardt is not so prepared to conceal Kessler, giving the Gestapo man a motive for Reinhardt to be tried as his guilt looks certain. Though Hitler is now dead, Kessler insists on Reinhardt's court-martial being concluded. Reinhardt is shot as the final victory over Germany is declared. Madeleine bribes a Canadian officer to release Kessler (under his assumed name) and uses forged papers supplied semi-willingly by Monique for them to escape to a new life. The Lifeline members are informed of their military honours for their contribution during the war, and Albert gains the remaining 60% of the Candide from the British. Despite his new financial security, Albert is romantically defeated. Monique has now married Captain Durnford and she will settle with her husband in England. | |||||
| 43 | "What Did You Do in the War, Daddy?" | John Brason | Viktors Ritelis | Michael Vivian (as Paul Durnford), Brian Jackson (as Interviewer), Robert MacLeod (as Air Commodore), Seymour Green (as Master of Ceremonies), David Strong (as Interviewer) | (never broadcast) |
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In 1969, Albert, Monique, Natalie and Alain contribute to a British television documentary In Our Time on the quarter-century anniversary of Brussels' liberation from the Nazis. Manfred Dorf, a German industrialist, is challenged by investigative journalists who (correctly) believe he is Kessler. The ex-Lifeline members meet at the Candide, still owned by Albert, and reminisce about their common past. NB: This episode was withdrawn from transmission for unknown reasons, and has never been broadcast in the UK. |
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