| Target | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Action |
| Created by | Graham Williams |
| Written by | Bob Baker Dave Martin David Wickes |
| Starring | Patrick Mower Philip Madoc Brendan Price |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 17 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Philip Hinchcliffe |
| Location(s) | Southampton 13th Regional Crime Squad |
| Running time | 50 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | BBC |
| Original run | 9 September 1977 – 10 November 1978 |
Target was a police drama series which ran from 1977-78 on BBC1. It was set in Southampton as the 13th Regional Crime Squad. It starred Patrick Mower as Det. Supt. Steve Hackett, Brendan Price as Det. Sgt. Frank Bonney, Vivien Heilbron as Det. Sgt. Louise Colbert and Philip Madoc as Det. Chief Supt. Tate. Seventeen episodes were produced over two series. The show was the BBC response to ITV's highly successful series The Sweeney. Like The Sweeney the cars used were Fords, mostly Cortinas and Granadas; however Hackett's personal car is American along the lines of a Dodge Charger and is seen in a number of episodes. There is a distinct lack of humour compared to the Sweeney and at the time the series was slated as being more violent than The Sweeney, though watching this now it is hard to tell the difference. The second series was toned down. Also Patrick Mower being such a strong actor seems to overpower the supporting cast, something that was not evident in the Sweeney. The theme music was by Dudley Simpson. Each episode lasted approx 50mins. The series was cancelled after the second series in 1978 and was replaced by the crime drama called Shoestring.
The First Series was last aired on TV on the new defunct Cable Channel Galaxy in 1990 and the second series has not been aired since 1978. There have long been calls for the series to be aired as programs like The Sweeney and The Professionals get regular airings, but nothing has been forthcoming.
Target was produced by Philip Hinchcliffe. Some of the episode were written by David Wickes who also wrote scripts for The Professionals and his production company David Wickes Productions produced The New Professionals in 1999.
Contents |
| # | Title | Writer | Director | Airdate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Shipment" | David Wickes & Philip Hinchcliffe | David Wickes | 09 September 1977 |
| Hackett follows up on information about dodgy dealings aboard an international cargo ship provided by a murdered snitch. | ||||
| 2 | "Blow Out" | Roger Marshall | Douglas Camfield | 16 September 1977 |
| Hackett is baffled by a series of jewel thefts and turns to a prisoner awaiting release for help. | ||||
| 3 | "Big Elephant" | Bob Baker & Dave Martin | Douglas Camfield | 23 September 1977 |
| A sailor tries to sell a package of stolen drugs he believes to be hashish, but it is actually heroin. | ||||
| 4 | "Hunting Parties" | Bob Baker & Dave Martin | Christopher Menaul | 30 September 1977 |
| A revolutionary action group interrupts a burglary at a former villain's home. Hackett and the victim's family try to track them down. | ||||
| 5 | "Vandraggers" | Bernie Cooper & Francis Megahy | Francis Megahy | 14 July 1977 |
| An electronics shipment has been hi-jacked, prompting Hackett to empty a bank's safety deposit boxes. | ||||
| 6 | "Lucky Lady" | Ray Jenkins | Terry Green | 21 July 1977 |
| Hackett quits the force in disgrace after being accused of accepting a bribe. He arranges to sell police files to people traffickers to pay for his enforced retirement. | ||||
| 7 | "Set Up" | Ray Jenkins | Jim Goddard | 28 July 1977 |
| 8 | "Roadrunner" | James Clare | Mike Vardy | 04 August 1977 |
| Hackett investigates the hijacking of a truck and the subsequent murder of its driver by a hitchhiker and uncovers pilfering at an electronics plant. | ||||
| 9 | "Carve Up" | Bob Baker & Dave Martin | Ben Bolt | 11 August 1977 |
| Hackett investigates possible police corruption in relation to bids for a city development project and is led into an embarrassing triangle with the daughter of a chief superintendent. | ||||
| # | Title | Writer | Director | Airdate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Rouges Gallery" | Bob Baker & Dave Martin | Mike Vardy | 15 September 1978 |
| Hackett investigates the curious theft of rare old paintings from wealthy homes and finds a dedicated young woman determined to advance the careers of several young artists. | ||||
| 2 | "The Good and Faithful Women" | Richard Harris | Ben Bolt | 22 September 1978 |
| Hackett investigates the curious theft of rare old paintings from wealthy homes and finds a dedicated young woman determined to advance the careers of several young artists. | ||||
| 3 | "Queens Pardon" | David Wickes | David Wickes | 29 September 1978 |
| Hackett has to deal with a hostage situation when a disturbed father demands a pardon for his son who was executed for murder fifteen years before. | ||||
| 4 | "Fringe Banking" | Ken Follett | Terry Green | 13 October 2011 |
| Hackett stumbles onto a scheme to acquire a struggling construction company that is in line to win a lucrative government contract. | ||||
| 5 | "Promises" | Tony Hoare | Gordon Flemyng | 20 October 2011 |
| A young squad member is murdered when accompanying a key witness to the trial of a prominent gangster. | ||||
| 6 | "The Trouble with Charlie" | Dave Humphries | Peter Smith | 27 October 2011 |
| Hackett meets an old flame at the airport but her current boyfriend gets involved in a cocaine deal that goes wrong. | ||||
| 7 | "Figure of Importance" | Christopher Menaul | Christopher Menaul | 03 November 2011 |
| Hackett's former fiancée is killed by a strong arm man. He and her delinquent son want to find out who killed her and why. | ||||
| 8 | "The Run" | Peter J. Hammond | Terry Green | 10 November 2011 |
| Hackett uses an accountant to get evidence against a porn publisher who is buying drugs with smuggled gold. | ||||
To date, no commercial DVD release has yet been scheduled.