| The Guardians | |
|---|---|
The Guardians Title Card. |
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| Genre | Science Fiction |
| Created by | Rex Firkin Vincent Tilsley |
| Written by | John Bowen Jonathan Hales |
| Directed by | Robert Tronson Derek Bailey |
| Starring | Gwyneth Powell Cyril Luckham David Burke Derek Smith Edward Petherbridge |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 13 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Andrew Brown |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Production company(s) | London Weekend Television |
| Broadcast | |
| Original run | 10 July 1971 – 2 October 1971 |
The Guardians was a television drama series of 13x60 minute episodes made by London Weekend Television and broadcast in the UK on the ITV network (with the exception of Northern Ireland) between July 10, 1971 and October 2, 1971.
The opening titles and closing credits included a memorable theme tune composed by Wilfred Josephs.
Contents |
The Guardians is a dystopian political thriller set in the 1980s. Democratic government been overthrown in a bloodless coup, the Royal Family have fled into self-imposed exile and Great Britain is ruled by Prime Minister Sir Timothy Hobson (Hobson is initially a pawn of 'the General', a military officer by the name of Roger, until Roger accepts the position of Minister of Defence), Hobson subscribes to an outwardly benevolent paternalistic fascism, based on the principle that "democracy is a form of group suicide". Political opposition is suppressed by a sinister uniformed paramilitary force called "The Guardians of the Realm" (known for short as "The Guardians" or simply "The G's").
Edward Petherbridge, Derek Smith, John Collin, Cyril Luckham, Lynn Farleigh, David Burke, Gwyneth Powell, Robin Ellis
Original UK transmission dates are shown below.
The State of England
Broadcast: 10 July 1971
After a period of mass unemployment, chaos and a complete failure of the government, law and order has been restored in England. However the price of this new order is personal liberty. Dissenters soon appear, dedicated to the overthrow of the new regime.
Pursuit
Broadcast: 17 July 1971
An attempt has been made on the Prime Minister’s life, and an agent planted to root out communists within The Guardians is shot dead.
Head of State
Broadcast: 24 July 1971
A delicate situation develops when the French President, due in London for talks refuses to attend. He demands to meet the real head of state. With the Queen in self-imposed exile and the Prime Minister little more than a pawn of the General, who is the real head of state?
The Logical Approach
Broadcast: 31 July 1971
The new Home Secretary is perturbed to find out that prisoners under sentence of death are effectively “put to sleep” 48 hours before their scheduled executions to keep things quiet.
Quarmby
Broadcast: 7 August 1971
The search continues for a sniper and the Prime Minister has had enough. He decides to disband the Guardians but does he have the power?
Appearances
Broadcast: 14 August 1971
Having killed a detective in cold blood, Benedict returns to the routine of causing chaos for the Guardians and the Government. Is it time for action to be taken?
This is Quarmby
Broadcast: 21 August 1971
There have been many strikes against the regime, but now the resistance launches a new campaign to get its message across.
The Dirtiest Man in the World
Broadcast: 28 August 1971
An officer of the Guardians is being held at the rehabilitation centre and is making no effort to leave; Benedict does not underestimate the officer’s value as a pawn in the struggle against the Guardians.
I Want You to Understand Me
Broadcast: 4 September 1971
When a kidnapped member of the Guardians Is assassinated, The Prime Minister is send an ultimatum, Restore the Monarchy or face more kidnappings and chaos.
The Nature of the Beast
Broadcast: 11 September 1971
Psychiatrist Benedict has problems when a man calling himself Quarby drops into his office without an appointment, while Clare has her own problems with her drug addict husband.
The Roman Empire
Broadcast: 18 September 1971
The Prime Minister fearing for his career, rigs a show trial when a Guardian commander kills three workers during a protest.
The Killing Trade
Broadcast: 25 September 1971
Weston is alone after Clare reveals her love for Chris; any escape plan will now be difficult with such limited support.
End in Dust
Broadcast: 2 October 1971
Benedict embarks on a high-risk mission. Unaware that he is under surveillance and with anger growing in England, the time to take sides has come.
The Independent Television Authority decided that the series was unsuitable to be broadcast in Northern Ireland because of its controversial political content, and also because of the possibility of a misunderstanding in relation to the name of the police force of the Republic of Ireland Garda Síochána which translates into English as Guardians of the Peace.
The Guardians was released on DVD in the UK on 1 February 2010 by Network DVD.[1] The full 13-part series was released as a 4-disc set. This is the first time the series has ever been released in any format, and is in fact the first time the series has resurfaced since its original transmission in 1971 as it has never been repeated on television (though a single episode, ep.12 - "The Killing Trade", can be viewed at the National Media Museum in Bradford).